Wigan Album

Interesting article Cyril. I didn’t know the Ince Hall pub was called the Black Diamond. Most of my Irish ancestry is buried in Wigan Cemetery. I recall going to look for Grt Grandparents in there. I did find them but there were no headstones on the graves which I didn’t expect there to be.

There are many stories about how The Black Diamond, (correct name "Ince Hall Hotel), pub got its nick-name, Cyril, mostly to do with coal, since "black diamonds" is the name for coal in this area, as we dig for coal in coal mines here, rather than digging for diamonds in diamond mines. However, I lived not far from the Black Diamond pub when I was growing up....its front door was on Warrington Road , Lower Ince, but the side wall was in Ince Green Lane and I remember there was a huge "diamond" picked out in black bricks high up on the wall, with, (if I remember rightly), " Walker's Warrington Ales" written inside it. I imagine that is probably the source of the name. However, as I say, there were many stories about it and perhaps other people can add other explanations.

Veronica, it wasn't the Old Hall pub at the top of Cemetery Road, it was the pub on the corner of Warrington Road and bottom of Ince Green Lane at the roundabout, wasn't it turned into residential use?
Irene, I too remember it being said that the name was to do with coal, but I just put the article on out of interest with the pub having had that nickname.

Apologies Cyril. I put it down to memory…I didn’t know the pub the Black Diamond.