Talk:Billinge and Winstanley Urban District

much of this article is word for word identical with text at [1] and [2] Morwen - Talk 07:46, 6 November 2006 (UTC)p

Wardness

I should be interested to know when this was a ward. It isn't at present, and wasn't prior to the new ward boundaries coming into effect in 2004, according to the boundary committee's report on the re-warding. These boundaries dated from 1979... So this leaves the time period from 1973 to 1979 - in 1973 temporary ward boundaries were used, based on existing wards: is quite possible that Billinge and Winstanley constituted a ward then. Not sure where to get this info from, since there was no census in this timeframe. Morwen - Talk 10:11, 6 November 2006 (UTC) ---

• Notwithstanding which council calls the tune, the village of Billinge is still, and always has been, in the same place. When another council takes control, the village is not lifted from it's foundations and transplanted elsewhere. Billinge still lies between Wigan and St.Helens, in the County of Lancashire, England. Winstanley is another place, lying west of Billinge. There is no place named Billinge and Winstanley, they are two seperate places. This Billinge and Winstanley article should be scrapped, the Billinge Higher End and Billinge Chapel End combining to form Billinge, as one article.

The note about Billinge Hospital is wrong. The hospital acted as maternity hospital for the surrounding area, not for Wigan as is suggested.

And certainly not for the whole of Wigan Metropolitan Borough, as that includes parts of Salford and Warrington, each with it's own facilities.

Billinge Hospital did serve as the principle maternity hospital for the Wigan Borough. People outside the Borough were born there, however Wigan Borough's maternity facilities are now located at the infirmary.

I can confirm that Billinge Maternity Hospital was an NHS Hospital and was, therefore, available to any NHS registered patient in the surrounding area requiring maternity care, regardless of them living in Wigan or not. However, it was administered by Wigan NHS Trust.

• This article and the Billinge Chapel End article should NOT be one article as they are two different places in two different borough's. The hospital and anything else to do with 'Higher End' has nothing whatsoever to do with Chapel End. These points are becoming ridiculous, if you were born in Billinge Hospital you a from Wigan, NOT from the village of 'Billinge'. 99.9% of those living in the 'Borough' of Wigan were born in Billinge Hospital. The hospital served as the principle maternity facility for the Wigan area until its close in 2004, when maternity facilities were moved to the nearest hospital, Wigan Infirmary. People in other areas outside of the Borough such as Billinge Chapel End and Skelmersdale were born in Billinge Hospital.

You are very small minded to think that Billinge Hospital was exclusively for Wiganers. It also served a large part of St.Helens, Rainford, Garswood, Haydock, etc.. When the hospital closed in 2004, 'it' was not 'moved' to Wigan Infirmary, it simply 'closed' and several other hospitals took over it's workload. Also, Wigan 'Metropolitan' Borough, as is now, stretches far from Wigan and, therefore, the new facility at Albert Edward Infirmary does not cover the whole of the borough.

• For the last time, the majority of people in Wigan were born in Billinge Hospital (and if you were you are originally a Wiganer). It was the principle maternity facility for Wigan,(not the whole borough, as those people in the places near Salford would be born in Salford/Manchester) but people who live in other areas such as Skem, Rainford etc etc were born there. The new facility at the infirmary now handles the maternity cases in Wigan that would previously have gone to Billinge Hospital. What is it that nobody gets about this?, it really is not that difficult.

Are you saying that all the people from St.Helens, Rainford, Skelmersdale, Haydock, Garswood, etc. are all 'Wiganers' ? Are you daft ? Need I ask ??

• No but seeing as the majority of St Helens was not born in Billinge Hospital (isnt it Whiston) they have nothing to worry about. If you were born in Billinge Hospital you were BORN (note how I put in the word "originally" or did you just ignore that?)in Wigan, you dont have to live in the place you were born you know.

Question: 'If a Dog is born in a stable, is it a Horse?

Whiston Hospital Maternity Unit provides for most of St.Helens now that Billinge has closed. Whiston, if you don't know, is a long way past St.Helens and St.Helens Borough, like Wigan Borough, is now a big place. If you lived in, let's say, Astley, would you want to come to Wigan for hospital care? I think not. Likewise, if you lived in Garswood, would you want to go to Whiston? Don't be small minded. It's a big world out there, look through the big window, the world doesn't revolve around Wigan!

• I, as Im sure you are, am getting tired of this topic of discussion. Billinge Hospital was the maternity facility for Wigan (not the whole borough) and its closeby areas (and some other surrounding areas). When the hospital closed, the cases in Wigan and its closeby areas started going to the infirmary those from the other other surrounding areas started going to hospital's near to them. Those born in Billinge Hospital prior to its close were born 'in Wigan'. Those that then went home to areas outside of the Wigan area after being born are now 'from' the area in which they live now, but were not born in those areas, those that went home to places in the Wigan area are still 'from Wigan'. Please let this be the last on the subject. The article is accurate and explains the situation clearly by using the words "for Wigan and other surrounding areas". I hope we can all agree. Thanks

I will not agree to something which I know is factually wrong. Anyone born in Wigan Infirmary will, undoubtedly, have been born 'in' Wigan. Anyone born in Billinge Hospital will have been born 'in' Billinge, not Wigan. Taken to the letter, they would have been born in Billinge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, but only had they been born there after 1974 as, previously to then it would have been just 'Billinge'. Or, alternatively, why not insist on anybody born in Billinge Hospital, after 1974, must have been born in Manchester ?

That is quite possibly the most ridiculous question ever asked. Im not going to insult your intelligence by giving an answer, however I will say that to refer to those born in Billinge Hospital (quite rightly as you point out after 1974), as being born 'in Wigan', is most definitely acceptable as 100 per cent of those born in that circumstance refer to themselves as being born 'in Wigan'. As an example I think we may have to start describing only those born in the 'City of London' itself (as apposed to the Metropolitan area) as being 'from London'.

Billinge-and-Winstanley does not exist

These are two seperate places completely. Winstanley is in Wigan too, it borders on Goose Green, if you walk up highfield grange, the border is is somewhere between Clapgate Lane and Melrose Drive (you can't see it though, it's invisible). People who shop at Winstanley shops and also have a pint in 'the Poacher' consider themselves as part of Wigan town Not outside Wigan town and in the Wigan Borough as this article describes and they certainly do not consider themselves as living in 'Billinge-and-Winstanly'

82.33.171.111 15:09, 10 December 2006 (UTC)