Bolton

Bolton is a metropolitan district in Greater Manchester, in North West England. The borough includes Bolton town plus Horwich, Farnworth, Westhoughton, Kearsley and Blackrod, and reaches into the West Pennine Moors with a mix of built-up areas, farmland and upland reservoirs. The River Croal and smaller tributaries run through the town centre, and the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal corridor marks part of the district’s industrial-era layout. Local governance is by Bolton Council and the area sits at the junction of the M61 and regional rail routes into Manchester.

Industry shaped much of Bolton’s fabric: textile mills and engineering works clustered along river valleys and railway lines. Horwich hosted a large locomotive works; that site and nearby land now accommodate retail, leisure and the stadium for Bolton Wanderers. Cultural institutions include Bolton Museum with archaeology and local history holdings, and the Octagon Theatre in the town centre. Smithills Hall, a moated manor house with medieval origins, sits on the borough’s northern edge and is part of the district’s long historical record.