the pretoria pit disaster

Westhoughton Town Trail

Westhoughton Local History Group

The Pretoria Pit Disaster

In 1900-01, The Hulton Colliery Company Ltd. established a new colliery,

adjacent to the historic Bolton-Leigh Railway, on an inclined section of the

line known as Chequerbent Bank, close to the Westhoughton and Atherton

border. Two shafts were sunk, which were initially known as Bank Pit No. 3

and Bank Pit No. 4, but these soon became known locally as ‘The Pretoria Pit’

due to the fact that, at the time, Britain was engaged in the Boer War (1899-

1902), and the South African city of Pretoria played a prominent role in that

conflict.

Pretoria Pit became fully operational in 1903, and was regarded as being

amongst the safest and best-equipped coal mines in the country. It was also

ultimately to become the largest of Westhoughton’s many pits. However,

none of this could prevent the terrible events some 7 years later, when, at

7.50am on Wednesday 21st December 1910, there was a massive

underground explosion which resulted in 344 men and boys (some as young

as 13) losing their lives. Thus dawned the blackest day in Westhoughton’s

history.

The words written above are by David Kaye, President of Wingates Band, the

town’s internationally-renowned brass band which was established in 1873.

Known at the time of the Pretoria Pit disaster as ‘Wingates Temperance

Band’, the band lost key officials and a number of playing members. The full

story is told in a booklet entitled “Wingates Band & the Pretoria Pit Disaster” –

and the band also recorded a commemorative CD album, “Perspectives of

Pretoria”, the main track of which, entitled “In Pitch Black”, won a prestigious

National Composers award in 2011.

Further information about the Pretoria Pit Disaster:

“344 Victims of Pretoria Pit –Some Facts” by Westhoughton Local History

Group & also a summary booklet “The Pretoria Pit Disaster” by David Owen

for Westhoughton Local History Group.

An award-winning DVD-“Lest We Forget” was produced by Ted Wisedale for


Website: www.lan-opc.org.uk/Westhoughton/Pretoria

Website: www.westhoughtonhistorygroup.org.uk

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Westhoughton/Pretoria

http://www.westhoughtonhistorygroup.org.uk/



Begin your walk at the White Lion Hotel at the junction of Market Street and

Bolton Road…

THE WHITE LION INN (1)

The White Lion is situated at the junction of Market Street and Bolton Road. It

is said to be the oldest building in Market Street, with documented evidence

from 1758.

In the early 20th century, the room to the left of the front door acted as a post

office. Letters were brought by mail coach three times a week and placed

on racks in the window, so that addresses could be easily read for the

recipients to collect.

The landlord in 1812 was Joseph Grundy. Straw from the Inn’s stables was

used to fuel the fire which burned down Westhoughton Mill during the Luddite

rising of that year.

Westhoughton Local History Group had a blue plaque placed on the wall of

this inn, and it was unveiled by Julie Hilling M.P. to mark the bi-centenary of

the burning of the mill, and to commemorate the fate of the people found

guilty of this crime.



Cross Market Street to Mill Street and then walk over to the empty site across

the road…

THE SITE OF WESTHOUGHTON MILL – (2)

Since 1901, this site has been empty and bare. It was used by the community

as a meeting place, and for the annual funfair known as ‘Howfen Wakes’. In

1918 an ox was roasted here to celebrate the end of the 1st world war.

In 1935 the site was bought by the Silcock family (funfair owners), and used

until recently as a car park.

This site, however, holds a dark secret which is partially told on the page

inside the back cover… the story of 1812 when the mill was burned down by

Luddites from Bolton and Chowbent (which is the old name for Atherton).

These people rioted in protest at the demise of the hand-loom weavers, and

the machinery which had taken away their livelihoods.

The Westhoughton township stagnated

for some years afterwards, when it was

said there was no-one brave enough to

build another factory in the district.

Westhoughton then turned to the silk

weaving industry in the 1840s, and it was

not until many years later that cotton

came back to Westhoughton.

The old mill was rebuilt, but never again

used for weaving. First of all it was used

as a corn mill, then later as a cotton

spinning factory, then as a flock manufactory.

