Wigan Album

I don't remember this street but i remember the Grapes pub. when i was a little girl my dad took me in for a bottle of coke becuase he knew the landlord.I think that was the late 70's.Look at all those white doorsteps.Great pic

I remember the Grapes pub as well, not so many years ago Wallgate was a lively neighbourhood with all sorts of shops, pubs and facilities. Far cry from the depressing Wallgate today.

Victoria Street was almost opposite the top of Clayton St.To me this is a very rare photo of one of the many Wallgate Streets that have completely disappeared.Many thanks to the owner.

Janie,the date would have to after late 1950. The car in the backround is a Mk1 Ford Consul or Zephyr which was introduced as a new model in October 1950.

Brilliant pic Janie. Just the sort of pic that Wiganworld folk love. I've never seen this one before and don't really remember the street, but I do remember The Grapes pub. Sory, but I can't help with any names though.

I have overlayed a modern O/S map over one from the 1930's. Victoria Street now is exactly where the garden centre area of the old B & Q store on Wallgate is.

Hello Duncan.I know what you mean.It breaks your heart to see what they have done to it.

Hello Derek.Idid also say early fifties.It must have been before 54.my brother married in 54 and in 55 Iwent to live with my aunt and uncle in Beech Hill.

Can anyone tell me what the building next door to the Grapes is?

Vicky, I think it was a factory called The Margaret Works, might have been garment and clothing manufacturers.

i lived in victoria st from about 1945 to about 1956 it was margaret works and it was a sewing works

I recall my Dad mentioning a picture house I think was somewhere on Wallgate and the seats were all ordinary kitchen chairs with a plank nailed across the backs of them to form rows, that would have been in the 1930s, does anybody know anything about it?

When it was a cinema..my Grandams told me of the time when she was sat watching a film in there and a message came on the screen for her saying will Mrs McGovern please go home as your son has nearly drownded (that was how they pronounced it then)..everybody learned to swim in the canal then,and my dad had taken a long time to surface..it must have done him some good because he ended up a very powerful swimmer.

I believe the cinema was actually called "The Cinema" or "The Scratch"! I remember it being open after 1945.

Sorry it was "the Royal Cinema" until change of use in December,1945

My eldest sister told me there used to be a cinema on wallgate.She just called it the WALLGATE CINEMA.She was going there in the 20s and 30s I dont know if she was having me on or not but she said the price of admission was a jamjar and it depended on the size of the jar where you sat.the bigger the jar the better the seats.Idont remember the cinema.does anyone know where it was.

Janie, I remember my dad mentioning the jam jar admission, I think a lot of the smaller picture houses did that, they would have made something on returning the jam jars which had a deposit on them like pop bottles used to till fairly recently.

Duncan.I am so glad someone else remembers the jamjar admission.all these years Ithought she was having me on.I am so glad she wasnt.have you any idea where the cinema was.I dont remember it.

Janie, I have a notion it could have been the place where the Margaret works was in later years - though I could be worng about that.

wonder if this street was cleared to make way for the 'new' timberlakes showroom which was here before B&Q