ONE of Bolton's most prized historic treasures opens its doors to the public this week.

Hall i'th' Wood, the home of Samuel Crompton which has undergone a major restoration programme, officially re-opens on Wednesday.

During the past 12 months the 15th century building has been extensively refurbished at a cost of £450,000.

The project has been financed by a substantial grant from English Heritage and funds provided by Bolton Council.

Most of the furniture and some of the paintings have been restored with grant aid from the North West Museums Service in Blackburn.

Cllr Don Eastwood, Bolton's education and arts chairman, said: "Hall i'th' Wood is an important part of Bolton's industrial past, a key link with yesterday.

"Crompton's invention of the spinning mule revolutionised the cotton industry and the restoration of his home is a historical attraction of which Bolton can be proud."

The Grade I listed hall dates from around 1483 and Crompton put the finishing touches to the Mule in one of the upper rooms in 1779.

A previous restoration of the building was carried out at the end of the 19th century when the first Lord Leverhulme saved it from dereliction.

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