Bolton Town Hall's 150th anniversary exhibition opens

This year marks 150 years of the building of the civic building, which is used as a backdrop in films and TV series.

Celebrations to mark the very special anniversary got underway earlier this year with a visit by His Majesty King Charles III.

The exhibiton is on show at Bolton Museum and as well as charting its history, from its construction to its role in the borough today, there are some amazing items on display, including Bram Stoker's signature in the visitor's book. (seen below in a picture by Henry Lisowski)

Many of the exhibits have never been on show before. 

There is a treasure trove of Bolton's silverware as well as original plans and drawings.

And this exhibition is not just for adults, children can have fun dressing up and be able to get hands on to explore the town hall's fascinating history.

To complement the exhibition, which runs until October 1, tours of the town hall will also take place.

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Bolton Town Hall exhibition (Image: NQ)

Bolton Council Leader, Nick Peel, spoke at the opening of the exhibition, he said: “The Town Hall was officially opened on Thursday June 5, 1873, by the Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VII and his wife Princess Alexandra.

“At the time Bolton Town Hall was big in scale, confident, a true statement of civic pride and a reminder that Bolton is important as a cotton manufacturing town, it was also at the time the most expensive town hall in the country until Manchester Town Hall was completed a few years later.

Picutre by Henry Lisowski (Image: Henry Lisowski)

“To this day it has proven to be worth its weight in gold to our town.

“There is a new administration in Bolton and one of the things I really want to do is put culture and heritage back in the centre of some of the things we do.

Bolton Town Hall exhibition (Image: NQ)

“We have had issues with the town centre, a lot of areas of the town have declined but one of the things that hasn’t declined is the cultural offer, in fact it has improved.

“We have an amazing theatre, amazing museum and library that is currently undergoing refurbishment, Egyptology, and we have lots of amateur theatre groups and this leads to Bolton being an excellent reputation for putting on events like the Food and Drink Festival and the Ironman and so because of our wonderful heritage, the Town Hall, Le Mans Crescent, and the nearby countryside.

“We really need to put culture and heritage firmly on the agenda because this is one our unique standing points as a town.”

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Cllr Nadeem Ayub, Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, said the exhibition is ‘absolutely amazing’.

He said: “I think the exhibition is absolutely fantastic.

Picture by Henry Lisowski (Image: Henry Lisowski)

“Just to get the 150th anniversary there, the history of it, its absolutely amazing and to let young people know the history of Bolton and the Town Hall and how it has developed over the years.

“It is great to see the whole history, the way it is described, and we have just been on a tour of this, and it is absolutely amazing.

Picture Henry Lisowski (Image: Henry Lisowski)

“I think the people of Bolton will appreciate this and especially the young people and the elderly people will already appreciate it and even if they don’t know about the history, they can learn about it here.

“For the youth of today it helps them to learn about the history of the people who sacrificed for us to be in the place we are today.”

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @chloewjourno.