Eventually, it became empty and derelict, and was demolished in 1900. The

site was once much larger and Mill Street much narrower, but changes were

made to accommodate better traffic flow.

This drawing of Westhoughton Mill is by Gerald Derek Lockett M.B.E. (1909-

1993), who was the great grandson of Richard Johnson Lockett who built the

mill in 1804.

Proceed down Mill Street to the row of cottages at the southern end of the

mill site…..



THE COTTAGES AT MILL NOOK – (3)

At the end of the row of cottages, a blue plaque can be found attached to

the wall.

This plaque contains information about the fate of some of the 1812 Luddites,

but recent research has shown that some of the information is inaccurate, so

to rectify this, the afore-mentioned new plaque has been placed on the wall

of the White Lion Hotel.

The cottages were once back-to-back, but have been altered considerably.

There are decorative ornaments (carved heads of famous people in history)

over the four doorways, which are attributed to Josiah Harris who was born in

1864 and died in the 1920s. Mr Harris is listed on the 1901 census as living at

no. 4 Park Road…a near neighbour.

One of the cottages in this row was used by the Luddites in 1812. A person by

the name of Parr went in to the cottage to obtain a shovelful of fire, which was

wrapped in a calico cut of cloth, and carefully taken into the mill where it

was used to start the fire.

In 1812 the Mill Manager, Joseph Kay, would have lived near to the factory,

but it is not known which house he occupied.

Return to the White Lion Inn and proceed along Market Street to the red brick

building next door to the Inn…



WESTHOUGHTON TOWN HALL – (4)

The Westhoughton Local Board was formed in December 1872, but it was

superseded in December 1894 by the creation of Westhoughton Urban District

Council. The original council office stood on land at the point where Market

Street adjoins Wilbraham Street.

In 1902 a decision was made to build new offices in Market

Street, at a cost of £4,922, and on April 18th 1903 two

foundation stones were laid by Mr Roger Walker, a senior

member of the council, and Mr W.E. Tonge, the chairman.

These two stones can be seen inlaid into the front wall of the

Town Hall.

The architectural firm Bradshaw and Gass of Bolton, were

appointed to design the building. They chose Ruabon terra

cotta bricks (made in North Wales) for the external structure,

because they were said to be the best at withstanding the

effects of the smoke and dust emanating from the local

mills and mines. This claim has proved to be correct, as the

walls have retained their bright red colour to the present

day.

The original main entrance to the Town Hall is located to the left of the Town

Council noticeboard. It is defined by its porch, made up of an arch resting on

detached red stone columns. Above the arch is a parapet that forms a

balcony from which election results used to be announced.

Cross Market Street to obtain a more distant view of the Town Hall…

The clock tower now comes into view, a landmark that can be seen for many

miles on a clear day.

Above the clock face, an octagonal bell turret can be seen. The bell

installed within the tower chimed every hour, and the arched openings

allowed the sound of the bell to reverberate. The bell remained silent during

the war years (1939-45) and in January 1947 vibrations from the bell were

found to be affecting the terracotta brickwork, so it was removed.

Above the turret lies a copper dome, on top of which has been fixed a

copper globe surmounted by the Cross of St. George.

The interior of the Town Hall contains a fine stairway made of marble mosaic

steps.



The council chamber has large window spaces fitted with leaded lights, and

each window contains a richly-coloured shield, embossed with an emblem

(the Rose of Lancaster, the Cross of St George etc.). The tables and chairs are

made of light oak and dull green leather, and each chair has the monogram

W.U.D.C. stamped on it in gold.

The official opening of the new Town Hall took place on December 7th, 1904.

A procession of the great and good walked from the old offices to the new.

Items on the celebratory lunch that followed included, amongst others, mock

turtle soup, steak, kidney and rabbit pie, and council pudding in wine sauce!

In April 1974, Westhoughton Urban District Council ceased to exist, as it was

absorbed into Bolton Metropolitan Borough. However, a Town Council was

set up in 1985, and the 18 councillors attend meetings held regularly in the

Council Chamber. The rest of the building is used as offices for Bolton M.B.C.

