A symbol of the supposed prosperity of Victorian Bolton, Bolton Town Hall demands attention with its daunting spires, dwarfing the surrounding areas.
This blog post, informed by Boltonsmayors, will feature details of the history of Bolton Town Hall, along with its modern developments and a look into the future of the town hall.
With its bold and intimidating visage, it’s a little hard to imagine that Bolton Town Hall is only approximately 150 years old. In the first half of the nineteenth century, Bolton was split between the two districts: Little Bolton and Great Bolton. The increasing importance of Bolton, along with the slow democratisation of Britain led to increasing calls for reform (Boltonsmayors, 2025).
As the new Bolton council expanded upon the merging of the two districts, James Rawsthorne Wolfenden (Mayor of Bolton, 1861-1863) felt that Bolton needed a substantial town hall. In an example of out-of-touch spending, the £54,000 design submitted by William Leeds was the plan that ultimately went forward. Accounting for inflation, the price is staggering at over £5 million, with an extra £750,000 being added with the addition of the spires. Overall, the building stands at 198 feet tall, serving as a testament to excessiveness.
The Bolton Town Hall was finally opened on Thursday 5th, June 1873, fit with a grandiose opening ceremony, attended by approximately 150,000 people, including the Prince and Princess of Wales. After six long years, the council finally had a town hall big enough to fit their egos.
The tympanum was of such vital importance that Scottish sculptor, William Calder Marshall, known for his work on the Albert Memorial in London, was commissioned to design it. According to him, the tympanum represents Bolton itself, with a black child bearing cotton, a figure representing Earth, and a figure representing ‘manufacturing’ on the right of Bolton. On the left, a boy holding a boat with a bow, a figure representing ‘ocean’ and a figure representing ‘commerce’ presides.
As expensive as it is, the building comes with its uses. The original Albert Hall originally served as the defining place for social gatherings in Victorian times, with many events such as concerts and bazaars being held. The Albert Hall’s sheer vastness in its original form led to its slow decline, as the popularity of theatre waned. When a disastrous fire happened in 1981, the decision was made not to restore Albert Hall to its original structural integrity. The original Albert Hall was replaced with a small Festival Hall on the lower level, and a smaller Albert Hall on the top level.
By the time, the twentieth century had come around, municipal councils had become incredibly powerful in Britain. At the time, the council operated public transport, managed water, gas and electricity, and had its own police force and fire brigade, in addition to many other services. In 1923, a proposal was thought up to extend the Town Hall and build a crescent shaped complex that would provide a new home to the police and courts.
The proposal to extend the Town Hall was thought up by architects, Bradshaw, Gass and Hope. Lord Leverhulme offered to fund this extension, however the impracticality of his goals meant that the Council declined his funding. What followed was a repeat of the childish squabbling in the 1860s, only the illusion of prosperity had been lifted, and everybody was more so asking if they should, rather than if they could. A £570,000 contract was eventually settled on, with Richard Mosley taking on the behemoth task of extending Bolton Town Hall. Unfortunately, further delays occurred when Mosley passed away shortly after construction had begun (W.E. Brown, 1972).
Work on the extension finally began to bear fruit in 1931. Although, good jobs were provided to the Working Class in constructing the town hall, the cost went up to a staggering £1,000,000, which is now over £50 million when accounting for inflation (Readyhough, 1982). The question of whether this extension was worth it is one that is very debatable. On July 20th, 1939, the Earl of Derby opened the new Town Hall.
Due to its impressive neoclassical architecture, Bolton Town Hall has appeared in many pieces of media throughout the years. For example, The Family Way in 1966 featured a scene that was filmed at the Bolton Town Hall. There are a few differences between how the town hall was back then, compared to now, such as the addition of a gate in the modern town hall.
Today, Bolton Town Hall stands as a symbol of Victorian pomposity, an almost laughable contrast to its surroundings. To the average person, it could awe and inspire them, for there’s no denying the impressive architectural feat that Bolton Town Hall is. However, when I look at it, all I see is the divide between different social classes.
Bibliography
Anon. (1873) Bolton Town Hall. The Building News. [Online illustration] 13 June. Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bolton_Town_Hall_1873.jpg [Accessed: 28 March 2025].
Anon. (1873) Engraving of Bolton Town Hall.The Builder. [Online illustration] 7 June. Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bolton_Town_Hall_7_June_1873.jpg [Accessed: 28 March 2025].
Anon. (1873) The Opening of Bolton Town Hall. [Online photograph] 5 June. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Town_Hall_Bolton_1873_photograph.jpg [Accessed: 28 March 2025].
Boltonsmayors (2025) Once Upon a Town [Online] Available From: Bolton Town Hall – a short history of a tall building [Accessed: 20 March, 2025].
Brown, W.E., (1972) Bolton as it Was. Hendon Mill, Nelson, Lancs.
Linsdell, R. (2015) Bolton Town Hall, Victoria Square, Bolton. [Online photograph] Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bolton_Town_Hall,_Victoria_Square,_Bolton_%28506287%29_%2836969516595%29.jpg [Accessed: 28 March 2025].
Linsdell, R. (2015) Cheadle Square, Le Mans Cres, Bolton, Lancashire, England. [Online photograph] Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cheadle_Square,_Le_Mans_Cres,_Bolton_%28506276%29_%2836717864251%29.jpg [Accessed: 28 March 2025].
Readyhough, G. (1982) Bolton Town Centre: A Modern History: Deansgate, Victoria Square, Churchgate & Adjoining Areas from 1900 to 1982. Richardson Publishing.
Spender, H. Bolton Council (2012) Le Mans Crescent [Online] Available from: https://boltonworktown.co.uk/photograph/le-mans-crescent [Accessed: 21 March 2025].
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Singleton, Frank (1950) Tillotson’s 1850-1950: Centenary of a Family Business. Bolton: Tillotson & Son Ltd.
