Wigan Album

We think Jack Birkett (born 1899, youngest son of John Birkett and Elizabeth Ormesher) is front middle sitting in front of man with spade, possibly a church outing, likely to Southport.

Cannot be St Barnabas
The parish was not created until after the 1939-45 war to serve the new council estate

Interesting as there are 2 "St Barnabas Mission AFC" pictures on here see
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=7&id=33256&gallery=St+Barnabas+Mission+AFC+%28Amateur+Football+Club%29%2C+Marsh+Green&page=1
and
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=8&id=33238&gallery=St++Barnabas+Marsh+Green&page=1

those pictures do show Mission. I'm no expert but I think I heard my in-laws saying in those days (1923) it was a "satellite" to another church to try and give the locals some morals etc, I think it served Scott Lane area too.

but this link will give you some info on the mission
Album > Places > Marsh Green
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=30198&gallery=Marsh+Green&page=6

Saint Barnabas church was there years before the war. It was the old mission building then before they built the church thats there now.

We have a certificate from St Barnabas' Church Marsh Green for the confirmation of my grandfather in 1915 or 1916.

A 6 inch to mile Ordnance Survey map printed before 1913 shows St Barnabas mission and school on the corner of Scot Lane and Marsh Green.
Plenty of my ancestors christened there.

Smallshaw, On the bend, if I remember, there were two houses we called the Police houses, is that where is was? Opposite the Bridgewater pub?

Very interesting.The parish was carved out of St Mark's Newtown
There is no mention of it in the Liverpool Diocesan Handbook for 1946 though Platt Lane Mission in St Catherine's parish does feature.Perhaps Mr Long can throw light on the apparent discrepancy

Rainh - if you were looking across from outside the Bridgewater, it was on the left hand corner of Scot Lane, and Marsh Green, where the ex-Police houses are today. The houses on the opposite corner were also police houses. There were four in total.

St Barnabas Mission and School I'd say would have been built in the Victorian era, it must have been at least around 100 years old when demolished in the early 1960s. here's a link to a photo of it on the Album: https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=30198&gallery=Marsh+Green&page=6

It would have been taken from where the rear of Courier Place is now, the house in the background would have been Hayes' who had a smallholding at the rear of those houses along Marsh Green and sold eggs.

Thanks Smallshaw, I get you now. I remember the four. I don't know what the police did in those houses as don't remember seeing any police round here, they just let us get on with it growing up. I just knew them as the police houses .

Remember going into Smallshaw's shop in the 1950's with my walking day money.Got a Fry's chocolate cream bar and a bar of Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate for two threepenny bits.We lived in Scot Lane where Hilton's shop was and went to Sunday School at St.Barnabus which was a mission attatched to St.Mark's where I was confirmed.

Where was Smallshaw's shop P.B. ?
I remember in the 1950s there being a shop on the corner of Scot Lane and Partington Street at Marsh Green which I can't recall the name of, was that it?
The others I do remember are Hilton's as you mentioned and also on Scot Lane were Roden's, Boffy's and Bill Naylor's.

Cyril, The shop on the opposite corner of Partington Street from Hilton's shop was(I think)called Smith's.
Smallshaw's shop was in a row of terraced houses just before the Bridgewater Arms (bottom ale house).