Located in the county of Greater Manchester (or Lancashire up until 1974), around 10 miles northwest of Manchester, is the town of Bolton.

Having received a charter to become a market town back in 1253, Bolton has been an industrial town for centuries, going back to circa 1337 when Flemish weavers moved to Bolton to work in the textile industry.

Bolton was to play a key role in the Industrial Revolution, when in 1779, Bolton-born Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule. This was a machine that would vastly increase the amount of cotton that could be spun at any one time, effectively a more advanced version of Preston-born Richard Arkwright's water frame from 1769. Cotton mills would soon emerge around the town. At its peak there were over 200 mills in Bolton, making it one of the largest centres of cotton spinning in the world.

The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal was constructed in the 1790s. Although abandoned in 1961, this waterway was key to growth in Bolton during the 19th century. Several coal mines emerged around this time, some just by the canal itself. In 1828 the Bolton and Leigh Railway opened, making it Lancashire's first public railway.

Between 1866 and 1873 Bolton Town Hall was constructed on Victoria Square. It was designed by a pupil of Cuthbert Brodrick, the architect who designed Leeds Town Hall. This explains the relative similarities between the two (although the restoration work at the time of filming makes it a bit hard to illustrate!). In 1978 a local steeplejack by the name of Fred Dibnah rose to fame when a regional BBC news crew filmed him making repairs to the clock tower and the 16 stone pillars. Following on from this, documentaries were commissioned with the focus on Dibnah and his work scaling tall chimneys, as well as his fascination with steam and Britain's industrial past. Fred Dibnah passed away in 2004, yet his legacy as a household name remains. A statue of Dibnah features in the video on Oxford Street.

Industry in Bolton declined in the 20th century, with the coal mines and textile mills gradually closing. Today manufacturing has been largely replaced by service industries. In football, Bolton is represented by Bolton Wanderers F.C. and is the hometown of boxer Amir Khan. Other famous people from Bolton include Sara Cox, Vernon Kay, Peter Kay (no relation apparently) and Paddy McGuinness. The sitcom Phoenix Nights was set in Bolton.

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Filmed: 18th May 2021

Link to the walk on Google Maps: [ Ссылка ]

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Newport Street
2:28 Victoria Square
3:06 Le Mans Crescent
5:42 Victoria Square
6:11 Oxford Street
6:54 Fred Dibnah Statue
7:12 Oxford Street
7:29 Knowsley Street
10:19 St George's Road
11:49 Bridge Street
14:59 Deansgate
16:30 Churchgate
16:44 Ye Olde Man & Scythe (established 1251 AD)
16:59 Churchgate
17:16 St Peter's Church
17:32 Churchgate
18:07 Silverwell Street
18:35 Princess Street
20:01 Bradshawgate
21:11 Nelson Square
21:21 Samuel Crompton Statue
21:28 Nelson Square

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