Recalling the Queen's TWO visits to our beloved town of Oldham

The Queen paid two visits to Oldham during her record-breaking 70 years on the throne - first in 1954, then in 1992.

On October 22, 1954, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Oldham Town Hall and textile mills in Shaw as part of a two-day tour of Lancashire.

Fireworks heralded her arrival in the borough and thousands lined the streets along the route from Manchester. Surrounding streets were shut and there was a heavy police presence to protect the royal party.

Rain poured for the majority of the visit but it didn’t deter the crowds who waved Union Jacks as the royal car passed by.

The Queen was wearing a kingfisher blue coat with matching hat and black leather shoes with a matching handbag.

At Lilac Mill, she spoke to every operative and even apologised for interrupting the birthday celebrations of two-year-old Maria Semianczuk!

On July 17, 1992, Queen Elizabeth enjoyed a party at Alexandra Park with 3,000 guests as she came to Oldham after officially opening the Metrolink network in Bury.

Oldham Council workers spent the months before her arrival improving the park, laying a new promenade, improving the drainage system and felling the biggest trees. Eleven-year-old Shabana Sadiq was chosen to present the Queen with a special posy.

Away from her official duties, she was a devoted wife and mother to four children, and dedicated grandmother to eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

In 1947, she married her wartime sweetheart Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey, while the country was still recovering from the war.

King George VI wrote to her about his feelings about giving her away: "I was so proud of you and thrilled at having you so close to me on our long walk in Westminster Abbey, but when I handed your hand to the Archbishop, I felt that I had lost something very precious."

The Queen gave birth to Prince Charles in 1948 and to Princess Anne two years later. Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964 - were the first children to be born to a reigning monarch since Queen Victoria had her family.

Until his death in 2021, the Duke of Edinburgh, "her beloved husband", was always by the Queen's side.

She described the Duke as her "constant strength and stay" and in 2017 the couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, the only royal couple to ever reach their platinum anniversary.

During the Queen's reign, she saw 15 different prime ministers, from Sir Winston Churchill to most recently Liz Truss.

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