Cross back to the corner of the Town Hall…

THE PLAQUES ATTACHED TO WESTHOUGHTON TOWN HALL

(5)

Two plaques are attached to the outside of the Town Hall at the junction of

Market Street and Library Street.

The first is a plaque dedicated to the actor Robert Shaw, who was born in

Westhoughton. The Wetherspoon’s pub on the other side of Market Street is

named ‘The Robert Shaw’ in his honour.

The second plaque is a tribute from the Bolton and District Cricket Association

to the 15 cricketers who died in the Pretoria Pit disaster on December 21st

1910.



WESTHOUGHTON LIBRARY AND CARNEGIE HALL - (6)

Turn right into Library Street. Step back to view the entrance to the Library

and Carnegie hall…

This building was formally opened on March 24th 1906 by George Grundy

Esq, J.P, chairman of the council, but the reading room was not opened until

May, and the lending of library books, on which £300 had been spent, did not

start until August.

The first librarian was J.C. Scott, who retired in 1943. He organised a regular

course of lectures for many years, and these met with varying degrees of

success. On the night of 7th November 1928, the lecture was by Chief Os-Ke-

Non-Ton, an American Indian Chief and Mohawk singer. In the full

ceremonial costume of the tribal head, he told stories, donned the head-

dress of the medicine man, sang songs of the Indian on the warpath, and

showed how to kindle a fire by friction! Apparently the attendance was a

record, and ‘must have rejoiced the hearts of a suffering Library Sub-

Committee.’

Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish philanthropist, donated the £3,500 needed to

build the library, and his name can be seen above the entrance. He

acquired his huge fortune through ownership of the Pittsburgh steelworks in

the U.S.A., and Westhoughton was just one of the many towns in the U.K. to

benefit from his generosity.

The library has a well-stocked local studies section on the 1st floor, and a

large mural commissioned for the centenary of the Pretoria Pit disaster is

displayed at the top of the stairs.

The Carnegie Hall, which lies above the Library, has recently been renovated,

and is used for social activities and functions.

Go back towards Market Street and turn right…



JUBILEE TERRACE: 22 – 28 MARKET STREET – (7)

The row of shops making up 22 – 28 Market Street is known as Jubilee Terrace,

or, more accurately, ‘The Diamond Jubilee Buildings’

These are thought to consist of pre-existing units whose frontage was covered

with facades by Westhoughton builder Joe Greenhalgh in 1897, the year in

which Queen Victoria completed sixty years on the throne.

Number 22, currently a Nail & Beauty studio, was for many years the office of

a former local newspaper, The Horwich and Westhoughton Journal &

Guardian. A carving of a cow’s head once appeared on the gable wall

above the upper window, but has been covered over for a number of years.

Number 26, currently a dog- grooming parlour, does still have the carving

visible in a similar position. The carving is best viewed from the other side of

Market Street, in front of the Victoria pub. Both stone carvings were crafted

by Mr Josiah Harris, a well-known Westhoughton Sculptor.

Carry on along Market Street and cross over King Street…



TOYMASTER – (8)

This shop is found on the corner of Market Street and King Street.

Look up above the upper windows of the shop…you will see a plaster frieze

containing four sculpted heads…

These are thought to be (from left to right): An anti-slavery protester; Elizabeth

Abbatt; James Robert Watkins; and his wife, Mary Eliza (Wells) Watkins.

This building was originally built as a Co-operative store, and during the 1860s

the Co-op Society showed strong support for the anti-slavery movement in

the U.S.

James Watkins was a black man and former slave who escaped from a

plantation in Maryland, U.S.A, and fled to England. He was formerly known as

Sam Berry or “Ensor Sam”, which was after the name of Abraham Ensor, the

plantation owner.

He eventually escaped to Hartford, Connecticut, where he met and married

Mary Eliza Wells (a free woman) in 1845. After some happy years, he was

again pursued by the bloodhounds, and in 1851 he said his sad farewell to his

dear wife and his children, and started off for New York, from where he made

the voyage to England. He lived for a time in Bolton, and lectured at

meetings in the Westhoughton and Bolton areas. He experienced a religious

conversion, and campaigned for the abolition of slavery across the world.

