John Wild

• Born         1836
• Married      Mary Alice
• Died          8 August1901

 John Wild set up his architectural practice at 15 Clegg Street, Oldham in 1856 and had designed fourteen cotton mills as well as a number of churches chapels and schools by 1876, when he took his long serving assistant Joe Collins into partnership under the style Wild and Collins.  Frederick Wild, his son, was admitted about 1888 when the partnership became Wild Collins and Wild. All the mills designed by this firm tended to be conservative in plan and they still employed single brick arch construction long after it had been abandoned by other architects

A prominent Conservative, John Wild took an active part in political affairs. He was formerly chairman of the Conservative Registration Association and was first elected to the Town Council for St. Mary's Ward in November 1873 but retired 1876. He was re-elected in 1881 and again in 1884 when he retired for a time. He was approached 1887 by the Conservatives of Coldhurst Ward, and again entered the Town Council until 1889, when he sent in his resignation at the expiration of his term He was placed on the commission of the peace for the borough April, 1877.

John Wild died at 8.30 on Thursday 8 August 1901 at Alderley Edge.  Following his death, the practice was dissolved, with Fred Wild operating under his own name and Joe Collins moving to 7 Clegg Street.