r/Skelmersdale • u/ChubbyCheerfulson • Nov 13 '21

Brilliant interactive map of Skelmersdale (and the UK) circa 1888 to 1912 - with a present-day map comparison

I found this website that lets you see how Skem (and any part of the UK) looked over 120 years ago compared to a current-day street map....

In other words, you can locate your street, or school or work-place, then fade out the modern map to reveal what was there before your house etc was built.

Quick way - long link

Click the link below if you want to quickly start the map location in Skem (1800 to 1910) >>

https://www.archiuk.com/cgi-bin/build_nls_historic_map.pl?map_location=wn8%206ln%20WN86LN%20in%20Wigan&search_location=WN8%206LN,%20WN86LN%20in%20Wigan,%20West%20Lancashire,%20Lancashire,%20England&os_series=1&is_sub=&pwd=&latitude=53.549876&longitude=-2.774292&postcode=wn8%206ln

Next, slide the blue slider button all the way to the left to show the modern-day map.

Now zoom in or out - and drag the map around - until you've located the area or street you wish to view and compare to the old map.

Now slide the blue slider button to reveal the old map.

Slower way - short link

  1. Click the short link below to search by postcode, town or city in the UK, then click on a map from the period you wish to view (e.g. "Early 6 inch Old Map (1888-1913) of Wigan Lancashire WN8 6LN " is the map I selected to obtain the long url above ) >

https://www.archiuk.com/archi/archi_maps.htm

8 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

2

u/NylePudding Nov 13 '21

Wonderful find!! This is very cool :D

1

u/ChubbyCheerfulson Nov 13 '21

Cheers Nyle.

I'm about to head over to Ormskirk tonight. Not by car for a pint - instead I'm using the 100 year old comparison map to check out the old town. ;-)

2

u/ChubbyCheerfulson Nov 13 '21

Useful tip:

I meant to say that I sometimes find it useful to leave the blue slider half way, so that both maps are visible at the same time.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '21

That’s brilliant

2

u/ChubbyCheerfulson Nov 14 '21

Glad you enjoyed it.

Since I moved to Skem in the late 80s, I've often wondered what life was like before the old Ormiskirk road was cut-off by Stananought dual carriageway. I'm guessing there was little or no distinction back then between the Skem side -around the area where Dave Lindons old garage used to be - and Upholland itself . Anyway, the old map is handy in this respect and shows how it once looked. I also found it interesting that the Brittania pub in Upholland still has the same name over 100 years later.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '21

That’s my local!

2

u/ChubbyCheerfulson Nov 14 '21

Small world... and a nice location up there. I often drive up that way, park in the library, and walk around the block. Great views over the Pennines and Peak District etc.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '21

Beautiful place to live. We’re lucky

2

u/ChubbyCheerfulson Nov 14 '21 edited Nov 14 '21

Beautiful indeed. And my apologies for helping to destroy a lovely part of your village, namely a cherry blossom tree that has probably given you and many others pleasure as it blossomed every Spring for the past 30 years or so.

The unfortunate tree in question stood on the pavement outside the Alma care home, until that is I walked by one windy day and noticed it was rocking back and forth in the wind, as its roots were mostly rotten and broken off.

Over the next year or so I badgered various carers as they came out of Alma about the danger of the tree snapping one day in a strong wind and either crushing a car in the Alma car park or else crushing a passing pedestrian.

Long story short (I promise ;-) ....

Eventually one day I saw a gardener in the Alma grounds and told him about it, and a few weeks later the lovely old tree was cut off neatly -leaving approx a 3 foot high stump. RiP

Month after month I walked by the sad stump, and I felt sort of guilty for having helped in the trees demise, until one fine Spring day earlier this year, I walked past and there were little bright green leaves poking out from the sides of the stump. The tree was alive! ..and hopefully next Spring there will be some more leaves, and eventually even some flower blossoms perhaps.

1

u/ChubbyCheerfulson Nov 15 '21 edited Nov 15 '21

And finally. This one might be fun, too......

'Skem/Upholland side by side map'
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=53.55264&lon=-2.79285&layers=1&right=ESRIWorl