History of Wigan   (Help with ancient and recent history.)

Does anyone know anything about an ancient Round House in Whelley? (Also posted on Places)

This is what I've found so far via Google:

Why were Roundhouse Sidings so called? Was there ever a roundhouse in that area? (link):

While I could find old railwaymen who knew where this location was*, none could recall a loco shed, except a very old and tiny one which would have held a small tank engine. (* OS Grid Ref: 359639,406405).

And that's where the answer lay!

There was once a "Round House", dating from ancient times, on the old highway from Wigan to what later became Horwich. A colliery was eventually sunk near here with two shafts, named Round House No. 1 and No. 2. No. 1 shaft was connected to the Wigan - Horwich highway via a tram road while No. 2 shaft had another tramroad leading down to the Leeds - Liverpool canal. Eventually, after the main line railway later known as the Whelley line was built nearby, both Nos 1 & 2 pits were connected via a short branch line which terminated at a small marshalling yard known as 'Roundhouse Sidings'.