Bolton Town Centre

Now I know that it's been said a few times on how shit the place is but as it was a glorious day, I decided to walk into town for a bit of exercise instead of using the car and to get the train in to Manchester.

Everything was pretty much fine until I got to Bridge street facing where Woolies used to be (I think Waterstones used to be there & now Enteistle Green) and it absolutely fucking stinks of piss where I am assuming it's some of the late night revellers urinating there along with some homeless sleeping and begging there.

Cutting through to Victoria square there are a countless number of oddballs, buskers and the like and then you get to the strip towards where the elephants used to be facing Newport street where they are renovating all the shop fronts.

Renovating the town is great as its been in need of this for a long time but apart from cladding the shop fronts or whatever, all I have seen them do on the pedestrianised zone is pull up all the fucking bins, benches for folk to sit on and they have removed all the trees and simply filled in all the holes with Tarmac.

It looks absolutely shite, thank god for that new bus terminal that isn't far off being finished as so far it is looking pretty decent.

We should ask the EU for funding to regenerate it, I'll put it forwards to Nigel, well we haven't come out just yet have we?

Worth a try.

karlypants wrote:Now I know that it's been said a few times on how shit the place is but as it was a glorious day, I decided to walk into town for a bit of exercise instead of using the car and to get the train in to Manchester.

Everything was pretty much fine until I got to Bridge street facing where Woolies used to be (I think Waterstones used to be there & now Enteistle Green) and it absolutely fucking stinks of piss where I am assuming it's some of the late night revellers urinating there along with some homeless sleeping and begging there.

Cutting through to Victoria square there are a countless number of oddballs, buskers and the like and then you get to the strip towards where the elephants used to be facing Newport street where they are renovating all the shop fronts.

Renovating the town is great as its been in need of this for a long time but apart from cladding the shop fronts or whatever, all I have seen them do on the pedestrianised zone is pull up all the fucking bins, benches for folk to sit on and they have removed all the trees and simply filled in all the holes with Tarmac.

It looks absolutely shite, thank god for that new bus terminal that isn't far off being finished as so far it is looking pretty decent.

So the best thing about Bolton town centre is it has a decent way of getting out of it.

DEANO82 wrote:

karlypants wrote:Now I know that it's been said a few times on how shit the place is but as it was a glorious day, I decided to walk into town for a bit of exercise instead of using the car and to get the train in to Manchester.

Everything was pretty much fine until I got to Bridge street facing where Woolies used to be (I think Waterstones used to be there & now Enteistle Green) and it absolutely fucking stinks of piss where I am assuming it's some of the late night revellers urinating there along with some homeless sleeping and begging there.

Cutting through to Victoria square there are a countless number of oddballs, buskers and the like and then you get to the strip towards where the elephants used to be facing Newport street where they are renovating all the shop fronts.

Renovating the town is great as its been in need of this for a long time but apart from cladding the shop fronts or whatever, all I have seen them do on the pedestrianised zone is pull up all the fucking bins, benches for folk to sit on and they have removed all the trees and simply filled in all the holes with Tarmac.

It looks absolutely shite, thank god for that new bus terminal that isn't far off being finished as so far it is looking pretty decent.

So the best thing about Bolton town centre is it has a decent way of getting out of it.

Easily

Sounds as though long gone are the days when they used the town to make films then, (thinking of Alfie)

Was also used as the lead in for Coronation Street some years ago as well

I believe it's in the running for the making of Armegedon

whatsgoingon wrote:I believe it's in the running for the making of Armegedon

Can you stop dissing my town

They filmed a scene at back ot Town Hall for Peaky Blinders season 2. Blink and you miss it tho.

gloswhite wrote:Sounds as though long gone are the days when they used the town to make films then, (thinking of Alfie)

The Family Way and Spring and Port Wine were both shot in Bolton.

I would have thought ALFIE was all done in London.

James Mason stayed at The Last Drop for the filming of Spring and Port Wine.

When asked what he thought of the The Last Drop he replied " a typical Hick Town joint".

That always amused me.

This was when the height of sophistication in Bolton was brandy and babycham and chicken and chips in the basket.

Not sure what it is now?

Does anybody know what went wrong at Smithills Coaching House?

It was always a busy bustling place back in the 60's and 70's.

I see it's been converted into some very nice homes now.

Cajunboy wrote:Does anybody know what went wrong at Smithills Coaching House?

