walking days

Do you remember when the Whit walks was a big occassion. i'd walk with St matthew's at Highfield but it was aday out to go into Wigan and watch all the Catholic churches. i loved the dresses and the bands.

I sure remember them Kath..I went to St Josephs Wallgate and we had our dresses made by a woman down Pottery Red....how I loved those satin dresses..and singing Faith Of Our Fathers on the market square..those were the days eh?.

they were lovely days momac. i remember women taking chairs into the street to bag a good space. my auntie made my frocks and I remember singing Onward Christian Soldiers on the cricket field afterwards. it never seemed to rain. my auntie used to make a little matching bag too so that I could collect pennies as i walked along.my posie was always taken to grandmas grave.

I love looking at the photos of walking days on here, I show them to my friends here in Mk as they have never heard of them, it seems to have been a northern thing doesn't it. Such happy memories I walked with the Abram churches

Happy day Now all that has gone.. No Church or Chapel walking days, less and less Carnivals all good things lost thru time, and Health and Safety and police rules and regs. Sad

Happy days. On Whit Monday, the pubs in Wallgate and Caroline St used to open at nine o clock in the morning. Chairs all along Caroline St and all the other districts of Wigan were the same. St Pats, St Marys, St Johns, the Convent and all the others.

And I don't ever remember it raining.

Momac I can remember the tarmac melting and getting on everyones shoes

There's church walking days every year. The only thing that's changed is the weather!

I've been on more walking days than I can remember.
The busiest time started on Whit Sunday:
St Bills, Ince.
Monday: Whit walks Wigan, either with St Johns Or St Marys, depending on which band I was in (Crooke Miners or Wigan Legion)
Then Friday Rochdale Whit walks...

Those were the days

can anybody remember the names of the Caroline Street pubs mentioned by MarieM.

Both pubs were opposite each other.The Vine Inn and the Church Inn.

Was that at the Chapel Lane end, in the middle, or the Wallgate end near St Joseph's church.

Ropemakers Arms was in Caroline St as well..

Both pubs were in the middle opposite St Thomas,s church and the ropemakers near St.Josephs church

Thanks

You are very welcome

there's a good selection of walking day photos in the wigan world album.

I remember walking days in Wigan and Micky Dalton was always at the front. He always wore a bowler hat and a carnation in his lapel and had a walking stick. As a child I always thought he was someone important as he was walking 5yards in front of the parade but it didn't matter which church was walking, he was always in front.
Personally never saw it, but it was rumoured that he was the first person on Norley Hall to have plastic flowers in his front garden! Bless him.

he was a character all right linda

Standish Walking Day is 30th June.

Linda, when Mickey Dalton lived in Worsley Hall he had a lovely collection of Tulips and Daffs in December

I remember walking with ST.Mathews of Highfield the years were around 1953/4/5/6//7,as for the Whit Monday Walks my mother /sister they were holiday from Eckersley's,dad off from pit they would walk down to Caroline St,they would plonk us down on a good spot on pavement up near top end so we would catch a good view as they came from Chapel lane and turn into Caroline St,they by the way went into pub's kept us supplied with pop and crisp's hay they were damn good times it would finish well into afternoon,then walk home ,A GRAND DAY OUT!!!!!! ps then cops argued it was causing traffic problems,so it died!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I always looked forward to walking day when I was young. I was usually walking with St. John's Hindley Green Brownie/Guide group.

I remember if I got to carry the flag with either group I thought it was marvellous. My family used to come out and watch.

I always wanted to be one of those young ladies in white who got to carry one of the ribbons from the banners. I always used to think they looked lovely - oh happy days.

I was one of the young girls who carried a ribbon , but our school had progressed by then and we wore lovely apricot dresses, all of the dresses were made by a Lady in Thomas Street

Oh my beautiful satin dress..I can see it now..a lady on Seven Stars bridge always made our dresses..she also made my coats every year,'cos my arms were always too long...our next door neighbour Barney Callaghan took over from Paddy King to run the Ropemakers..both very big and lovely men...as you can probably guess..they weren't Scottish.

awinstanley I walked with St Matthews around the same time. I wa a winstanley too. where did you live then?

I WALKED WITH ST. ANDREWS SPRINGFIELD. EITHER IN BROWNIES AND GUIDES. HAPPY DAYS.

I remeber somewhere round Caroline st there was a very low bridge and the men carring the banners always had trouble lowering it and not getting the ribbons messed up and my brother Clifton Green was in the MOrris Dancers and they always had to stop at the Convent and do their dance for the NUns lookingg out of the windows

I and my brother walked with St. Marys Lower Ince. One of the the highlights of the year.







Then the excitement of looking in the newsagents window at all the photos to see if you were on. Our dresses were used for friends birthday parties and other family celebrations.