He also wrote a narrative of his life, which can be found in the archives of

Bolton Library. His book was printed by the firm of Kenyon & Abbatt, and

Elizabeth Abbatt was the daughter of the printer.

It is not known who was responsible for creating the frieze.



NAT-WEST BANK –(9)

This building is to be found next door to Toymaster…

This is an imposing sandstone building that was the home of the DISTRICT

BANK from 1829 to 1970, before it merged with the National Westminster Bank.

Above and between the two windows on the right hand side of the door can

be seen a shield with a sailing ship carved above it. This formed the logo of

the old District Bank.

This can be best identified from a position outside the Robert Shaw pub.

Carry on across Queen Street, after passing four shops you will reach the

long, glass fronted building of the Westhoughton Market Hall…

WESTHOUGHTON MARKET HALL – (10)

The indoor market was established in the 1920s and has recently been

renovated.

It is presently open on three days of the week – Tuesday, Thursday and

Saturday, and in 2011 was chosen as the ‘best small indoor market in the U.K.’

by the National Association of British Market Authorities.

A Farmers’ Market is currently held on the First Saturday of each month.

Proceed along Market Street until you reach the empty site just before the

Wheatsheaf…



THE EMPIRE CINEMA – (11)

This open empty space was formerly the site of the EMPIRE CINEMA, built in

1915, which became a focus for social life for many local people.

Large queues formed outside on Friday & Saturday nights, with sweets and

popcorn being purchased from the little shop to the right of the building.

A magnificent glass awning kept the rain off the cinema-goers as they went

up the steps to purchase their tickets from the box-office. The best seats

(which included double seats for courting couples), were priced at 1/9d. (9p).

For the children, there was a Saturday matinée (also known as the ‘Penny

Rush’) with the kids’ favourites including ‘Hop-a-long Cassidy’, ‘The Three

Stooges’ and especially ‘Flash Gordon’ who was always in mortal danger just

as the film ended, so we had to wait until the following week to see how he

escaped!

The last film was shown in November 1960, after which it became the Gaiety

Social Club and Snooker Hall. In recent years this closed down, and the

building remained empty for a number of years, before being finally

demolished in the spring of 2012 .



THE WHEATSHEAF AND THE OLD SURGERY – (12)

The Wheatsheaf and the Old Surgery are the next buildings on the right hand

side of Market Street.

The records of the old Wheatsheaf go back as far as 1732, when it was owned

and occupied by the Bibby family. In 1800 Abraham Bibby sold the Inn and

its land to James Fletcher.

The original Wheatsheaf was to be

found immediately behind the

present building. This old building

remained in use as a stable, a

garage, and later as a joiner’s

shop, but was demolished in 1960.

The existing Wheatsheaf Hotel and

the Old Surgery buildings were

erected around 1870 by the

brewers – Sumners of Haigh.

The car park behind the Wheatsheaf was the location of a half yearly ‘cattle

fair’, established in 1832. Bulls, cows, horses, store pigs and porkers were

brought to the fair, and had to be examined and judged in the open road.

In this area were some small cottages, perhaps two or three, which were

known as ‘Bibby’s Place’ (or Bibby’s Cottages). They had four rooms only,

including the kitchen. According to the 1911 census, in one of these cottages

lived a man & wife who had 18 children, which included 4 who died in

childhood! What a contrast indeed to their near neighbour, who lived at

‘Beechwood’, a house of 6 rooms. Here lived a Solicitor’s Clerk with his wife

and one small child, this house being on the site where the Empire Cinema

was to be built in 1915.

The Old Surgery was used as a private home and dental surgery, hence the

name; it is now used as offices, including that of the current Bolton West M.P.,

Julie Hilling. The Old Surgery was built right up to the coach house of its

neighbour, “Southview”, and it was designed to be sympathetic to the

architectural design of the neighbouring houses, “Sunny Bank” & “Southview”,

which were erected in 1853.



