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Picture source: Peter Ashworth

The Prince Of Wales was situated at 29 Spencer Street.

I lived on Spencer Street as a young boy and situated outside the Prince of Wales was a large stone boulder. It was placed there by my great grandfather who was known in the local area and in local folklore as 'Mill Bottom Jack' - the story goes that my great grandfather had been drinking in the pub one evening and after a few pints a wager was set that he couldn't move a large boulder that was situated at the rear of the pub around to the front. Mill bottom Jack was known for his great strength, so he accepted the wager and lifted this huge boulder and carried it round to the front of the pub to win his wager. The boulder remained outside the pub for what seems like forever, easily 80-90 years or more, because no one could move it! We used to sit on it as kids and it was a well known local landmark, although I noticed it has finally been removed on the modern photo on your website, probably by the local council resurfacing the footpaths. Mill Bottom Jack got his immense strength from working in a stone masons, where he would lift and move large slabs of stone etc like those used for building large buildings like banks and other official buildings that use large stone decorations on the buildings and also the large yorkstone flags that covered the streets and roads of Oldham. My grandads surname was Tomkinson, so I assume his grandfather also has the same surname.

Jeff Heywood (April 2021)

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