Church Lane, Oldham

[3] Archaeologists recognise Church Lane to predate the Romans and a road that is "probably as old as human life in this corner of England.

There is still a superstitious prejudice in parts of England against the north side of a church with many important tombs and monuments being placed to the south.

[9] Above the door was a Latin inscription: "Nunc mei, mox hujus, Sead postea, nescio cujus" which translates as "Today 'tis mine, Tomorrow, thine, but whose next day I cannot say".

[10] The pub closed in 1920 but the building survived for a few years as the headquarters of the British Legion until it was demolished in July 1931 to make way for Lord Street.

[11] It is referred to in Hansard when questions were asked in Parliament as to the dampness in the building and whether it caused the death of Judge Edwin Jones.

[12] The old court house is now occupied by the Methodist Church which runs a cafe named The Salt Cellar, a Christian book shop and a youth outreach centre from there.

Despite the loss of the county court, Church Lane remains one of Oldham's legal streets with four firms of solicitors still occupying premises.

Number 10 had been the headquarters of the Conservative Party until 1990 when it was bought and converted to a cafe by the Methodist Church and named The Salt Cellar.