Royal coo as visitor flew into town

Some would argue too much a part, with the droppings "decorating" the sides and roofs of the buildings in Victoria Square with grey-white streak.

The "scrounging" pigeons of the town, however, a far cry from the sleek racing pigeons, which form part of Bolton's rich and competitive homing pigeon history.

And this week as work starts on the new multi-million pound Audi Dealership on the site of The Lancashire Homing Club, we look back at Bolton pigeon racing history in which The Lancashire Homing Club has played a central part in.

The club has been resited to a new home nearby, and the old Bolton College building in Manchester Road.

Man has always found the homing instinct of the pigeon useful, and the birds have long been used as message carriers, even during the Second World War.

Pigeons were used by the Romans to carry military messages, the message being tied loosely to around the bird's neck.

It was a pigeon which brought news of the Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo.

The bird homed to the house of the famous bankers, Rothschild and the new it brought enabled them to make big gains on the stock market.

With the invention of the telegraph these businessman found the pigeon to be of no further advantage, so they disbanded the relay lofts and a flock of birds came onto the markets. Many of the birds, which had been developed over the years were lost, but many came into the possession of people who realised their potential for sporting purposes ­— which was hugely popular in Bolton.

Highlights included in October 1996, when Bolton pigeon fanciers found themselves in a right royal flap when a particularly well bred bird winged itself way to the town to make a guest appearance.

The pigeon in question belonged to the queen. For one of Her Majesty's birds was among those up for sale at the Lancashire Central Homing's Club fundraising event.

The club, which until recently was based on Lower Bridgeman Street, Bolton, was fundraising to carry out much needed repairs.

About 39 pigeons were up for sale, many donated by club members ­— which come from around the country ­— or friends."

At the time member Tony Fletcher told The Bolton News: ""Not many people know about pigeon racing. Few for example, realise that the Queen races pigeons.

"She will be sending one of her birds to Bolton as a show of support for the sale.

"Most people don't even know that the pigeons we race are a breed apart from those seen regularly on the streets.

"These have pedigrees which go as far back as four or five generations. Street pigeons are vermin, but racing pigeons are most definitely not.

"The record amount paid for a racing pigeon is £110,000 and on average they sell for £20 to £30.

"Unfortunately, in recent times pigeons have been given a bad press from Jack Duckworth in Coronation Street. Until recently they were constantly referred to on the programme as vermin."

In December 1981, the biggest gathering of tipplers and tumblers Bolton had ever seen at the time gathered at the Parochial Hall, Markland Hill.

It was then the second annual show staged by Bolton-based Northern Counties Flying Tippler and the Flying Tumbler Society.

There were 668 birds entered by 54 exhibitors from all over Britain. And when the show was over, members had to team up to push cars from the snowbound car park!

Star of the show was Mel Brooker from Norwich. He won nine of the 16 trophies, including the Bolton Evening News Cup for best in the show.

For the uninitiated, tippers and tumblers get their names from their behaviour in flight when they tipple and tumble in mid air for no apparent reason. They are bred for showing and not for racing.

So popular was the sport, it was not a unusual to hear the sound of cooing on residential streets in Bolton, with pigeon fanciers keeping up to 60 pigeons in lofts.

Among those was David Robinson, who kept the birds at his Little Lever home.

Pigeon theft was not unheard of, with lofts being raised and prize birds being stolen.

Man has always found the homing instinct of the pigeon useful, and the birds have long been used as message carriers, even during the Second World War.

Pigeons were used by the Romans to carry military messages, the message being tied loosely to around the bird's neck.

It was a pigeon which brought news of the Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo.

The bird homed to the house of the famous bankers, Rothschild and the new it brought enabled them to make big gains on the stock market.

With the invention of the telegraph these businessman found the pigeon to be of no further advantage, so they disbanded the relay lofts and a flock of birds came onto the markets. Many of the birds, which had been developed over the years were lost, but many came into the possession of people who realised their potential for sporting purposes.