We are making some good progress now with this project uncovering more of the evidence for the Wigan Coal & Iron steelworks. However as we uncover more of the brick pavement, the more complex it seems to get. It's clear though that this was a standalone platform, as it is surrounded on three sides by brick walls with perhaps an entrance on the southeast side. One suggestion is that it was a loading bay. It seems apparent that the bricks in the middle, which are laid flat, form a plinth, designed to support a piece of heavy machinery such as a jib crane. The remnants of large iron tiebolts support this theory. The bricks here are much stronger than the surrounding bricks which are laid edge on. These are reused firebricks which are capable of withstanding heat but not good for load bearing (although handy for laying a pavement). The walls on the northwest and southeast sides both project in a southwest direction beyond the extent of the plinth (but how far, we have yet to see). At a later date the southeast wall on the south side was taken down and covered with a thin layer of concrete/ hardcore mix. Concrete also extended from the southeast-ward perhaps forming the floor of the factory. Further excavations will hopefully reveal more.
Local Knowledge
Whilst working on site we've been fortunate to be able to talk to locals out walking their dogs. Some recall when the site was landscaped in the 80's which tends to confirm our suspicions that a large area of the steelworks has been bulldozed away resulting in features like the large fishpond next to the large iron block. A number of locals were concerned about a new housing development being proposed for the Kirkless industrial estate just to the north of our site. Although houses on the site itself wouldn't be an issue, there was a question of how far south the development would reach, as the Nature Reserve only extends as far as the path between the canal bridge and the top of Bell Green Lane.
Kirkless Hall
One local was keen to introduce me to the new owner of Kirkless Hall. He knew he would be interested in anything we could tell him about the history of the site. The Hall has a date stone of 1663 but actually its internal cruck-frame construction dates its origins to the 14th or 15th century, making it perhaps one of the oldest buildings in the Wigan Borough. It's a real gem - even the later brickwork looks Tudor in style with its arched windows and raised diamond patterning on the outside. The owner has been busy refurbishing the interior and it was great to be able to see the exposed cruck-frames. Two crucks were on show but there were possibly originally five altogether. The owner aims to retain them as a feature, particularly as on the upper sections of one of the crucks has quite impressive carvings on.
Next Meeting
Wednesday 3rd June - in the Standish Suite at the Brocket Arms (7.30pm as usual). We are back to our usual day and this month and we have Paul Knight who is a captain in the British Army. Paul served two tours in Iraq and whilst there studied its history and visited many of the famous historical site. Subsequently he has written a book on the Army in Iraq during the First World War. Paul comes from Wigan and is currently involved with coordinating WWI centenary events in the North West. However he has taken time out to give us a talk on the British Army's role in Mesopotamia during the First World War. It's bound to be a great talk. Hope to see you there, BA |
