Bolton

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Bolton Greater Manchester

Approximate Population: 139,403

The town’s position on the west of the Pennines provides a damp climate.   It is this feature which probably led to Flemish weavers, fleeing the Huguenot persecutions in the 17th century, to eventually settle here, as moisture-laden air allows for the spinning of cotton with little breakage.   The cotton industry was to provide the catalyst for the town’s expansion between the 14th and 19th centuries.

Large, steam-powered textile mills eventually dominated the town’s skyline, providing the major employment and defining the rhythm of the working week, so much so that an annual shut-down for maintenance in late June became the Bolton holidays.   There were also some large iron foundries in the town as well as other engineering works, many connected with the cotton industry.   The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal connected the town to Bury and Manchester.

The Bolton and Leigh Railway was one of the oldest in Lancashire, opening to goods traffic in 1828 and to passengers in 1831.  Bolton was Worktown in the Mass-Observation project which has left us with many photographs taken around the town by Humphrey Spender as part of that project.

Gas Suppliers Bolton Greater Manchester