SUNNY BANK & SOUTHVIEW – (13)

“Sunny Bank” & “Southview” are the two semi-detached houses extending to

the corner of Market Street and Church Street. They were formerly used as

offices for Nightingales (solicitors) and as the clinic for Westhoughton.

They were built in 1853 and owned by John Hampson. The one nearest to the

Old Surgery was built for his elderly spinster sisters, and was known as

“Southview”. In the 1860s “Southview” was occupied by Capel Bringloe, a

surgeon of this Parish for 27 years, according to his gravestone in

Westhoughton cemetery. In the 1870s Horace Mayhew, a mining engineer

who was a director of the Brinsop Hall Colliery Co. Ltd. He later resided at

Broughton Hall, Harwarden, Flintshire, and became deputy Lieutenant of

Flintshire. His first wife was Mary Helen, who died at “Southview” in 1887, was

buried in Westhoughton cemetery. From the 1880s to 1905 “Southview” was

the home and surgery of Dr Francis Tyndall, and later Dr William Hamer Leigh,

the Medical Officer of Health for the area, occupied the premises. Attached

to the house is a coach-house which is set back from the road.

The house on the corner was named “Sunny Bank” and John Hampson built it

for, and bequeathed it to, his niece, Mary Elizabeth Hampson. She was the

daughter of his late brother Adam. Mary Elizabeth married Peter Ditchfield

(Gentleman) in 1853, and the house was described as being built ‘to bring his

bride to’.

Mr Ditchfield was a textile manufacturer who employed 140 people at his

cotton spinning business located at the rebuilt Westhoughton Mill at Factory

Nook. The couple had four children, all of whom grew up at “Sunny Bank”.



In 1865 Peter Ditchfield took out a lease on the garden area on the opposite

side of Market Street, from the owner, Edward Bootle Wilbraham. The aim was

to ensure that there would always be a pleasant view from “Sunny Bank”.

John Hampson died in 1865, and his niece in 1899, but “Sunny Bank”

remained the family residence until 1918.

In 1919, both houses were put up for auction, along with the gardens in

Market Street. The auction took place on 13th August at the Red Lion, and 3

Lots were listed. Lot 1 included the 2 houses and ‘a garage for 2 cars with a

loft and saddle-room over, which could be used for a man’s quarters’ (the

former coach house).

The properties were leasehold, with a tenure of 999 years from 1853. Annual

ground rents were £5.13s.0d for “Sunny Bank” and £2.17s.0d. for “Southview”.

Lot 2 was a wooden motor shed in the garden of “Sunny Bank”, and Lot 3

related to the gardens on the other side of Market Street.

“Sunny Bank” became the Maternity and Welfare Clinic for Westhoughton.

However, the council had a scheme for a war memorial to commemorate

those who lost their lives in the 1st World War, and the corner of Market Street

was chosen as the site. Its creation would involve the use of part of the

gardens of Sunny Bank, which were surrounded by a high wall. This wall and

some of the trees had to be removed as a result.

The gardens on the other side of Market Street were also acquired by the

council, and a small park was created, thus providing a pleasant open space

for the residents of Westhoughton. The area has been extended over the

years, and is now known as ‘Ditchfield Gardens’.

The two houses (recorded as 110 & 112 Market Street) became listed

buildings by English Heritage in 1986.



THE WAR MEMORIAL – (14)

The War Memorial can be found on the corner of Market Street and Church

Street. The Memorial was erected in 1919 ‘in thankful remembrance and in

gratitude to the men of Westhoughton who lost their lives in the Great War’.

The octagonal column records the names of the 169 men who were killed in

the 1st World War.

The memorial (cenotaph) is surrounded by a semi-

circular wall, in which are incorporated the names

of the 109 men from Westhoughton who ‘gave their

lives in the war for freedom’ (2nd World War).

Another name has recently been added to the wall

– that of Kingsman Deady from Wingates, who

sadly died in Afghanistan on 10th September, 2010.

