THIS week we look back at the history of St Joseph’s Church with this picture submitted by Gerald Warren.

Gerald says that John Lunn in his History of Leigh book refers to John Shaw building the old chapel and presbytery in 1778, endowing the topography with a new road name, Chapel Street.

This particular photograph is believed to have been taken for a handbook souvenir.

The men in the picture are ‘Old Sol the gardener’ and headmaster John Wilkinson, who retired in 1899.

Gerald added: “When the present church was built in 1855 it was a partitioned off and used as part of the school for the ever growing number of pupils.

“After the new school was built it became the parish hall.

“It was demolished in 1925 and the present hall was built on the site.”

If you have a photograph you would like us to use in Look back at Leigh, send it to newsdesk@leighjournal.co.uk with your name, address and a daytime telephone number, plus a brief description of when the picture was taken and details of what it shows.