Bolton's Industrial Heritage

Bolton was built on the cotton industry with, at its peak, over 200 mills in the town: the last closed in 2002 after a gradual decline throughout the twentieth century.

At the heart of the industrial revolution, Bolton attracted many and varied industries over the decades, such as brickmaking, coal mining, pottery pipes and sanitaryware, chemicals, cotton spinning, papermaking, wrought iron manufacture, leather tanning, locomotives and textile machinery, and the construction of horse-drawn vehicles, electric trams and early motor cars.

Bill Jones's comprehensive and well-illustrated book also includes information about the transport infrastructure that made all this industrial activity practicable, as well as essential public utilities - such as water, gas and electricity supplies.