Town in Greater Manchester, England
Bolton
Bolton gave the world the spinning mule, the horse that saved the first Wembley Cup final, and a steeplejack who became a national TV hero.
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Key information
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Nation
- England
- Known for
- Cotton spinning, Samuel Crompton's spinning mule, Bolton Wanderers, the 1923 White Horse Final
- What locals are called
- Boltonians
- Famous people
- Samuel Crompton, Fred Dibnah, Nat Lofthouse, Peter Kay
About Bolton
The attic that rewired the cotton trade
In 1779 a Bolton weaver named Samuel Crompton finished a machine that could spin fine, strong cotton thread in a way nothing else could. It combined ideas from two earlier inventions, so it became known as the spinning mule, after the animal that is a cross between two others. He built it in secret at Hall i' th' Wood, a handsome timber-framed house on the edge of town, reputedly working at night and playing the violin to cover the noise. He couldn't afford a patent. Local manufacturers promised to pay him by subscription, and he ended up with about £60. Parliament later gave him a grant of £5,000 in 1812, long after mill owners had made fortunes from his idea. The mule is why Bolton became a world centre of fine cotton spinning. Chimneys and mills filled the valleys, and Crompton's statue now stands in Nelson Square.
The Earl who lost his head on Churchgate
Bolton's Civil War story is a grim one. It was a Parliamentarian stronghold, and in May 1644 Prince Rupert's Royalist army stormed it. Hundreds, by some counts well over a thousand, were killed, and the event is still remembered as the Bolton Massacre. Seven years later the town saw the other side's reckoning. James Stanley, the 7th Earl of Derby, a leading Royalist, was captured after the Battle of Worcester and beheaded in Bolton on 15 October 1651. The old pub Ye Olde Man & Scythe on Churchgate claims to date from 1251 and is said to be where he spent his final night.
The horse that ruled Wembley
Bolton Wanderers began life in 1874 as Christ Church FC, formed with the help of the church's curate, and were founder members of the Football League in 1888. Their nickname, the Trotters, is known across the country. Their finest day came on 28 April 1923, the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. Far more fans than the stadium could hold poured in, spilling onto the pitch, and the match was only possible after PC George Scorey and his white horse, Billy, nudged the crowd back to the touchlines. Bolton beat West Ham 2-0, and the game has been called the White Horse Final ever since. Wanderers went on to win the Cup in 1926, 1929 and 1958, the last with centre-forward Nat Lofthouse, who was nicknamed the Lion of Vienna after a bruising England display in 1952. The club's darkest day came at the old Burnden Park on 9 March 1946, when 33 supporters died in a crush. Their modern home opened in 1997, and the club played in the Premier League from 2001 to 2012, with Jay-Jay Okocha the star turn.
A steeplejack, a soap baron and a stand-up
Bolton produces characters. Fred Dibnah, born here in 1938, was a steeplejack who climbed and brought down mill chimneys, and then became a TV favourite as he restored steam engines in his back garden. A statue honours him in the town centre. William Lever, born in Bolton in 1851, turned a grocery family business into Sunlight Soap and became Lord Leverhulme. He gave his home town the landscaped grounds around Rivington Pike, still a favourite place for walkers, with a tower on the summit that has been there since 1733. Sir Ian McKellen grew up in Bolton, and the town has produced comedian Peter Kay, whose Phoenix Nights drew on northern club life, and boxer Amir Khan, who won Olympic silver in 2004 as a teenager.
What Bolton looks like and what it eats
The Town Hall, opened in 1873, has a Greek-style portico and sits at the head of Victoria Square. It's the town's showpiece Victorian building. The Octagon Theatre opened in 1967 and was one of the first purpose-built theatres in the round in Britain. On the edge of town, Hall i' th' Wood and Smithills Hall both survive as medieval and Tudor houses. The moors rise just beyond the streets, which is why Boltonians are never far from a hillside walk. Food is classic Lancashire. Bolton Market is a good place to find black pudding, pies and fresh bakes, and meat pie with mushy peas is a familiar order after a match.