A Walk around Lowton

A PRESENTATION BY LOWTON WEBSITES www.lowtonwebsites.co.uk

OUR ROUTE We will start at the Bull’s Head, Boundary Walk along Newton Road to Lane Head Continue till we reach the Shepherd’s Inn Then Return to Sandy Lane Along Sandy Lane and Byrom Lane Joining Slag Lane At St Luke’s explore the Church Lane area We finish at McDonald’s for a cup of coffee

The Location of Lowton Lowton lies in the ordnance survey square SJ69 on the Landranger map 109 (Manchester) A central point is the site of the former Lowton Saint Mary's railway station on Newton Road this is SJ632976Lowton straddles the A580 East Lancashire Road approximately 3km east of Haydock Island, junction 23 on the M6 motorway. It is about equal distance between Liverpool and Manchester, about 1km from the centre of Leigh and about 8km from Warrington, Wigan and St.Helens. Other places within easy travelling distance are Chester and North Wales, Preston, Southport, Blackpool the Fylde coast and the Lake district making Lowton an ideal base for tourists and business people.The trans pennine railway forms part of the southern boundary, but the area is without a railway station (there are moves to reopen stations at Golborne and Kenyon Junction). The nearest station is at Newton-le-Willows about 2km away but one needs to travel to Wigan or Warrington to join trains on the main West Coast line there is a regular service to London and Scotland. The old Lowton station at the Bulls Head junction was until recently intact and in useable condition as this was used by the Royal train when it was in the area the sidings here were sometimes used as an overnight stopping place by the Royal train. There are stories of Prince Phillip visiting the Bulls Head with his bodyguards for a drink of the local brew.Most of the heavy industry has now left the area and has been replaced with light engineering and distribution services. The new Stone Cross business park is located on the boundary with Golborne. Many of the residents that live in the residential developments that now cover the area, commute to the surrounding towns to work, Lowton being in such an ideal locationLowton Civic Hall, famous are the Wigan Casino reunion soul nights, the real ale festivals and many other events held in the Civic Hall at Hesketh Meadows, this is located on Newton Road near the old station site. The hall is owned by Wigan MBC and is the old cinema on the site of a former United States Air Base and the land based ship HMS Cabbala.There are many hotels, lodges, restaurants and pubs in the area making it an ideal base for tourists, business people and punters visiting Haydock Park Races just 3km away.

SCHOOLSIn the interest of school and pupil safety no pictures of schools are displayed in this presentation Lowton West Primary School St. Luke’s C of E Primary School St. Catherine’s RC Primary School Lowton Junior and Infants School St. Mary’s C of E Primary School Gilded Hollins Community School (Pennington) Lowton High School (Community Sports College) Golborne High School St. Aldreds RC High School (N-le-W)

THE CHURCHES St. Luke’s C of E. Slag Lane St. Mary’s C of E. Newton Road St. Catherine’s RC. Newton Rd, Lane Head Independent Methodist. Newton Road Lowton Community Church Laburnum Road Lowton Methodist.Closed June 2010 All have web sites

THE PUBS The Stonecross Residential and food Kings Arms Residential and food The Red Lion Food Hare and Hounds food Rams Head food Travellers Rest food Church Inn food Jolly Carter (Closed 2008 see later slide) The Shepherds Inn food

LOWTON STATION THEN & NOW

NEWTON ROAD Lowton Gardens site of Lowton House the famous brothel 

Lane Head Methodist Church First church was down Winwick Lane Second church on the corner of Winwick Lane and Newton Road Last church was first built as the Sunday School and is next to Lime House, it closed in June 2010

WINWICK LANE Now And Then < Step Houses Lime House>

LOWTON CIVIC HALLS Read the history of the halls on the Lowton History website

ST. MARY’S STATION FIRE Ticket Office destroyed by fire December 1949

Another Lowton Station Photograph taken 29th September 1956

St Mary’s Station January 1974

ST. MARY’S STATION TO-DAY Site of Station Looking North along the track bed

Pocket Nook Reproduced from the Leigh Reporter 16th August 1979 Demolition of the old factory in Carr Lane

Fairy House Farm (Pocket Nook Lane)

Leigh Boundary Jolly Carter Right Closed down in 2008 see next slide

Jolly Carter closed down 2008Now trading as the Royal Saffron Indian Restaurant

UNCLE STANS COTTAGE - G6LC Stan Ince, was the village postmaster and was one of the first licensed Radio Hams in the world. His call sign was 6LC Later G6LC

Byrom Lane Winter Hill and Dracula's Castle taken from the corner of Slag Lane and Byrom Lane Lowton

Golborne Road towards Rams Head

Old Weavers Cottages,Church Lane

Former Headmasters HouseChurch Lane

Site of the former SovereignToffee Works

After all that walking ………

These photographs of the Sovereign Toffee works at Lowton have been taken from an album loaned to the Lowton Websites project by Mr Barry Earnshaw who’s father is shown in the white boiler suit in the sugar boiling department where he was head sugar boiler for many years. Thanks to Barry for the loan of the album.If you see yourself on any of the photos please identify yourself to us.

