Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 4th August, 2012)

Photo`s of Standish Bleachworks before demolition in June 2003 are in New gallery, Bleach Works.
One of the 65 photo`s, on 9th row and 3rd left, is very similar to Mick`s.

Mick, re your P-a-D yesterday, I put `roburite` in search box above and there`s an heading "Orica(Roburite) Housing Development in Shevington. This gives comments in `Communicate`, `General` and will be of interest, in particular, to Whelley Wayne and AL.C.

An unusual photo but very good, I like it. Surely this is what GOOD planning is all about, the old & the new in harmony.

A fairly pointless exercise especially if you're living 'behind the wall'.

Up to a point, Helen. Some of the new houses are behind the old wall and have a very limited view. But on a positive note, the developers re-used the old 'Check Office' as a sub-station, and designed the new housing with brickwork detail to match the old Bleachworks and Mayflower Cottages.

I don't think that old wall will do much for the view that it will give to the new dwellings behind it.

ARE YOU JOKING HELEN , WOULD YOU BUY A HOUSE WITH A VIEW LIKE THAT.

ROOM WITH A VIEW.

THEY SHOULD HAVE FLATTENED THE WALL LIKE THE REST OF THE FACTORY.

The wall does act as an acoustic screen from any traffic on the road, but I don't know if this road takes heavy traffic, particularly buses and lorries. The wall does seem to block a nice 'green view' to the left. It would be interesting to see what notes were made on the planning application for this development.

I like the majority of viewers of W.W.want to keep, and treasure our heritage ,but I can't for the life of me see any benefit in the particular piece of brickwork .Important buildings,are left to fall into disrepair,whilst others that could and should have been preserved , are now just a memory.Mick,thank you for this excellent,and thought provoking Photogragh

Point taken but if the houses/flats were for sale & people have bought them...they couldn't have been to worried about the view. And no I wouldn't by a house with a view like that RED ROCKER but someone else might, it takes all sorts.

Neil and Tom, copy and paste into your browser :-
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:awr1P4RCId0J:www.wigan.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/06A732CF-39D5-4792-B44B-EB66E4AF9DD8/0/April2010MayflowerCAA1199kb.pdf+wall+at+standish+bleachworks+wigan&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShySaXVdDQxNYPZ-LkBpI2GUbfv_R-IGzCu2XhMVcKpR7tKoiAV-eJs7cvohkG4xL2R_DMWh6uWzKGPLAjyATveiPEFlprFHzVSqg9XVrUMvTclfm8oBNt4GGbSKPPBFjG68lj7&sig=AHIEtbQKiHY-XGR6qmVXyaVW-DYQc2xs8A
It`s about the Mayflower Conservation Area.

Very interesting info about the conservation issues Ernest. A laudable attempt seems to have been made at harmonisation of old and new (as Helen said.) We cannot see the back of the wall and it unlikely to be as visually appealing as the front, but if it means that the cost of some of properties is lower than others because of presence of the wall then someone will be happy. Having said that, I am sure that some estate agents would suggest that the affected properties are perhaps "more private" than others and try to charge more money on that basis.

I'm with Red Rocker, the wall should be flattened. Its an eyesore.

I guess it depends who wants to remember a Bleach Works, for goodness sake. Heritage buildings yes, but a Bleach Works?
Some interesting comments and views - great.

The wall has been left up because of dogooders protesting when they where building the new houses they also wanted to stop the development because they said there some bats living in a hole

We would all be poorer (culturally speaking) if we took a narrow view of what 'heritage' meant. Many people regard 'industrial heritage' as important to society. As an example, one of the most successful enterprises in recent years is Tate Modern (London) and what was this building before? It was a Power Station. In the present case we need to consider everything, including other associated buildings that were kept, and importantly the beneficial effects on the new development (by way of harmonisation) which probably prevented a 'modern' and cheap looking eyesore such that can be seen in many places.

Fair enough comments Neil.

Well said Neil.

Wigan seems/seemed hell bent on obliterating it's industrial past.

But if Tate Modern's facade had just been retained - then in my opinion - it would have looked just as ridiculous as this one.