Where We Meet
Meetings are held at the Bolton Golf Club, [first floor].
The Bolton FHS members are a friendly group who are happy to welcome visitors [£5 entrance fee, refunded if you join the Society on the night] and ALL members of the MLFHS to their monthly meetings, which are usually at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday of the month, and are held in the
[first floor] Bolton Golf Club,
Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL6 4AJ
Tea/Coffee [£1] and a bar are available from 7.00pm and the talk commences at 7.30pm.
See our Meetings page for details of the next meeting.
Bolton's Heritage
Bolton's Cotton Industry
Bolton's growth in the manufacturing industry was mainly due to its extensive involvement in the processing of cotton.
Bolton had a good source of natural free flowing water, which cotton manufacturers utilised to power their mills and wash the cotton, though the process became more mechanised later on using steam power and the 'spinning mule', invented by Bolton born Samuel Crompton.
The Bolton cotton industry production was boosted significantly by technological investment. Three major investments were significant:
- The establishment of the Ashworth Mill (further enhanced by Samuel Crompton’s spinning mule).
- The introduction of the Peter Drinkwater Mill in 1780, which used a steam engine in 1789.
- The development of the power loom by Edmund Cartwright followed by the dressing frame by William Radcliffe in 1803, which enabled power looms to operate continuously.
In 1929 there were 247 cotton mills in the borough and in 2009 a study revealed that 108 had survived in some form.