Buildings of Interest

Description

Faggy Lane.  Arguably was the forerunner of King Street.  When the Corporation commissioned the new street, the deeds included a requirement to “furnish between Wallgate, Chapel Lane and Millgate a better lane than Faggy Lane”.

A fragment of it remains today between Queen Street and the railway, hidden behind a car sales showroom.  At one time it connected Chapel Lane with the town centre and ran across Faggy Lane Fields which were later swallowed up by railway lines and sidings.  It was the scene of a fierce battle in 1867 over the right of way between two major rail companies.

Where the old lane met the new King Street is still there today.  It is where the walkway across the railway joins King Street next to the old County Playhouse.

Sources: Jim Meehan, Past Forward, National Newspaper Archives, Wigan MBC, Wigan Town Centre Trail 1998.

The site of a battle between railway employees of LNWR and L&YR in 1867. L&YR attempted to block access via the lane to LNWR's new North Western station. 

Read a report of the Battle of Faggy Lane

A walkway from King Street leading west across the railway is the location of part of the original Faggy Lane. A section also remains running parallel to Queen Street alongside the West Coast Main line.

Comments

Chrissie Jennings: That’s me & my mum walking on the bridge.  Frank Orrell was kind enough to give me a copy of the photo so now it hangs on a wall in my home.  Mum passed away in 1991 so this is a treasured memory I can cherish every day.  I love seeing the photo when it pops up on the Wigan pages on FB every now and then 

To be honest I don’t remember that much, I was so young probably 4 or 5 in that photo.  We always used to walk over the bridge every Saturday after we’d been into town. I do remember mum retelling the story of how it happened - it was just before they closed part of the bridge off.  Mum was stopped by a chap who asked if he could take our photo as we walked.  It’s so vague though, I wish I could remember more 

Pat Grimshaw: I worked in Royal London House in King Street in the 1950s, my office was on the middle floor overlooking the bridge and saw steam trains all the time. When I was a junior there I had to go across the bridge for Pooles pies for dinner. Dripping with juice they were delicious, I can taste them now. I loved that shop with its wood panelling and booths. Happy days.

Anthony Glanfield:  Walked this when very young to catch the trains to Blackpool: lived in Scholes then. Summer holidays sat right at the end, camera man watching goods yard and trains in and out of North West. You had a feeling you where on platform 1 of NW Station.. We used to shout at the driver and firemen to give us a whistle. Shortly following steam; train spotting in the early 70s. Walking over that bridge after a journey from Crewe or the likes back home to Scholes. Ot completed a day out

Joanne Smith: Walked across this bridge many times after a night in Chaplin’s! Probably shouldn’t have but was always safe, came out behind MFI.

Josephine Durnford: That I think is the old footbridge to the Wigan North Western railway station. Bit of a trek with luggage when going on holiday 50's/60's.

Frank Sandra: Walked that bridge many times many years ago, steam trains belching out smoke, happy days

John Andrew: The passage from King Street leading to bridge was called turf gate

David Clarke: Walked that bridge hundreds of times going to the Turnkey and Chaplins..

Andrew Shawforth: P.s the subway still exists to connect up to the old foot bridge.

Heather Whittle: I walked over that bridge often x

Sheila Garret: Used to walk over this bridge to the station every work day to get the train to Preston. I worked at Lancashire County Council. Happy times.

Kathleen James:  Back of the county  picture house ,king street,

Tracey Brindle:  Walked over that many times

Donna Mann-Cairns: We call it stomping Bridge, if the kids were good they could stomp it up and down x sounded great at night

Ann Rodgers:  We loved going over that bridge next to County pictures

Jude Lyon-Honor:   I loved that old bridge, my Mum and I often went over it, I would run ahead of her and peer through the gaps xxxx I remember the bridge, I loved to go across with my Mum, it was a little adventure xxxx

Lawrence Thorpe:  Spent many a hour on this bridge watching trains go bye mid sixties ,Good memories. Being only about 11or 12 went to the bridge with me dad he would read the evening paper sat on the wooden steps of the bridge why l watched train movements all steam trains then .very busy place for train s early sixties.When I got a few years older used to try and get on Wigan nw station with a platform ticket depending who was on the ticket barrier whether you got on or not ,used to be a sign at station no train spotters allowed .

David Parkinson: There were a couple of places in the town centre where train spotters gathered.  The iron bridge being one of them. The others were the " nick" down the side of Wallgate station and " jonto's " down Prescot Street.

