THE head of the NW museum which was planning to display two of Bolton's most prized historic treasures has said it was never the intention to permanently take them away from the town.

Dr Patrick Greene, Director of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester had set aside space to display Samuel Crompton's Mule and James Hargreaves' Spinning Jenny in the new "Making Textiles" gallery.

But he said he was shocked at the furore the proposal aroused in Bolton.

"It was never our intention to permanently deprive the people of Bolton of these two machines," said Dr Greene.

"Rather, we were offering to house the machines for an interim period. No-one would be more pleased than us if a permanent home could be found where these two machines could be displayed in Bolton. "But our understanding of the situation was that for two years the machines had been kept in storage and the exhibition we are staging was seen as a perfect vehicle for properly displaying these two items."

Now, in a bid to address the concerns expressed by numerous individuals and historical societies, Dr Greene has written to the leader of Bolton Council Cllr Bob Howarth and the chairman of the Arts Sub Committee Cllr Don Eastwood. Cllr Eastwood was one of the councillors who supported Bolton Museum's efforts to loan the machines to Manchester and other machinery to the Helmshore Textile Museum at Rossendale.

As reported in the BEN, the decision to loan the machines for a minimum five year period has now been overturned by the full council and the matter will be re-submitted to the next cycle of committee meetings. "It was our intention all along to encourage people to take an active interest in Bolton's links with the textile industry and indeed develop such an interest so people might actually visit the town and the home of Samuel Crompton himself," said Dr Greene.

"Obviously if a site in Bolton can now be found that is very good news indeed. But these machines will be far more accessible to people if they are put in public display rather than being locked away in a storage room as they have been for two years."

The Making Textiles gallery which will cover 1,200 square metres will feature a large collection of working machinery which will be demonstrated daily, visitors will be encouraged to handle different fibres and fabrics. The experience will be enriched using sounds and smells of the time.

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