Wigan Album

These girls have all shopped at next !

A formidable group of matrons!

I suspect that most of these women looked forward for many weeks if not months to this special day - a chance afforded to them rarely in those days of austerity and rationing. An opportunity to dress up and have a day out.
Time saving electric gadgets were probably a few years into the future and housework was much more labour intensive and time consuming. Certainly I’m guessing that if there was a “Next” available in those days it would go broke, not because they would not appreciate what it had to offer but simply because it would be out of their economic reach. Some of today’s "younger generation", anyone under 50, cannot be blamed for not appreciating the kind of society that existed then since it is simply out of their experiences - much easier to mock - but so much harder to understand and appreciate.

These coaches, in those days, were commonly referred to as charabancs. It was popular, after the second world war, for one of the locals, to organize a charabanc trip,to the sea side, for that locality, usually to Blackpool, or Southport. A custom, as the charabanc was moving off, was for the trippers' to throw a penny, or two, to the children, waving them off. In Spring View, a lady, Grandma Harris, organized a few. She lived in Henry Street, opposite the corn mill.

It was also common for the corner grocer's shop to organise an annual day trip to the local seaside for it's regular customers.

I lived in Ince Green Lane, Ince, and someone in nearby Pickup Street always "got a coach up" for "T'Luminations". No-one owned a car, so how exciting it was setting off to Blackpool after tea, us kids singing "Fer 'e's a jolly good driver, Fer e's a jolly good driver, Fer e's a jolly good dri-hi-verrrr......e's just run o'er mi Dad!" Happy Days!

irene are you the irene robrts that lived in platt bridge i think my mother knew you her re - MARRIED name was betty dewhurst she worked at st nathaniels school dinners if you dont then appologies for asking