A PRESENTATION BY LOWTON WEBSITES

www.lowtonwebsites.co.uk

A WALK AROUND LOWTON

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.

PRESENT DAY MAP

OLD MAP

1843 MAP

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

St.Helens / Newton Boundary

LOWTON STATION

THEN & NOW

HUSKISSON MEMORIAL

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 LANENowAndThen

< StepHouses

LimeHouse>

LIME HOUSE

WARRINGTON BOUNDARY

LANE HEAD

Five Acres, Kenyon Lane

More Lane Head

Kenyon Lane

Across the A580

LOWTON CIVIC HALLS

Read the history of the halls on the Lowton History website

ST. MARY’S STATION

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

TRAM to LEIGH and BOLTON

B1 BUS to LEIGH

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

Carr Farm House, Carr Lane

Fairy House Farm (Pocket Nook Lane)

Pocket Nook Farm

LOWTON COMMON

MORE LOWTON COMMON

INDEPENDENT METHODIST

More Lowton Common

Wash End

From the Leigh Boundary

Leigh BoundaryJolly Carter RightClosed 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

Sandy Lane – Ashpole House

Byrom Lane

The Flash from Byrom Lane

Lowton Sailing Club

Lowton & Leigh Sailing Club

GREEN LANE

Byrom Lane 1

I Live in Byrom Lane

Byrom Lane

Winter Hill and Dracula's Castle taken from

the corner of Slag Lane and Byrom Lane Lowton

BYROM HALL

Slag Lane / Plank Lane

Slag Lane 1

SLAG LANE 2

Laurel House, Slag Lane

Slag Lane towards Leigh

St. Luke’s Church

ST. LUKE’S

St. Luke’s 2

Golborne Road towards Rams Head

Golborne Road, Boundary Stone

Old Weavers Cottages,Church Lane

Former Headmasters HouseChurch Lane

Site of the former SovereignToffee Works

Stirrups Farmoff Church Lane

Stone Cross Lane North

STONE CROSS LANE

After all that walking ………

THE END of Part One

PARTTWO

PART TWO SOVEREIGN TOFFEE

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.

Aerial View

Entrance Hall

Raw material reception – Sugar

Raw material receptionStainless steel Milk storage tanks

storage 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 machines

with 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.

THE ENDof Part Two

NEW BOOKS Available from www.lulu.com/lowton

WANTEDThe 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 WEBSITESThis 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

PARTTHREE

NOSTALGIAA Power Point presentation by

the Lowton Websites team

Copyright © 2008/9/10Lowton Websites

Not for commercial transmission

The days before Jim Stones

Liverpool Tram and LUT bus

Trolley bus at Leigh

Steam Trains

Radio and Television

Press button “B”to get your money back !

Police call point

TV and Cinema

Early days of ITV

Anderson Shelter

Ration Books and ID card

Village Co-op Branch

Mother’s favourites78 RPM Record Bubble and Squeek

Black Jacks and Penny arrow Bars

Cod liver oil and Malt

Emergency Water Supply and Gas Mask

John Bull Printing Outfit

Ovaltineys

John Noakes and Get Down Shep

Magpie

Liquorice sticks and Rinso

Pencil Box and Stylophone

BBC Light Programme

Billy Cotton Band Show

Mr Pastry and Mr Turnip

The Interlude

The Yes No Interlude

Piano Lessons

Road Signs

More Road signs

School Satchel and silver thimble

Trimphone and Bobbys whistle

Television Aerials

Going “down the

yard” to the outside

Lavatory, with a

candle in a jam jar !

Shaving Cut Throat razor

made in Solingen Germany

Sharpening Strop, Also for strapping your Bum ...ouch

Double edge blades

Rolls Razor

WritingDip Pen & Ink Well

Pelikan 100 Fountain Pen

LightingOil Lamp Gas Street Lamps

Seen in every kitchenEgg timer Mincer Early Food Processor

Kitchen Range

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

Fire lighters and Fly paper

Milk bottle top and NHS glasses

Famous Five and Secret Seven

Flash Gordon

All Win 1d slot

Ford Anglia

Renault Dauphine

Bubble CarsIsetta from BMW Messaschmitt

Scooters and Motor BikesBSA Bantam Lamberetta

Freddie Laker

The Beatles

Do you remember Buzby ?

Household equipment

Carpet Cleaning

Or if you were

posh.....

Hoover Junior

Wash day equipment

DOLLY BLUE

Dolly tub, Scrubbing board, Dolly peg

and Mangle

Wash House

Mummy’s got a Flatley

BENDIX Self Service Launderette

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

Dixon of Dock Green

Fanny & Johnny Craddock

Esso Advertising

The very nice man - AA

RAC Box

Food and Drink

Green Goddess

Green Shield Stamps & Jubbly

Early MP3 Player !!!

Mini Moke

Typical Garage / Petrol Station

ICI Petrol - Remember the smell?

McDonald Hobley & The TV Toppers

PhotographyBox Brownie Flash Bulbs

EntertainmentSunday Night at the London Palladium No longer PC !

Music45 RPM Record

Bal Ami 200 Circa 1952

AdvertisingSpratts Word dog Coronation Oxo Tin

Stop me and buy one !

Personal Radio

Amateur Radio Station

Murray Mints the too good to hurry mints

Peg Rugs

Slide Rule

Sinclar C5

Sinclair Cambridge Calculator

My first computer – Sinclair ZX81

For Mash get SMASH

Three Penny Bit

Children’s TV

Writing Slate

Z - Cars

Transport

Children’s Television

Comics

CB Radio

Radio Caroline North

208 Meters Medium Wave

Hi-Fi

Holidays at Butlin’s

Anderton House

Coronation Mug

David Nixon

Fennings Feaver Cure – ooogh !

Dick Barton Special Agent &Peter Brough and Archie Andrews

Festival of Britain

Half Crown 12½p and Hoover Washer

ABC Minors

Marbles for the boys

Hopscotch for the girls

Condensed MilkWho had Conny Onny butties?

Disgusting !!

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

Pepsodent

10/- note and £1 note

White £5 note (About A4 in size)

Milk Advertisement

Test Card C

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 ENDDon’t forget to turn off your set.

.Go to bed when the dot fades