Photo-a-Day  (Sunday, 13th July, 2025)

Nice enough church but a terrible graveyard, with crooked dangerous gravestones that keep falling over.
A child was killed last week in Rawtenstall when one fell on him.

It is a lovely Church Brian, Grade ll Listed and built in the Gothic Revival style.
Originally it was a Chapel of Ease for All Saints Parish Church in Wigan.
As I recall they received a grant toward the building costs of approximately £5,000.00 roughly £600,000.00 in today’s money.

That's a nice photo of an imposing church, Brian. At first glance I thought there was a ghostly figure stood in front of the door until I put my reading glasses on! Some of those gravestones look very old.

A good clear image Brian.
That is the church that I know of as St John the Divine ?
If you walked round the back via the left hand path you would find the headstone of my Great Grandfather who was killed in the King Pit disaster at Pemberton Colliery on the 11 Oct 1877. John Bradshaw was married with 3 children , the youngest who was only 12 mths old. Ann his wife lived on till she was abt 90yrs old.

Apologies Brian....I should have read the title of your photo properly !

It looks very ‘ Gothic’ and the old gravestones only add to that concept. What a sad story Helen. I imagine a lot of people would have stopped at the grave and read the epitaph. Life would have been a long struggle for the family at that time.

Helen, if you ever want a photo of your Grandfathers grave, you only have to ask

I ‘ see’ what you mean Irene. It looks like a ghostly young lad when peering closely.
My eyes are not very good lately …perhaps a cataract needs removing …we all know about waiting lists though sadly.

You took the words out of my mouth Mick. I was thinking the same thing for Helen. That’s assuming it’s still there.
My Grandparents Grave and Headstone in Ince Cemetery appear to have been removed when I went looking for it last year.

That's such a nice offer, Mick.

Thanks for the offer Mick but I have one that I took myself.

The comment from me at 09.54 was sent in unfinished because I mistakenly pressed the submit button before I had finished writing the post.
It should have ended. You only have to ask one of you're Wiganworld Pad lady friends.
Sorry about that, I bet some of you have thought the lads gone soft.

There is a ghostly figure holding a bunch of flowers, in the top window of the centre arch window frame.
Nice photo Brian.

There's interesting information in the link below, especially why it got to be built in brick, rather than in stone.

https://whobuiltwiganschurches.co.uk/churches/st-john-the-divine-pemberton/#:~:text=St.%20John%E2%80%99s%20Pemberton%20is%20a%20modest%20red%20brick,is%20one%20of%20the%20oldest%20churches%20in%20Wigan.

Thanks to Will & Pat Sharp for their website.

The English Master from the nearby Pemberton School of Arts, (hooliganism more like) would often be heard to say: "Whenever I see row upon row of your unsightly toothy grins, I'm reminded of walks through St. John's graveyard.

Irene & Veronica, yes, it does appear to be ghostly, but no, as when magnified it's the security bars on the door.

I can see the figure you mention, Malc, but is it not a deliberate figure in stained glass of perhaps a Saint or an Angel, like the ones in Colin's photo of a stained glass window a few days ago?

It would be a good idea to open these cold dark churches for the public to get out of this heat.
They said on the news that many pensioner are dying because of the very high temperatures

Was there yesterday laying flowers on my grandparents grave.
It would have been my grandad, Robert Bradshaw's birthday.