Carpet man Charlie dies at 86

Charles Stewart

Charles Stewart, owner of one of Oldham Market’s longest established businesses, has died aged 86.

Known as Charlie, he ran Stewart’s Carpets, which celebrated 100 years of supplying rugs and floorcovering to Oldham homes in 1996.

But he was also D-Day Normandy veteran and keen football fan.

The stall, in the market’s perimeter brick buildings, was set up by Charlie’s grandfather, who travelled across the Pennines from his home in Bradford to sell rugs, mats and hardware, and then passed to his father John.

Charlie, from Shaw, was the third generation to work there, and served for more than 60 years.

In 1991 he asked his former Saturday boy, Craig Whiston, to be his business partner, after Craig had worked on the stall for 20 years. The stall is still open.

Charlie’s son, Steve, said: “Dad never really retired until the early 1990s and worked occasionally on the market until his early 80s.

“During the Second World War he was in the Royal Artillery and landed on Sword Beach on D-Day, and went all through France and Germany, then to Palestine, before he was demobbed.

“He met my mum, Margaret, in 1948 and they married in 1950.

He leaves his widow Margaret, three children and three grandchildren. His funeral will be at Oldham Crematorium on Monday.