The
town of Bolton has one of the best and most expensive Town Halls
in Britain - opened by the then Prince of Wales, (later Edward
VII) in 1873, which, backed by the beautiful stone crescent behind,
is reminiscent in many ways of the city of Bath. With its two
guardian stone lions and columned Greek facade, its opening contrasted
markedly with the slum poverty around it and it came in for much
criticism on this account.
The
adjacent concert hall, the Albert Halls, built in 1873, was destroyed
by fire in 1981, but rebuilt and reopened in 1985; it features
a beautifully ornate ceiling and a majestic organ, and took over
£3 million to restore as an entertainments complex. After the
town hall fire, the high ceilinged Albert Hall (singular) was
divided, horizontally, into two, and is now known as the Albert
Halls (plural). Here they host weekly dancing sessions, classical
and big band concerts, amateur theatre productions, pantomime
and children's entertainments.
One of Bolton's most celebrated natives is
Samuel Crompton,
inventor of the Spinning Mule in 1779. This invention was to increase
output in the textile industry fivefold within a decade of its
introduction, though Crompton himself, evidently a poor businessman,
sold the rights to it for the sum of £60.
Other
Bolton celebrities include: the late TV celebrity steeplejack
Fred Dibnah, comedian
Peter Kay and filmstars
Frank
Finlay, Ian McKellan, and Robert
Shaw.
See also: Complete Local Celebrities
List.
Bolton
Parish Church, St. Peter's, Bolton-le-Moors, virtually a cathedral,
is well worth visiting. Consecrated in 1871 it cost £45,000.
One
of Bolton's oldest is Smithills Hall which dates back to the 14th
century and perhaps much earlier. Over the years this old manor
house has belonged to several different families. First recorded
was one William de Radclyffe way back in the mid 14th century.
It is recorded that in 1485 a Cecily Radclyffe married her second
cousin John Barton, and thereby came into ownership of Smithills
Hall.