On Remembrance Sunday each November,

townspeople attend a Service of Remembrance at

the Parish Church at 10.00 a.m. There is also an

outdoor service held at the cenotaph at 10.45 a.m.,

where, after the ‘Last Post’ is sounded, a respectful

silence is observed at 11.00 a.m., followed by

wreaths laid in tribute to the fallen, and finally a

parade.

Lest We Forget



ST BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH – (15)

It is recorded that a chapel existed on the site of the

present church in 1509, when Henry VIII came to the

throne, this being the earliest record. There is good reason

to believe, however, that a chapel existed here even

earlier, when the Abbots of Cockersand were the “Lords of

the manor of Westhalghton”.

In 1731, Westhoughton Old Chapel - dedicated to Saint

Bartholomew - was built on the ancient site, with a seating

capacity of 530; substantial indeed, considering the

sparse population of Westhoughton at that time.

In 1860 Westhoughton had taken a step towards parochial

autonomy by becoming a District Chapelry, but it was still

to some extent under the jurisdiction of Deane, the last

church rate payment to which was made in 1867, so that Westhoughton

could then become a separate parish.

A new building was needed, one which would be befitting the status of the

newly established Parish of Westhoughton. A local businessman, Mr John

Seddon, announced that he would rebuild the church as the gift of a man

who had “prospered in his business undertakings and felt that he must do

something to show his gratitude for the mercies which he had received”.

The new church was built as near as possible to the site of the old chapel,

was of a Gothic design, with galleries along the sides and at the west end.

The Church tower was built with a ground floor, organ chamber and vestry.

The church was to seat 831, and on completion the final cost of the building

was over £7,000. The consecration service was carried out on the 24th August

1870, by Bishop Frazer, when also in attendance were Vicar Kinton Jacques,

along with Churchwardens, Peter Ditchfield and Richard Haddock.

Richard Haddock, another industrialist, donated the peal of eight bells.

On 29th November 1990, a mystery fire, believed to have started in the vestry,

tore through the church, and within minutes reduced Westhoughton Parish

Church to a smouldering ruin. The building had to be demolished, but its 150

foot church tower was saved, and was incorporated into the new building,

which was consecrated on 29th October 1995 by the Bishop of Manchester.



CHURCHYARD & CEMETERY – (16)

Go through the Gate and to the right…The ‘flat’ gravestones around the area

in front of the church are the oldest, with this being the area known as the

‘Churchyard’. Some of these gravestones were destroyed or moved at the

time of the fire in 1990.

In the churchyard is a plinth, on which a sundial was placed, which was the

gift of Mrs Hulton at the time of the opening of the new chapel in 1731. Sadly

the sundial has been removed.

Westhoughton Cemetery was formed in 1858, when the body of Elizabeth

Speakman, a weaver of Atherton, was the first to be buried in the cemetery.

In 1884 the cemetery was enlarged, and came under the control of

Westhoughton Urban District Council in 1896, later to become controlled by

Bolton M.B.C from 1974. Walk past the wall to the car park, carry on left along

the path, and turn second right, in front of you is…

The Memorial to the victims of the Pretoria Pit

disaster of 21st December 1910, which was

built upon the vault where the remains of the

24 unidentified bodies were buried. The

memorial reads:-

“Sacred to the memory of 344 men and boys

who lost their lives by an explosion at the

PRETORIA PIT of the Hulton Colliery Co. on the

21st December 1910, 24 of whom sleep under

this monument, being unidentified at the time

of burial.

This Monument is erected by Public

subscription as a token of sympathy with the

widows and relatives of the victims, 171 of

whom are buried in this cemetery, 45 in

Wingates, 20 in Daisy Hill, 3 in the

Congregational Churchyards, and the

remainder in various burial grounds.”

“Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of

Man cometh at an hour when ye think not”

St Luke XII.40.

Each year on the anniversary of the disaster, a memorial service is held in the

church, and wreaths are laid around the memorial after the church service.

Return to School Street and Church Walks…



THE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL – (17)

The original Parochial School building can be found on School Street,

opposite the church entrance.

The school was opened with great ceremony on 31st May 1860, and it

replaced an earlier smaller school, which was founded in 1739, and stood

next to the old Chapel which is now part of the graveyard.

