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Bolton

Area Guide

A former powerhouse of the textile industry, Bolton is only 10 miles from Manchester and minutes from the regions rail and motorway networks, yet sits neatly on the edges of the West Pennine Moors and their beautiful countryside.

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Bolton

With its name derived from the Old English bothl-tun – a settlement with a dwelling, the area has seen Bronze Age settlers, Roman and Saxon conquerors and was granted a charter to hold a market in 1251 by Henry lll, when The Old Man and Scythe, on Churchgate, was first recorded as an ale house and inn at the centre of the medieval town of Bothelton. Sacked by Royalist troops under the command of the Earl of Derby in 1644, when over 2,000 people were killed or taken prisoner, Bolton was also the location for the Earl’s execution at the end of the Civil War, incidentally outside the Old Man and Scythe in 1651.

With a tradition dating back to the arrival of Flemish weavers in the 14th century, Bolton became a major centre for the textile industry in the region, especially following the invention of the spinning mule in 1779 by Samuel Crompton, a Bolton man whose house in Hall i’th’ Wood is preserved to this day. With mills originally powered by the various waterways flowing from the moors and then driven by locally mined coal-fired steam engines, the town was once only famous outside the area for its ‘dark satanic’ mills, smoking chimneys, flat caps and clogs – an image further fueled by the town’s many heavy engineering works which grew to support the then booming textile industry.

Though Bolton’s industrial age long since passed, its heritage still remains – mill workers’ (now bijou) stone cottages and ‘model villages’ scattered around the town, many in rural village settings, alongside solid pre and post war housing stock built to service a large working population. The last great cotton mill to be built here is now a modern apartment complex and the grounds of many a Victorian grand mansion, funded by the towns industrial era, now accommodate luxurious, bespoke family residences or modern estate properties. With its amazing countryside setting, surrounding villages and a plethora of multi million pound properties, many a new visitor to our town is left speechless, as they drive along one of our tree lined ‘boulevards’ – still wondering why ‘the new landed gentry’ seem to be the only people still wearing cloth caps! (ps: clogs are still to catch on again – sadly!!!)

Properties in Bolton

As you might expect, given the town’s size and geography, you can find every property type for sale or for rent in Bolton. From imposing multi million pound residences in extensive grounds right through to affordable starter homes – two up, two downs – in neatly terraced streets. From converted farmhouses, surrounded by rolling countryside, to converted textile mills offering easy apartment living. Whatever you are looking for, Bolton certainly will not disappoint. Take a tour around our informative area guides for a taste of what you can expect and if you need more information please don’t hesitate to call us – we’d love to hear from you.

Leisure and Outdoors

As you might imagine, given the town’s location on the edges of the West Pennine Moors, the great outdoors are never too far away and with a number of large, landscaped parks scattered across the borough there is no excuse for anyone not to venture outside – even given Bolton’s interesting and sometimes unpredictable weather. With gyms and leisure centres, 3 multiplex cinemas, 2 sailing clubs and ample sites for a days angling – and let’s not forget home games at the Macron Stadium – there is always something to keep you and the family busy and entertained no matter what time of year!

Schools, Shopping and Transport

Bolton offers a wide range of both primary and secondary schools, including the iconic and nationally acclaimed Bolton School, although – in common with the rest of the UK – the school run traffic can be a little frustrating at times. The town also benefits from major investments in further education, with a university, technical college and central sixth form campus all situated in the Bolton Education Zone in the centre of town.

With its traditional town centre market and the modern retail development at Middlebrook to name just two, Bolton is very well served by both the big names and by a plethora of local businesses and is only a short drive away from the Trafford Centre for the truly committed shopaholics amongst you. Perched alongside the north’s motorway and rail networks Bolton is extremely well positioned for commuters and long distance travellers alike and also has a well established bus network for local travel needs.