Graham Taylor - Local History & Military Historian
Margery Booth - The Operatic Spy
The true story of Margery Booth, the famous Wigan born opera singer who spied for Britain in Berlin during WW2. Revised and updated 2025, from original 2021 version.
Molly Penson - The Woman with a Mania for Houses
The story of the property empire belonging to Molly Penson - the Wigan woman with a mania for houses
The Life and Times Of Sicklefield House, Wigan
A look at the lives of the people who have resided at Sicklefield House, Wigan over the past 200 years.
The Great War history of 1/5th Battalion Manchester Regiment (Wigan Territorial Force) 1914-1919
The Brindle Family of St. Mary's
An account of the lives of the Brindle family and their connection to St. Mary's RC church In Standishgate, Wigan.
Wigan Workhouse and the Poor Law Union
The origins of the Wigan Poor Law Union, the building of the new Workhouse in Frog Lane, the conditions inside and the regime followed by its inmates.
Tales From the Workhouse 1 - The Story of Sarah Hartley
Sarah Hartley, the young Wigan girl who had spent her adolescent years at Wigan Union Workhouse and Edgworth Children’s Home left an enduring legacy in Canada that is celebrated to this day
Tales From the Workhouse 2 - The Bizarre Tale of the Infant Funeral
A short story from the 'Tales of the Workhouse' series. The Bizarre Story of the Workhouse Funeral.
Flt. Lieutenant Ronald Walker- the Wigan Pilot Murdered by the Gestapo in 1944
The story of the Wigan pilot Flt. Lt. Ronald Walker, murdered by the Gestapo in 1944.
The Great Wigan Coal Robbery
The story of the great coal robbery in Wigan in 1848 and the legal proceedings that followed..
Wigan Election Riots of 1831
A detailed look at the reasons for the election riots in Wigan in May 1831, the backgrounds of the characters involved and the consequences for the perpetrators of the ensuing violence.
Two Wallgaters at War
The story of two friends from Wallgate who were to meet up again in WW1. One was to survive, the other died on active service but left behind a famous sporting dynasty.
Wigan Volunteer Light Horse
The origins of the Wigan Volunteer Light Horse during the early part of the 19th century, and its evolution over the next 200 years.
Richard Makinson and his Arcade
The life and times of tea merchant, Richard Makinson, the quiet and reserved man who built numerous buildings in Wigan town centre. By Graham Taylor & Peter Fleetwood.
Rylands Sidings
Reminiscences of Rylands Sidings at Whitley from sixty years ago, the association with a cotton magnate and their place in the war time history and industrial heritage of Wigan.
Springfield Hall
An in depth look at the lives of the families known to have lived at Springfield Hall between 1813 and its demolition in 1937.
Medieval Standish Stone Cross Cases
Locations of the three Grade II Listed stone cross bases in Standish.
The Yew Tree
The story of the Yew tree in Jubilee Park, Ashton in Makerfield dedicated to Pte Walter Turton of the Lancashire Fusiliers.
The History of Wigan Volunteer Drill Hall and it's Resident Units 1884-1986.
Beyond the Prison Walls
The wartime exploits of Grenadier Guardsman John Cecil Larkin of Orrell, near Wigan. From his capture in North Africa, to his escape from an Italian POW camp and subsequent journey back to Allied Lines,
The Queens Hall Mission War Memorials
Details of the War Memorials held at the Queens Hall Mission in Market Street, Wigan. By Graham Taylor
Wigan Wallgate Station War Memorial
Research into the Wigan Wallgate Station War Memorial that once was on display in the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway loco sheds in Prescott Street, Wigan.
Brief History & Casualty records of the 2nd 5th Battalion of Manchester Regiment
A Letter from the Past
The War Diary of Rifleman William Walls of Abram.
Royal Ordnance Factory - Beech Hill, Wigan
History from WW2 to the present, and the reasons for the selection of the site as a munitions factory
The 'Lost' Boars Head Railway Station.
History of Speckled Holly Cottage - Standish Wood Lane
Giants Hall Farmhouse
The history of Giants Hall Farmhouse in Standish and its occupants from 1675 to present.
The Gallipoli Campaign of 1915
A list of 5th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment personnel wounded in Gallipoli. (Incomplete and still a work in progress)
Margery Booth - "The Operatic Spy"
Original version of the life and times of Margery Booth, the Wigan born opera singer and the circumstances leading to her role as a spy during WW11. See above for updated 2025 version
History of Beech Hill & the Thicknesse Family
Fascinating history and development of Beech Hill up to the present day, covering Beech Hall, the Thicknesse family, with lots of new and interesting information.
Beech Hill Farm & The Gill Family
An article on the family and the Grade 2 listed building.
The Story of the Dean Family of Crawford Village, Upholland
The story of the long lost family papers belonging to the Dean family of Crawford Village, Upholland.
The Tale of James Beegan and his grave
A very interesting article discovering a soldier's grave and his life.
Thomas Morris of King Street, Wigan
As part of the wider King Street Heritage Zone project, 'The Street That Was', this article focuses primarily on Wigan businessman Thomas Morris, his daughter Ellen Ann Robinson Morris, and their connection to the Wigan Brewery in King Street during the mid-19th century.
WW1 -The Earlam Johnson Family
The First World War names on the Cenotaph at the Parish Church include three families who lost three sons. At least 48 families lost two sons and four families lost father and son. Not included on the Cenotaph as they didn’t live in the old Wigan Borough are the four sons of Rev C.H James, the Vicar of St. David’s, Haigh, all killed in action.
What started as research of casualties of the 1/5th Battalion (Territorial Force) Manchester Regt at Gallipoli has evolved and grown into another story with the theme of mining, military, medicine and the constantly recurring name of Earlam Johnson.
WW1 War Graves Register for Wigan & District.
The use of maps as an aid to historical and family history research. The history of the Ordnance Survey and a look at Wigan on a 1951 OS map.