The new school was built at a cost of £1,478 on land donated by the Hon.

Colonel Wilbraham, (whose name is commemorated by the small street next

to Ditchfield Gardens), and was to be used as both a day school and a

Sunday school. There was provision for 280 boys and 140 girls, each with

separate entrances.

The school is still in use, but has been much altered and extended. It is now

known as St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School, and is accessed by a new

entrance off The Fairways.

From a watercolour by Tom Newton M.B.E.



THE RED LION INN – (18)

Around the corner to the right from School Street can be found the long

established Red Lion Inn…

The Inn’s location at the junction of Wigan Road, Market Street and Church

Street, made it a good staging post. Accommodation could be provided

overnight, and stables were built at the rear. A sign on the gable end still

reads… “Bowling Green. Good stabling” on the south side, and can be

viewed if you walk down Wigan Road.

The oldest part of the inn was formerly a farmhouse, mentioned in the will of

Adam Pendlebury in 1608, and the south room still retains its ancient beams.

In 1724-6 the Enclosure Commissioners met at the Red Lion, then known as

the House of James Pendlebury. The Common Land in Westhoughton, a

considerable area including Chequerbent, Hart Common and Daisy Hillock,

was measured and divided amongst those who could prove their right to a

share.

Other names regularly appearing as landlords of the inn include: Grundy,

Crompton and Silcock. The Red Lion closed in 2012, and its future use is not

yet known. It formed part of the Westhoughton Conservation Area, but in

1986 was removed from English Heritage listed buildings status.

Return to the traffic lights…



THE TOLL BAR – (19)

Market Street and Park Road formed part of the Manchester and Wigan

Turnpike Road.

It is interesting to try to imagine what Market

Street looked like when this gate was ‘in situ’ as

the ‘toll-bar’. The gate-keeper’s cabin stood, it

is said, hard by the site of what is now the

school clinic, then known as ‘Sunny Bank’. The

road in those days was not nearly as wide as it

is today, as is shown of course, by the size of the gate.

In those days the hustle and bustle of modern times would have been such a

contrast to the peaceful and leisurely dispositions of the men who rejoiced to

hear the crack of the whip, and to see the response given by massive horses

as they pulled their load along Gorsey Lane (Wigan Road), calling a halt

perhaps at the Red Lion Inn, where both man and beast would find welcome

refreshment..

The garden in front of you is…

DITCHFIELD GARDENS – (20)

Part of this area formed the gardens leased by Peter Ditchfield in 1865, so that

he would always have a pleasant view from his house “Sunny Bank”.

The rest of the land was used as a tram shelter with toilets, and the ‘Local

Board Office’ was situated on the area at the corner of Wilbraham Street.

The oval below is from the heading of a letter from The Local Board Office,

dated 1894, which incorporates a drawing of the office and a toll bar can just

be seen in the foreground. (An enlarged

copy of this can be seen in Westhoughton

Library).

The Local Board Office functioned here

between 1872 and 1894, and the building

was the W.U.D.C. offices from 1894 until the

building of the new town Hall in 1903-4.

This area is now attractive gardens, where people can sit in a peaceful and

tranquil environment.



THE DRINKING FOUNTAIN MEMORIAL – (21)

The drinking fountain memorial was originally sited on the opposite side of

Market Street from where it is now situated in Ditchfield Gardens. It was near

the high wall in front of “Sunny Bank” (the wall being taken down to

accommodate the Cenotaph). A trough for horses, and a cup and chain for

drinking, once formed part of the memorial, but have long

since disappeared.

The memorial was erected in 1885 in memory of the two sons of

John Chadwick, the owner of the silk mill in Church Street.

Frank, aged 24, was drowned off the Isle of Staffa, whilst

Wyndham died of fever at the age of 11.

It was presented to the Local Board, who undertook to maintain

it ‘for the use of the public in perpetuity’.

THE PRETORIA PIT DISASTER CENTENARY MEMORIAL – (22)

The Centenary memorial, in the centre of Ditchfield Gardens, was erected in

2010 to provide a permanent tribute to the 344 men and boys who lost their

lives in an explosion at the Pretoria Pit on 21st December 1910 (See page 3).

