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Oldham > Turn Of Luck
Turn Of Luck
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Picture source: Ian Farrington |
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The Turn of Luck was situated at 227 West Street (roughly
where the end of Fletcher Close is today). It opened in 1830 as the
Oddfellows Arms but by 1886 was the Turn of Luck. The original Turn of Luck
closed in 1899 when Oldham Brewery transferred the licence to the new Turn
of Luck built on the corner of Fletcher Street. The new pub closed in 1969
after being served a Compulsory Purchase Order. It was demolished in 1973
and the site of the former Turn of Luck is now part of the West Street
housing. |
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My aunty Kitty Melia
owned and ran this place in the 1960, She was living there with her blind
mother and ‘boyfriend’ when I visited the place in April 1962 during a visit
to the UK from my home, then in Sydney Australia. Kitty sister Agnes
Fielding was my mother and she emigrated to Australia in 1950 when I was 9.
The place would have been full with six people in it and I got the feeling
the it was being utilized by my Aunty and her family, a daughter Rita and
her husband and a tribe of Flynn relatives as a very convenient and cheap
drinking spot. The drink of choice was Advocaat. The place was pretty
grotty, there were two bedrooms upstairs in which one was for my blind
Grandmother who Kitty was looking after. In 1962 it was pretty well a stand
alone building there was obviously major reconstruction going on around the
place with lot of slum dwelling being pulled down. There was no room for me
to stay at the pub so Kitty arranged for me to stay in an empty house that
was due to be demolished around the corner, an experience I will not forget.
Kitty died in 1992 but I think her daughters are still alive and now living
in the USA. |
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Peter Fielding (April 2021) |
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