Raw material reception – Sugar

Raw material receptionStainless steel Milk storage tanksstorage capacity approximately 40 tons.

Raw material receptionThermostatically Controlled Fat storage tanks, 10 tons capacity each tank.

Section of the caramel boiling department

Another Section of the caramel boiling department

Caramel DepartmentA battery of high speed cut and wrap machineswith an output of 750 wrapped caramels each machine per minute.

Caramel DepartmentA battery of high speed machines exclusively used in the manufacture of Creamy Whirls.

Boiled sweets departmentShowing vacuum pan continuous cookerand boiling pans.

Boiled sweets department – battery of sweet forming machines with centre fillers.

Boiled sweets departmentTwist wrappers and foiling machines.

Chocolate Departmentshowing a modern enrobing machine.

Chocolate DepartmentWrapping machines.

Packing DepartmentAutomatic weighing and cartooning machines.

Packing DepartmentBulk weighing of Park Lane Assortment.

Packing DepartmentBulk weighing of Creamy Whirls. Weighing and mixing tables with capacity approximately 3 tons.

Transport Department – Loading bay.With goods for Ethiopia in the foreground.

Transport Department – Early morning loading bay. Part of the fleet of wagons with capacities from 3 – 15 tons being loaded.

Welfare Section – Staff Canteen.

NEW BOOKS Available from www.lulu.com/lowton

WANTED The web team are always pleased to receive copies of photographs and other items of interest for use in future presentations. Photographs and documents can be digitally copied and any items can be photographed and returned the same day. Please contact any of the presenters after this presentation or telephone 01942 - 366726

LOWTON WEBSITES This presentation has been produced by the volunteer webmasters of Lowton Websites for educational and information use only. No commercial use of this presentation is permitted. Last updated 16th January 2009. COPYRIGHT © 2007,2008,2009 LOWTON WEBSITES OUR WEBSITES CAN BE FOUND AT www.lowtonwebsites.co.uk

NOSTALGIA A Power Point presentation by the Lowton Websites team

Press button “B”to get your money back !

Mother’s favourites 78 RPM Record Bubble and Squeek

Black Jacks and Penny arrow Bars

Emergency Water Supply and Gas Mask

School Satchel and silver thimble

Going “down the yard” to the outside Lavatory, with a candle in a jam jar !

Shaving Sharpening Strop, Also for strapping your Bum ...ouch Cut Throat razor made in Solingen Germany

Writing Dip Pen & Ink Well Pelikan 100 Fountain Pen

Lighting Oil Lamp Gas Street Lamps

Seen in every kitchen Egg timer Mincer Early Food Processor

Bath in front of the fire. Who gets the clean water ?

Milk bottle top and NHS glasses

Bubble Cars Isetta from BMW Messaschmitt

Scooters and Motor Bikes BSA Bantam Lamberetta

Or if you were posh..... Hoover Junior

Dolly tub, Scrubbing board, Dolly peg and Mangle

BENDIX Self Service Launderette May 1957: The wash cycle lasts for thirty-three minutes at the new Bendix Laundrette

Typical Garage / Petrol Station

ICI Petrol - Remember the smell?

McDonald Hobley & The TV Toppers

Photography Box Brownie Flash Bulbs

Entertainment Sunday Night at the London Palladium No longer PC !

Music 45 RPM Record Bal Ami 200 Circa 1952

Advertising Spratts Word dog Coronation Oxo Tin

Murray Mints the too good to hurry mints

My first computer – Sinclair ZX81

Fennings Feaver Cure – ooogh !

Dick Barton Special Agent &Peter Brough and Archie Andrews

Half Crown 12½p and Hoover Washer

Condensed Milk Who had Conny Onny butties? Disgusting !!

You’d wonder where the yellow went when you brushed your teeth with Pepsodent

White £5 note (About A4 in size)

Wilfred and Mabel PicklesGive him the money Mabel !

A Lowton Websites Productionwww.lowtonwebsites.co.uk

ITEMS WANTED If you have any nostalgic items or photographs that we could include in any updates, please send them to us as jpeg files by e-mail to:- mail@lowtonwebsites.co.uk

THE END Don’t forget to turn off your set. . Go to bed when the dot fades

A Walk around Lowton

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