You are here:
Blackrod
Blackrod maps
Historic maps of Blackrod and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Blackrod maps
Blackrod area books
Displaying 1 of 4 books about Blackrod and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Blackrod
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Blackrod.
Add your memory of Blackrod
or of a photo of Blackrod.
Whitehall Lane
I love Blackrod, even though I was not born in England and I am Canadian I do consider myself a Blackroder. We lived at the bottom of Whitehall Lane for 5 years and it was seriously the best time of my life, the people that live in Blackrod are amazing, friendly and true. There is a feeling of home whenever I go back to Blackrod and it's like I never left. Whitehall Lane rocked along with the familys there, espically my still and very best friend Hannah Sutch. Her kids are my kids and vice versa, we have a bond that extends across the ocean and I truly believe that living in Blackrod was a truly remarkable experience in my life.
Lancashire memories
Born in Westhoughton
I was born in Westhoughton, I lived in 53 Townsfield Road when I was born, then moved to 8 Allenby Grove until I left at the age of 23 and came to Australia. In primary school I went to Sacred Heart School and then in high school I attended the Senior Girls' School on Park Road. I remember at Easter climbing Rivington Pike. I am married now with one daughter and two grandchildren and I have lived in Australia a long time, but my thoughts always go back to the happy childhood I had in Westhoughton.
James Brierley b1779
I wasn't born here, but my great-great-great-grandfather was. He was christened in St Bartholomew's Church (C of E) in approximately 1779. He came to Sydney in 1813 as a convict. Any help would be appreciated. I live at Mt Annan, Australia, 60klms from Sydney. I haven't travelled very far ah!!
Good Memories of Westhoughton
We moved to Westhoughton in 1956 when my father took up a position at Metal Box. I went to the Senior Girls School. Valerie Evans, Joyce Hartley and Kathleen Ellison were my friends. One of my fondest memories was the Empire Cinema which we went to on a regular basis. On Saturday night we would go to the first house, sit in the double seats along the side and wait for Miss Ashton to come along and shine her torch to make sure we weren't misbehaving. We used to meet up at the Tram Shed and we spent hours in Westhoughton Park, just walking and talking and enjoying our freedom. I wish my children and grandchildren could have experienced our childhood. Good ol' days they were and I think of them often.
Swimming at Flag Bottom
I remember as a little kid in the 50's going through Borsdane Wood with my mam n' Aunty Liza - we'd take egg n' tomato butties with us and always head for the Flag Bottom. This was our cheap holiday / Wigan week, I think it was June, I have forgoten a lot of dates as I emigrated to Australia in 68. We had 5 kids and Aunty Liza had 4. In those days, the brook had a great little water fall and most of the bottom was flagged , we couldn't wait to get in the water and have fun, even over cast - didn't matter. I do remember some hot sunny days, and the egg n tomato butties were great!,....and collecting blue bells...thats another story hey. Funny, as we grew up in Hindley you always thought how things would get better, better cleaner streets, beautification of the park and the wood, and safer streets, all of which went the other way. Makes you wonder what the future holds.... Read more
Early Years in Hindley
What - no memories of Hindley? I was born in 1935 (nee Pennington) at a house in Liverpool Road, just up from the Strangeways Pub (The Paddock). The area was called Navvies' Lump, and although the address was "Liverpool Road", the road was in fact still known as Stoney Lone. Grandparents (Winnard) lived next door. One of my first memories is of being carried, in my grandma's shawl, down The Fold to Strangeways Farm in order to look over the wall into the bull-pen to see Billy-Bull. He belonged to the dairyman at the farm, Billy Eatock, aka 'Billy Splutte'r (always in a hurry). Another fond memory is of waiting for him to drive down the back-alley in his milk-float, dispensing fresh milk to his customers from huge milk-cans into their jugs. But what interested me most was seeing his horse! I was told that he had a remarkable relationship with this horse. He'd let it go, complete with float, and say "Go as far as... Read more
The Plantations
Well not just for the 1930's but for twenty years after as well. Memories come flooding back - not just for this picture but for Wigan itself. I was born there in 1931 - in my grandparents home 38, Dicconson Street - a section no longer in existence although others that belonged to my gt Uncles do remain intact but in a sorry state compared to the days that I recall. What I don't remember however is being removed from my pram - outside either Woolworths or Marks & Spencers (can't identify which from any of the photo's I've seen) when I was a few months old, by one of the Mill girls returning home from the Mill. Apparently after many hours searching by the local Police one of the other Mill girls said her friend had taken me home to show me to her mother - apparently her mother knew my grandfather's family and so there was no malice aforethought in the daughter's action!! Just a great deal of... Read more
