Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 4th April, 2018)

I know the lady that was living in the white painted house 27 years ago.

Nice photo Ron, I recognized it before I read your headline. Not many cars in that car park, the last time I was over my wife bought a lottery ticket and won about 64quid, so after that we had to have tickets for every draw. Thanks Ron.

Mid sixties was painted green - Aspull Moor Post Office. Owned by a family called Proctor.

Aspull is a wonderful place and I would not wish to live anywhere else but when I was a child in the 1950s it wasn't just wonderful it was magical.
At that time the Pits had long gone and the Moorland had re-taken control of the areas ravaged by mining. There was all kinds of interesting places to explore. An old, long abandoned railway track ran across the moor, past the Chimney on Haigh Road and through the fields to Toddington. Gorses Brook was the place to catch tiddlers but ,according to your parents you had to "Beware of the Gorses Boggart". You could wander down Old Fold Lane, through Johnson's Farmyard and across the fields to the remains of Aspull Pumping Pit. There were ponds where you could fish, collect frog spawn or just lie on your back in the sunshine and watch the Dragonflies meandering from plant to plant.
Climbing the dizzy heights of the "Wutchy", building rafts on the ponds, "Brid Neezin'", exploring the Plantations. So many things to do that School Holidays were never long enough. It was indeed a magical time.

DTease,you should write a book on childhood dreams.

As children we all have happy places
where we used to play, not just Aspull.
MY story would be too long to explain, I understand DTease tail though they were great.

Somebodys pinched its fingers

We had the best of times for fun and games - all the freedom you could want in the cobbled streets and fields and woods. What memories will today's kids have to look back on with their worn out thumbs and eyes that 'sken' from looking at screens. I hereby agree with Dtease another resident poet in the making!

Must admit Aspull is my favourite area in Wigan and surrounding districts. I can imagine it being an idyllic place to grow up in the 1950's. Growing up, we had the best of times, and often went to Haigh Hall and we were there all day. Just as long as our parents knew there was a couple of older kids with us.

I also recognized it immediately Ken R. Good pic but would be better if it included the chippie

Hadn't heard of the "Gorses Boggart" in donkey's years DTease! I was brought up daen't loan but recognise much of your description.
The thing about Aspull was you learned so much by walking and watching - the farms, wildlife in Borsdane Wood and plants that grew round slag heaps.
Then there were the flat capped men with dogs, mostly terriers and green spaces for cricket, football, dogs sometimes joining in.
Life was a pace slower but always interesting.

I remember those Football Games Gary. Jackets for goalposts and everyone understood the rules because we didn't have any. Ankle tapping, shoulder charges and shin kicking were accepted as being part of the game.
Anyone who happened to be passing was free to join in and as you say this sometimes included a free-roaming dog or two.
Time was not considered important and a game lasted as long as the light lasted or until the lad who owned the ball got hungry and decided to go home for his tea.
Overweight kids were few and far between in those days. Happy days.

When I was a girl I lived in Stanley Road and used to walk through Marsdens fields all the way to School in Blackrod or I would go on my bike. We had wonderful May Queens on May Day when we used to dress up and walk through the village followed by a special tea which our Mothers made, after that we had a little concert with tap dancing and so on which we had been practising for ages. Does anyone remember Shoemaker Fold? I now live in Cheshire but have such fond memories of Aspull. I too instantly recognised the photo. Thanks Ron

DTease, those timeless matches always reached about 22-18 at half time. Yet I don't know why we bothered scoring because they were all decided by the'next goal wins'rule.