Yes, this old town has moved on from the halcyon days of the 60's & 70's, when markets swelled and pavements thronged. I'm saddened to watch this and have the memories come flooding back whilst realising things never stay the same. The memories of my mum and dad always come back to haunt me when I remember back to happier times yet I know this must be. Thanks for the pictures and the memories.
tears of happiness at old times tears of sadness, those times are gone tears for what we remember tears for what we have forgotten thank you for this beautiful video. No longer living in Bolton, but all my life is based on my young days, many of these photos being my history. Thank you
MANY THANKS TO THE PERSON WHO PUT THIS TOGETHER, BRINGS BACK HAPPY MEMORIES OF GROWING UP IN BOLTON, & SAD AT WHAT IT HAS BECOME PRESENT DAY. I GREW UP IN THE SCHOOL HILL AREA & WENT TO SAINT GEORGES PRIMARY SCHOOL BEFORE IT CLOSED IN THE EARLY 70'S. HOPEFULLY SOMEONE OUT THERE HAS GOT PICTURES OF THE AREA FROM THE 60'S & 70'S.
It's time the council realised that Bolton thrived with its community of stalls in the Market Hall. The outside market thrived with variety. The town has been ruined and money wasted. Bolton was a great place. Now their is nothing left . The photo's are great and remind me of a Bolton you were proud of. Pity they cant or won't turn our town back into the days when it was thriving. I think if we went back to basics people would be happier and local economy would improve. We will never be Manchester.
Think I prefer how most of it looked back then, I'm 18 years old I obviously was not around in them days but looking at these pictures it makes me think how much it has changed and how beauiful it use to be.
As a 2000s kid, I was always fascinated at the old photos of Bolton. My dad often told me stories about the railway track in Lever Bridge; apparently my uncle used to do monkey bars underneath it! Yikes. Bolton is a lovely town, with lots of lovely people, and I'm proud to be a Boltonian.
My Father loved Bolton, but I couldn't wait to get out of the place and came to Australia at the age of 21 in 1970. The last time I was there was back in 1980 I googled Bolton recently and many of the changes I see leave me somewhat Depressed. It used to be such a safe lively vibrant place with friendly people; now what I hear about it, it has lost its charm. Sad.
Hi Robert I don’t know why I am responding to your comment but I chose Bolton to live in when I had to come and start work in Manchester due to the pandemic. Looking through the comments and these pics makes me hope if Bolton could have that pristine beauty like it had during the past.
Nostalgia! watching these images of the past remind a person of the some times bleak and beautiful memories of Bolton. Many of the images were in my fathers lifetime. Yet! at 3:32 I am reminded of my first job on the construction of Bow St Multi Storey car park, Jack my co-worker and Sue my first girl friend met between the store and the storage location in the image. The Navada and Palais D'Danse are so relative. Both stories concluded in Canada in the decades later. Bolton Town Hall and the Crescent, both iconic and by the Architects Bradshaw Gass and Hope I worked for later. Images of Bank St, where the Queen Elizabeth motorcade passed feet away at the junction of Church gate. Memories of "The Family Way" and "Spring and Port Wine" being filmed in town. When I return to Bolton after 50 years these are the memories which are refreshed. It's sadly a place I can visit and reflect, but now could never live.
Memory lane, I am sat in front of my computer on the other side of the world looking at a place that according to the comments I wouldn't recognise or like. I left in April 1970 and never regretted doing so, never look back, keep only the good memories.
I grew up in Bolton during the fifties and sixties, and although time definitely colours memories favourably, I know that the place had character. Filthy weather, lots of slums, but great people, cinemas, some great pubs. The weather is still filthy, the pubs have nearly all gone (the huge Muslim population does not use pubs) and the remaining ones are raucous and unwelcoming. The cinemas have all been pulled down, hundreds of old buildings have been leveled and replaced with mosques, hundreds more leveled and replaced with nothing. The old market hall has been turned into an American style shopping mall. Bolton is not the town I knew. I paid a couple of visits recently to see family and friends who still live there, but I won't go back, too depressing.
Fantastic video, mostly recognisable but captions would have been nice. Ever evolving , hopefully all change again with the plans that are in place. Superb old town.
Shows how successive town planners have allowed a lot of those buildings to perish. RIP old rail station , old fire station , old art deco cinemas, Clarence St Centre. Buildings of interest need to be preserved as subsequent buildings make the place look like bland Anywhereville!
*I suppose these amazing photographs are really only of interest to people with a connection to Bolton. I grew up, and lived there from 1963 to 1989. The disappointment (and it's a massive error), is that because Bolton has changed so drastically over the years, I haven't a clue where most of these places are, other than the few which have the date printed on the originals. I was really looking forward to coming to this site. Right now, these pictures could be from any of dozens of Lancashire towns. So disappointing. Sorry!*
Would you do that again please but much slower. I did not have time to orient myself. I was not born here but I have happily lived here for nearly ten years.
I went to school in Bolton, my school was called All Saints but I think it has gone now. I'de love to have a photo of it but I don't like my chances. It was 1963 when left Bolton to come to Australia.
THAT LOOKS FANTASTIC THAT DOESN'T IT.GREAT BRITAIN AND THE WORLD.WE NEED TO REBUILD SOCIETY AND THE COMMUNITY.HAVING TEN TRILLION DOLLARS PER SQUARE CENTIMETRE JUST FEELS SO FLAT!
Have never been to Bolton .But just finished reading Bill Naughtons autobiographical triology so feels like i know the place.The images in the film are so moving .Anyone know the theme music very stirring whith the images.
No, it's the old Great Moor St Station that was closed many years ago and levelled in the 60's I think. Not lived in Bolton for nearly 40 years now - I think it was a carpark last time I was up that way.
I worked as a Town Ambassador in Bolton for five years, until 2008. The place is a joke now, drunks, druggies, beggars, thief's and litter. Police are non existent, and are never on the 'beat' to be seen. Cant believe what they did with the market hall, its lost all its charm, shame. I wouldn't be happy to let a family member shop in Bolton alone, with no Police about and a now redundant Ambassador / Warden presence / force its free pickings for the undesirables in the community Sort it out....
Great photos but I do think some of the comments are a bit rose tinted! A lot of these pics are circa 100 yrs ago when many people in towns like Bolton led bloody awful lives. You generally worked all week in a repetitive and downright dangerous job. If you lost your job you starved, unless there was a charity to help you (or a workhouse), there were no pensions and if you got sick you died as there was no NHS. So much for the good old days!!
Your right but the people in those days had a sense of pride and respect, no drugs ,no spongers ,no lazy good for nothing foreigners waiting for their next handout,no Asian gands grooming young girls...I could go on all day!..give me those times anyday!!
Walk into the lovely ‘pinnacle British Values’ Bolton Hospital and count the “lazy good for nothing foreigners” who clean the place and are the doctors! Bolton has sadly gone down but the town would be even further down if it weren’t for the immigrants who prop up many industries. Looking back at the history of the town in which I was born makes me proud. Sadly, ignorant bigots like yourself do our wonderful town injustice. The North has grown a reputation for cultural divide thanks to generational prejudices and stereotypes. By the way I my father is one of the “Asian men” who instead of being in a “grooming gang” is a doctor serving the town. I am proud of our town.
