Wigan Album

Great pics Eric. Didn't Salters shop become a bank at one time ?

I always knew the shop next door to the chemist as Mrs Burgess'

Eric, thank you... a brilliant photograph.

Next to the chemists there are two parked cars, then another building.....was that something to do with the trams? A waiting-room perhaps? I remember when we first moved to Platt Bridge from Ince in 1971 you could still see parts of the tram-lines behind Salter's.

Irene... those are the (in)famous toilets that gave birth to the name 'Platt Wazz'. Tram drivers would stop there before travelling on, just long enough to nip for a 'wazz'.

hi irene,i used to work in the tram shed in tram st,that might be the building ur thinking of its still there,it was a carpet works when i worked there and the pits were still in where the men must have stood in to do work underneath the trams.

Thanks Josie and my old mate Dennis.....no, I wasn't confusing the buildings; the one I meant was by Salter's Chemists.....I just didn't kmow what it's purpose was.

Totally agree with you Dennis about the 'wazz' reference, visited those toilets the odd time when caught short as a youngster (remember the stench to this day lol) you can just see the barber pole at the side of burgess' that later became 'mad erics'

Has anyone noted the weigh scales outside of the chemist, I had totally forgotten about these... you used to see them everywhere, day and night. They would not last 5 minutes these days before ending up in'cut.

Other memories this has sparked (appropriate word really!)... choosing fireworks at Mrs Burgess' with my gran. Mrs Burgess would keep them at the shop for you. You picked the ones you wanted a few weeks before bommie night, she held onto them and gran would pay them off so much a week. Also, having my first feather cut (mullet?) at the barbers... which we called 'Tony's'.. it was also the place I got my first ever 'something for the weekend sir?' from;-)

You little tinker, young Dennis!

I remember the barbers shop at the side of the chemists. It was run by Tony, who lived in Ashton. He had a Volvo sports car. He later bought a card shop in Ashton but has since died.

I remember the barbers when it was Syd Dawsons next door to Conroys Grocers.
The building referred to was a tram waiting room prior to being a toilet,The lintel over the door was carved waiting room.

Yep he was called Tony, beltin fella, had a few page boy crops at his barbers as a youngster, but we still used to call him mad eric and he'd laugh with us :)

I remember sitting on the "high" chair at Tony's many times when I was a little lad.

i livd in platt bridge all my life still do 63 yrs burgess u could strap ther and if u dident pay it back she put yr name in window 2 shame you