Alison Brown:  Remember this bridge so well. My dad used to take us out and going over this bridge was a treat.   gosh can you imagine today telling your children your treat is a walk over iron bridge. Loved the sound it made when you walked across and the smell of the trains. Lovely.

Margaret Linne:  Remember it well picture house at one end and Wigan North West station at the other.

Christine Ackland:  Stood on that bridge many a time and loved the smoke from the trains on my face. Probably would be a no no today but I loved it. 

Pedro Clarke:  If memory serves me right wasn’t it called Turfgate

Christine Silcock:  I remember this as my auntie worked at the miners clinic on the third floor of the building and the end of the bridge she use to wave to us .I also remember the solicitors Alker and Ball in the offices below the clinic

Geoff Wilson:  Remember train spotting on this bridge Happy Memories!!!

Sandra McCloud:  I have absolutely no idea whether this is true or not.  In the late sixties I was told by an old Solicitor in King Street that at some stage the cobbles in King Street had some type of wooden blocks fitted over them.  Apparently he said it was done to deaden the noise of carts and carriages.  Lot of professional, solicitors, accountants etc., had their premises on King St.  I have never heard this ‘story’ anywhere else, so perhaps it was just an old gentleman  ‘pulling my leg’ but I’ve always wondered about it. 

Brian N Linda Holden:  We used to call it the Iron bridge, or should I say " thiron bridge".

Sheila Ode:  Aw lovely childhood memories going from Wallgate to King Street cutting over the railway bridge and standing on top when the steam trains came and you’d disappear in smoke for a few minutes ( just thinking about it brings those memories back so vivid and I can smell the smoke ) 

Margaret Atherton:  The Iron Bridge to the County pictures and the Trustee Savings Bank , Court Hall , Hipp, Palace!

Vince Broomhead:  Remember all those places well, Wigan had 6 cinemas , 3 dance halls and a billiard hall in those days, Great  memories of great times !

Liam Perry:  Looking at the older drawings there was a lot more sidings between the 2 stations. Looks like where the car parks would be now between the 2.

Shelley E Coleman: Passed the old doorway to Chaplin's

Lorraine Isherwood:  I love these old picturesxx

Sue Nye: We called it   the iron bridge

Linda Banks:  Sue Nye yea we called it the iron bridge as well we use it regular. Lovely memories there.

Kathleen Walsh:  Is the iron bridge still there … hopefully it will be made safe and reopened. It would be sad if it disappeared.

Andy Mitchell:  Kathleen Walsh I think half of it was removed in th 80’s and the new car park blocked the rest

Cath Norman:  Been over that bridge many times  also on Sunday mornings going to mass at St Joseph’s church with my sister Betty lovely memories.xxxx

Tony Halsall: Plenty of people who used to go to Chaplins will have a story (or two) about that bridge. They might not be suitable for Facebook though lol

Craig Lockett:  I’d recognise that metal lattice railings anywhere as people have said takes you to chaplins alleyway and out next to the playhouse lots of memories in this picture 

Ian David Tyrer:  Craig Lockett I have been sick on that bridge a few times lol

Catherine Reid:  Jan Phoenix , remember this bridge xxx

Nora Ince:  Always called the Iron bridge.

Jeff Green:  Great when the steam trains went under the bridge spewing smoke Ash and steam while I was stood on it happy days

Neil Ellison:  Chaplin's ally to bridge not been on there for years

Marie Garner:  Used to stand on that bridge as a child with my grandfather. Running from end to end to be above the line the train was passing under so I would be  enveloped  in the steam. He used to work on the railways so we were often on there or at Whitley crossing

Robin Higham:  Marie Garner I spent hours at Whitley crossing, we used to put halfpennies on the line when train was due and pass them off as pennies after the train had squashed them.

Ian Boardman:  Spent many hours at Whitley crossing. Put pennies on track to see them get squashed and see how big they got. Also put stones on to see them turned to dust.We used to jump in coal wagons in the sidings and hitch a lift to the coal wash- jumping out well before it pulled in.We also scrambled under the Barley Brook tunnel to come out near Daisy Pitch. Bit noisy and dirty when a train went over.Many more tales from there I think!

John Butterworth:  still there,we used to go into a old signal box there 1974

Glynis Cyril Dilworth:  i used to go over that bridge going to my grandads at seven star bridge