The front part of the memorial consists of a bronze statue of a miner, designed

and created by sculptress Jane Robbins. The backdrop is made up of 3

granite walls, on which are inscribed the names of the 344 victims.

The memorial was commissioned by Westhoughton Town Council, and

funded by council contributions and other donations. It was unveiled on 19th

December 2010 by Town Mayor, the late Brian Clare, who was serving his 4th

term of office in this rôle.



Proceed along Market Street until you reach Orlando’s restaurant…

THE FORMER PARR’S BANK – (23)

This imposing building was originally the home of Parr’s Bank. It is the tallest

building in Westhoughton, having been designed in a Dutch style of

architecture.

It is one of the few buildings of note on this side of Market Street.



No’s 7 – 11 MARKET STREET – (24)

Carry on along Market Street until you reach the cottages opposite the

White Lion and Town Hall…

This row of cottages dates from 1791 (a date stone could be found under the

eaves of no.11, until it was removed when the cottages were renovated).

They were known as Club Houses, and also as Mangnall’s cottages. In 1791

John Mangnall took out a 999 year lease on the land which was part of *Hon.

Edward Perceval’s land in Westhoughton, which was bounded on the north by

Wade Lane, the present day Market Street. John Mangnall erected on it a

dwelling house, barn and shippon. These were built in one solid block, thus

forming a type of ‘long cottage’, in which people and animals lived next to

each other.

In 1895 the lease was bought out by the Westhoughton Industrial Co-

operative Society. No.11 became a butcher’s shop and No.9 a cloggers,

whilst No.7, the former shippon, became a cottage.

This row has been extensively modernised, and four new shops occupy this

building.

*Note: The Hon. Edward Perceval was the half- brother of Rt. Hon. Spencer

Perceval, the Prime Minister at the time of the Mill Burning of 21st April, 1812,

who was assassinated on the 11th May, 1812, - the only British Prime Minister

to suffer such a fate.

Carry on to the premises at the end of Market Street…



No. 1. MARKET STREET – (25)

The final building at the end of Market Street was once the premises

occupied by a printer, Robert Clough. The name of the Printing Firm was

‘Excelsior Printing Works’ later to become ‘Excelsior Press’. An early

advertisement states that the firm was established in 1871, and the address is

given as 1 & 3 Market Street. The Proprietor offered his clients “Good and

Effective Printing of all kinds expeditiously and economically executed”.

The business may have been established at another location earlier,

because, according to the 1881 Directory, 1 & 3 Market Street were occupied

by Thomas Grisdale, who was a chemist, druggist, and wine & spirit merchant.

Robert Clough, Printer, 1 Market Street, appears in a later directory of 1885.

In 1890 Clough printed the ‘Westhoughton Echo & District Advertiser’, one of

the first newspapers to be published in Westhoughton.

This shop remained a printing establishment with the name ‘Excelsior Press’

above the shop frontage, until its closure in July 2007. This is now a

Hairdressers.

You have now completed the Westhoughton Town Trail !

Market Street was once known as “Wade Lane”, although it has also been

called “Parsonage Lane” & “Chapel Flats Lane”…the extract below- from the

Parish Church Magazine in 1877- helps to clarify the reason for the different

names:

Notes from Westhoughton Parish Church Magazine 1877

The Local Board has decided to proceed with the naming of the streets. We are glad

of this as the vexed (!) question as to whether certain streets are to be called Chapel

Lane or Church Street; Grundy Street or Can Row, will then be settled.

Henceforth – there is to be no more Chapel Lane or Chapel Walks, but Church Street

and School Street; no more Gorsey Lane or Barn Hillock, but Wigan Road and Tithe

Barn Street.

This is a better and more agreeable sign of the progress of the township than the

building of a police station, and we are glad to see that, as in the last-named street

the Board is endeavouring to preserve some of the old names and land marks.

We shall now perhaps be having the houses numbered, for which the postman

whoever he be will be especially thankful we think.

the pretoria pit disaster

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