Reviving its cultural identity

The North West is having a cultural revival, with cities receiving funding to help celebrate their roots. As Karen Spibey explains, Bolton will be one of the first to embrace their heritage as a power house of the industrial revolution

The North West is currently experiencing a significant boost in regeneration and business development. Now this growth is to be extened to the cultural growth of the region as well. As part of the North West Development Agency's Raising The Game programme, the quality, ambition and profile of six leading museums and galleries is being raised to attract more tourists to the region. And thanks to funding from the North West Development Agency (NWDA), Renaissance North West and its city council, Bolton will be one to benefit.

Thanks to the programme the Bolton Museum, Aquarium and Archive will undergo a major refurbishment with the intention to strengthen the city’s cultural identity. The redesign will be used to highlight the importance of the town’s most famous invention. Samuel Crompton’s Spinning Mule revolutionized the British cotton industry in the 1800s and the impact of this invention will feature as part of a new permanent gallery being created in the museum.

The main gallery closed to the public in January and the £500,000 project is expected to take approximately 10 months to complete and a grand re-opening is billed for winter of this year. In this time parts of the museum will receive a radical face lift, while the archives, aquarium and smaller galleries stay open to the public.

“Industrial heritage is one of the North West's unique assets, and Bolton Museum will be working with other regional museums to make the most of this Industrial Powerhouse story,”  Nick Brooks-Sykes, Director of Tourism at the NWDA said. “Bolton Museum is a great attraction and this is an opportunity to enhance its fantastic tourism offer.”

Executive member for Adult and Community Services, Councilor Elaine Sherrington said: “We are very fortunate in Bolton to have an already outstanding museum facility. However, we are delighted to be able to take up this opportunity to develop and improve the attraction further.

The new gallery will be divided into three sections, looking at industrialisation and the impact of the invention of the Spinning Mule; the subsequent developments in Bolton since the textile industry declined; and the lives of Boltonians past and present to represent the passage of the city’s fortunes.

Key improvements will also be made to bring the building up-to-date. A new lift is being installed, lighting improved, restoration of the original flooring is being performed and the exhibit display cabinets are being renovated. In all, these improvements will give Boltonians present a fantastic showcase for the city's rich heritage. 

“Thanks to a significant amount of external funding and investment from the council, we will be able to offer an enviable local history gallery charting the impact of industrialisation on Bolton and beyond,” Councillor Sherrington added.

With other cities in the North West set to receive similar improvements to their cultural locations and centre points, the sense of civic pride in the region will receive the same boost as development has in recent years.