A major £14 million re-development of Bolton’s Market Place Shopping Centre, which will eventually be lined with bars and restaurants, is in full swing. The Bolton News was invited to have a look into the vast Victorian vaults beneath the building.

SHOPPERS were recently given a first glimpse into the historic area that lies beneath the floor of the Market Place when a protective tent was partially removed, uncovering a large excavation in the first floor.

It is not until you venture into the bowels of the building, however, that you get a stark sense of the history and heritage that is being incorporated into the ambitious project.

Walking in the vaults, which date back to 1855, you can see the individual marks left by stonemasons, keen to celebrate the creation of another successful brick in the wall.

It is a sense of history that is very important to centre manager Nikki Wilson-Cooke as she oversees a project that she hopes will transform the social habits of Bolton’s residents.

She said: “The history is incredible down here and we feel really honoured to be able to share it with the people of the town.

“These stones and paths dating from the Victorian era have never been showcased before and that means that we really want to get it right.”

She said that when the opening is fully revealed, allowing all the natural light into the vaults for the first time, it will be something to behold.

Both Mrs Wilson-Cooke and Tim Vaughan, chief executive of the Moorgarth Group which owns the centre, have said there is a lot of interest from restaurants and businesses who want to take up plots in the iconic space, and when touring the vaults it is not hard to see why.

She added: “Each premises will contain the original Victorian brickwork and we are carrying out the painstaking task of properly preparing those bricks because it is all about respecting that history.”

She explains that there has also interest from micro-breweries which could set-up inside the old Victorian chimney area.

Of course it is not just about the vaults — the plans for the project also include a 30,000 sq ft, nine-screen cinema complex on top of the centre, and there will be renovations of the existing malls, along with more escalators and lifts.

The development is expected to be fully completed and open to the public by November and Mrs Wilson-Cooke says she cannot wait.

She said: “We spoke to the people of Bolton and asked what they wanted and their answers were retail, leisure and places to eat and drink.

“That is what we are offering and we just hope that the people of the town will support us.”