From the Evening News, November 1, 1976

25 YEARS AGO

THE hard-pressed motorist will have lost another 24 car parking spaces in the area of Bolton Town Hall by this weekend. Engineering workers were today putting the finishing touches to double yellow lines and no parking signs in Le Mans Crescent.

But the restrictions has brought protests from motorists circling to find places to park. Mr Harry Hibbert, Director of Engineering, said the new regulations would leave 84 car parking spaces in the Town Hall area.

A DECISION to axe porters from Bolton's Trinity Street station will lead to hardship among elderly and disabled passengers and a lower standard of service, claim railmen. The station's five porters are to be given alternative work from November 15 in a review of staffing levels. The move, which management says follows a drop in passengers using the station, is designed to cut costs.

Nov 1

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, November 1, 1951

AN appeal for iron railings and gates to be put back round Farnworth Central Park as they were before the war was made by the Mayor (Counc. G.H. Wilson) at last night's council meeting. Commenting on reports that young people were running wild in the park every night after dark, Counc. Wilson expressed concern at the threat that the recently opened Garden of Remembrance would soon become desecrated, rather than a consecrated, piece of ground. "The park is not a playground for hooligans," he said. Chairman of the Parks Committee, Counc. R. Neary, suggested that it was a lack of civic pride which was responsible to hooliganism.

Nov 1

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, November 1, 1876

AT the Privy Council held by the Queen at Balmoral, on October 23rd., a district was legally assigned to St Luke's Parish, Bolton, by an order from Council. It has been duly gazetted, so that in due course a parish will be formed under Lord Blandford's Act. Among other advantages the church will be open for the solemnization of marriages as well as all other ministrations. The parish is formed partly from St Peter's, Halliwell, and partly from St George's, Bolton. The boundary will be found by starting from a point near Doffcocker Brow, down the Chorley Old-road to Whitaker's mill, then down to Vallet's buildings, following the brook behind Lodge Vale and through Mortfield bleachworks in Gaskell-street, and up Chorley Old-road to Park-street, thence into Chorley New-road and up the middle of that to the Parliamentary boundary stone near the gate house to Halliwell Lodge. From there it takes a zig-zag line as the fields to the footpath leading from Brooklands to St Peter's and following it to Chorley Old-road. The population is at present about 2,400 and is rapidly increasing. The church has accommodation for 500, and the seats are free. The Rev. J.H. Gibbon was appointed as the first incumbent after the consecration in December, 1874.