Aquaduct Houses Ince

Just been looking at the Farmer St posting, here's another one from the same area.

Does anyone remember two rows of houses off Ince Green Lane that were at the side of the canal arm.
They were known as the Aquaduct Houses because they were near to were the canal went under the railway line.

The houses are the main focus of a story about a man falling into a pit shaft.

You'll find the story Here

Brilliant story and article Winder - many thanks!

thanks winder very good story i lved in ince but never heard that story the photos are very good to
sheila

Loved the story. I had read about the train and its driver disappearing down a old shaft but had never read about John Bank before thanks for a most interesting story.

Thank you so,so, much Winder. Tragic story, but a very
interesting and important part of our history.
Would be good to hear of any descendents.
Have you any more little known Wigan history?

First of all, thanks for the comments.

What I meant to ask and forgot was, does any one know when these houses were demolished and are there any families by the name of Banks or Plunkett still living in the area.
Like I said in the article, any living relatives may not be aware of this true story.

The engine driver who went down the shaft with his train was Ludovic Berry. When I get enough info, I'll do the story.

Have you seen this Link Winder?

I was just doing that ©art© .

No I'd not seen it, Art.
Ta.

My parents often repeated this story of the man who fell down the pit shaft.Apparently he had left the house first and had turned round to help his BLIND wife through the door when he fell and she was left standing, unaware what had happened.
I can remember those houses being there in the early 50s but just can't remember when they were demolished.I can remember one of the families in The Viaducts(this was the actual address name of the houses)their name was Unsworth and their grandson Derek lived with them.Many old Ince residents would remember Derek who was like a gentle giant and he had a beautiful voice and would often sing in the pubs and clubs in Ince.
People living in Raven Street and Farmer Street were also known as Viaducters or 'Dockers' as we kids used to call them.
Oh what memories you have all unleashed,I can see myself begging my mother to let me have an ice cream off the man with a cart who always stood in the 'Docks'.This was always refused if I asked after 4pm because of course the ice cream wasn't refridgerated and she would say "NO,IT WILL HAVE GONE OFF !!!ah well,I'll get back to my dreams

There was a family in the Viaducts who had a "daughter"
with learning difficulties.
I got told that she was not their daughter by birth, but they had taken her in. I was very young at the time but had the impression that the Mother loved this girl to bits.
A few years ago I got chatting to an elderly man from Ince.
We got reminiscing and he said this was the Hartley family.

Thanks Evelyn for your words about Derek he was a nice man he did many shows for us in the Bridge to raise money ,and yes he had a beautiful voice .And thanks for the story Winder sorry to go of it a bit .I remember going down to the woodwork clases form school and Evelyn the ice cream man could have been my Dad he worked for Charles's on rose bridge

i knew of a family of unsworth's who lived there.

annie, billy, mary, I cant remember the other names.

That's excellent information, I'll sift through it and put it with the extra info on the Swallowed by the Ground article.

Thanks for contributing.

Winder are these houses the same as Viaduct Lane. I have a birth certificate for a relative who was born at no23 in 1892.

Looking at the 1908 map,there doesn't seem to be a name for the road where the Viaduct Houses were.

I take it that Viaduct Lane was in the Ince area?

The adress on the certificate is

23 Viaducts Lane Green Lane Ince U.S.P

Ourmaude,

Looked at both the 1881 and 1901 census and on both it is Viaducts Row. It must be a mistake of the registrar putting Lane instead of Row. There is no other Viaduct Row or Lane listed in Ince.

It is common for mistakes like this to be made. Since many people were illiterate, they couldn't challenge any mistakes made and took the certificate without question.

On the 1901 census the family living at No 23 was Thomas (aged 25) and Ann Catterall (aged 20) with their son James (aged 1)

Thank you Johnnyseven. This family in 1901 were living near Miry Lane. I hadn't thought to check the census. On the 1891 the property is listed as empty and it is listed as just Viaducts.

For Winder. I have been looking through the census and on the 1881 Peter Plunkett and his family lived at no 9 Viaducts but he was only 34 years old. I can only assume therefore that a Peter Plunkett senior lived with them at the time of the accident in 1883.

Post note there was also a Joseph and Nancy Plunkett living at no 2 Viaducts with boarders John and Mary Banks.

Thanks for that.
Additional info has been added to the article.