I have recently read my maternal grandmother's account of when she was young and she remembers how this was a huge event in the late twenties and early thirties. She would dress up and her brother would wear his suit and walk with the St John's parish (where they went to school) rather than St Joseph's as they should have done. Their mother never took part despite being able to. My grandmother's paternal side of the family would watch in the St Patrick's parish

THIS IS FOR YOU KATHPRESSEY ,

SORRY ABOUT TIME LAPSE, WE LIVED AT 460 ORMSKIRK ROAD,HALF-WAY HOUSE, YOU KNOW THE VEG SHOP TODAY ON THE CORNER WELL IF YOU PACE FROM VEG/SHOP ABOUT HALF WAY UP THE VIDEO SHOP THATS WHERE THE TERRACE HOUSES STOOD ,KATH DO YOU RECALL MRS BAXTERS SHOP GROCERIES? THE HOUSES HAD TO STEP DOWN 2/3 STEPS HENCE THE NICKNAME DOWNSTEP HOUSES.

MY PARENTS WERE: MR.THOMAS WINSTANLEY
MRS.ELIZABETH ANN WINSTANLEY NEE MATHER
MASTER.WILFRED WINSTANLEY.
MISS.MARGARET WINSTANLEY.
MASTER.ALAN WINSTANLEY. ME
MISS. ANNE WINSTANLEY.
IN the middle of the 50s we then moved out to a brand new council house at worsley mesnes, right down the bottom of ST.PAULS CHURCH ST.PAULS AVENUE,LAST ON THE RIGHT INTO WALPOLE AVENUE No11 6th HOUSE UP ON THE RIGHT.
WHERE DID YOU LIVE KATH? YOU MUST HAVE GONE TO HIGHFIELD INFANTS? OH HOW I LOVED THOSE DAYS AT 460 I TRULY WISH I COULD GO BACK. IF EVER YOUR AT THE GROCERS SHOP NOWADAYS THEY WILL LET YOU ROUND THE BACK OF THE SHOP THERE YOU WILL SEE WHERE THE WINDOWS AND DOORS USED TO BE, KATH DO YOU RECALL AN ERIC SMART? I WILL GO NOW COULD CHAT ALL DAY TO YOU HOPE YOU SEE THIS , AW/GB

Anne, I walked with Hope Street Methodists in Spring View.

My father was a Welsh Baptist, my mother was Church of Jesus Christ in Rodney Street Wigan, they got married at St Mary's Lower Ince, C of E and brought us up as Methodists.

Religiously confused!

Now I'm an atheist !!!

Love your walking day photos Anne, lovely memories.

I will never forget the walking days at St Pats , lining up in McCormack St. Carrying the statue of Our lady on my shoulders along with other altar boys . And, the pipes and drums of Mt Carmel Band leading us down Rupert sy behind Father James Lappin. How times have changed, for the better?

FOR KATH PRESSEY.
Just reflecting back on those walking day's Kath what time period was when you walked? What i remember about ST.MATHEWS was we would congregate where Kath? was it near parochial Hall or what ,anyway we would set off down Billinge rd all the way and when we got opposite the hospital the walk would stop while the band played for those in there. Then onward again turn left along LITTLE BILLINGE ROAD to the end,then left onto ORMSKIRK ROAD up toward's Carnegie Library just round the corner nearing Tunstall Lane IE ( veg shop and my house ) thats were all my relations would gather and stuff lots of pennie's,tanner's , threepnny bit's in my hands it was great.
Then on again past HALF-WAY -PUB up the slight hill to MOUNT ZION left there down ENFIELD STREET up to top of KEN GEES PUB /BILLINGE ROAD RIGHT THEN BACK TO THE CHURCH. Into the church for payers and hymns then onto cricket field and round off the day . Oh these bloomin people don't half know what they are missing do they???????

I seem to recall one year when, at the end of the walk we finished at the park where we had a picnic followed by games, did I dream this or dies anyone else recall. I think it was one of the Abram walks

Great childhood memories of walkind day , down Rupert St and along Darlington St on to the Market Square all along the Pipe band , I have love pipe bands , I have loved pipe bands since then.
Singing "Faith of Our Fathers "on market square, I remember the older men ducking into the Park Hotel for a quick pint or two.
Then on with the march up Dicconson St down Standishgate , into Greenough St and right into Scholes The Pipe bands in there full gloryand the crowds cheering.
Then sat outside the Crispen with a bottle of pop and a bag of crisps , my Grandma inside playing the piano.
So happy fond days

I,m going back to the 50,s, I lived in Mount street top of Greenough St, we took our chairs to the road for the family to sit on us kids sat on kerb,and waited for the walkers to come up, the horses led the way then the top nobs, then the walkers it was a brilliant day, my nan cried everytime there was a band playing she stood up and waved her flag when they came past, I have never forgotten the feeling of pleasure watching her...happy days we have the memories which we share with our grandkids as they will never experience anything like that now...

Here's a film of a 2015 walking day in a Lancashire town.
They're not like they used to be!

tonker