It was always a busy bustling place back in the 60's and 70's.

I see it's been converted into some very nice homes now.

Wasn't Cliff Morris a director or something?

I will say no more.

Joking aside, I don't think the place really moved with the times to be honest.

karlypants wrote:Wasn't Cliff Morris a director or something?

I will say no more.

Joking aside, I don't think the place really moved with the times to be honest.

It's funny you saying that because when I went to the food festival I stopped on the way back to the car in the bar in the vaults for a drink.
I was talking to a couple who I bumped into in there and he was a chef at Smithill's and he was saying exactly that, right up till it closing it was still busy at weekends but they didn't do anything other than food.
If like the last drop they'd opened bars and put seating outside then people would have gone there for drinks or stayed after they'd eaten for drinks.
I used to work there cleaning pots when I was about 13 and it was a cracking place and a real loss.

Cajunboy wrote:

gloswhite wrote:Sounds as though long gone are the days when they used the town to make films then, (thinking of Alfie)

The Family Way and Spring and Port Wine were both shot in Bolton.

I would have thought ALFIE was all done in London.

No, I remember one scene where they were talking, and the town hall was used as the backdrop. It was big news in them days, having Jane Asher and Michael Caine in town.

whatsgoingon wrote:

karlypants wrote:Wasn't Cliff Morris a director or something?

I will say no more.

Joking aside, I don't think the place really moved with the times to be honest.

It's funny you saying that because when I went to the food festival I stopped on the way back to the car in the bar in the vaults for a drink.
I was talking to a couple who I bumped into in there and he was a chef at Smithill's and he was saying exactly that, right up till it closing it was still busy at weekends but they didn't do anything other than food.
If like the last drop they'd opened bars and put seating outside then people would have gone there for drinks or stayed after they'd eaten for drinks.
I used to work there cleaning pots when I was about 13 and it was a cracking place and a real loss.

I didn't know the Last Drop had shut until I went for a lunchtime meal one weekday and discovered it empty. Sad really.

whatsgoingon wrote:

karlypants wrote:Wasn't Cliff Morris a director or something?

I will say no more.

Joking aside, I don't think the place really moved with the times to be honest.

It's funny you saying that because when I went to the food festival I stopped on the way back to the car in the bar in the vaults for a drink.
I was talking to a couple who I bumped into in there and he was a chef at Smithill's and he was saying exactly that, right up till it closing it was still busy at weekends but they didn't do anything other than food.
If like the last drop they'd opened bars and put seating outside then people would have gone there for drinks or stayed after they'd eaten for drinks.
I used to work there cleaning pots when I was about 13 and it was a cracking place and a real loss.

Did you live near by, I knew that area very well back in the 60's.

Cajunboy wrote:Does anybody know what went wrong at Smithills Coaching House?

It was always a busy bustling place back in the 60's and 70's.

I see it's been converted into some very nice homes now.

 don't get me started on that place, i'm glad it went down the pan. My Mum worked as a waitress there for probably 20 years and they treated her appallingly at the end. 

They kept cutting her shifts to the bare minimum to try and force her to leave and it worked. They had been cutting staff for years ane making the other staff take on their duties and the place still never made any money in the last few years of it being open

Int it funny that Bolton, which has a growing population, is losing all these long established eateries and places of interest, both in the town centre and the surrounding area. This town is (or was) a major north west magnet for people both in and out of the area. 
What a bloody shame what has happened to it. 
Other towns are booming, yet Bolton has been slowly dying for years now, and nothing has been done to address the slide.

Cajunboy wrote:

whatsgoingon wrote:

karlypants wrote:Wasn't Cliff Morris a director or something?

I will say no more.

Joking aside, I don't think the place really moved with the times to be honest.

It's funny you saying that because when I went to the food festival I stopped on the way back to the car in the bar in the vaults for a drink.
I was talking to a couple who I bumped into in there and he was a chef at Smithill's and he was saying exactly that, right up till it closing it was still busy at weekends but they didn't do anything other than food.
If like the last drop they'd opened bars and put seating outside then people would have gone there for drinks or stayed after they'd eaten for drinks.
I used to work there cleaning pots when I was about 13 and it was a cracking place and a real loss.

Did you live near by, I knew that area very well back in the 60's.

No Bromley Cross I used to cycle up, and I'd like you to know it was the mid 70s when I worked there.
I'm old but not that old