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Wigan Album

Standishgate

4 Comments

The Royal Oak
The Royal Oak
Photo: DTease
Views: 3,097
Item #: 31116
A very smart looking Royal Oak. Was this building always a Pub?

Comment by: Ian on 8th April 2019 at 13:31

Yes its always been a pub. For a very, very long time.
It was extended as next door ( where the benches are situated ) was a house at one time. I think it was purchased and knocked through to make the pub bigger.

Comment by: Keith on 8th April 2019 at 16:53

My father (a Tenant Landlord himself for 24 years in Wigan) told me that at one time this was one of the busiest pubs in Wigan, certainly in terms of barrels of beer sold each week. To my knowledge at least two ex-Wigan RL players were Landlords here, the great Johnny Thomas (435 games) and subsequently another Welshman Wilf Hodder (273 games including the first Wembley Final) who later on ran a Hotel in Morecambe, his wife's hometown.

Comment by: Alan Wright on 10th April 2019 at 09:32

The Oak was always first port of call after a Wigan game! I remember being in there one night after Wigan played Castleford in a floodlit match and TV cameras were in making a documentary about Rugby League. The place was a rugby shrine when Tommy Dickens was landlord - and a great landlord he was! We entered a team in the Open Age in the seventies and called ourselves Whelley. I had some great times in the Oak, made some great friends and met some fascinating characters! Oh, and the famous Wembley trips we had back in the day! Happy days. Happy times.

Comment by: Ian on 10th April 2019 at 15:59

Hello, Alan! How are you?
I remember the TV series, Fallen Hero shown in 1978/79 with Del Henney and Wanda Ventham. I was playing for Springfield ARLFC at the time and some of the footage was shot at Central Park involving us. After filming The film directors and producers laid on a buffet and "refreshments" in the Royal Oak. They even donated the two kits to our club that were used in the filming. One was red and amber hoops, the other was all white with a green and yellow hoop on the sleeve.

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