A Brief History of Bolton by Tim Lambert
In 1901 the population of Bolton was 168,000. It had grown enormously since the beginning of the century and it continued to grow rapidly. From 1900 electric trams ran in the streets of Bolton. However buses gradually replaced them. The last tram ran in 1947. Halli'th'wood, a 15th century house opened as a museum in 1902. The first cinema in Bolton was built in 1910.
During 1916 a Zeppelin bombing raid killed 13 people in Bolton. In 1932 a War Memorial was built. In the 1920s and 1930s the council began building houses in Bolton and in the 1930s it began the work of slum clearance. Many more council houses were built after 1945. In 1941 a bombing raid killed 11 people in Bolton.
In the 1920s the cotton industry in Bolton declined. Many cotton workers were lost their jobs in the 1930s. The cotton industry revived a little in the late 1940s and early 1950s but it then began a relentless decline. Coal mining also began to decline in the 1930s. It ended 30 years later. Today there is still a textile industry in Bolton along with some bleaching and papermaking. There is also a considerable engineering industry. However manufacturing industry has been partly replaced by service industries such as retail and leisure.
The Octagon Theatre was built in 1967. In 1974 Bolton was made a Metropolitan Borough. Crompton Place Shopping Centre opened in 1971 and Market Place Shopping Centre opened in 1988.
Water Place, the fun swimming pool also opened in 1988. Reebok Stadium opened in 1997.
Population: 261037
