A Guided Tour of Bolton in 1850

At the end of the 1840s the Ordnance Survey published a set of very large-scale maps of Bolton, showing the town centre and surrounding areas in extraordinary detail. The maps show, for example, every grate in the roads, the individual tracks of the railways, and the internal layout of many public buildings. They are extremely informative about a town which was in the throes of rapid and dramatic change. Some of these maps have recently been republished (by Alan Godfrey Ltd) with a historical commentary by Dr Alan Crosby.

Tonight he takes us on a guided tour of Bolton in 1850, using the maps to find our way around and to highlight the appearance and character of the town 175 years ago.

Dr Alan Crosby - Freelance local and regional historian, writer, editor and lecturer, working mainly in Northwest England but with National and increasingly International connections. Lectured and taught for many Universities during the past 30 years, including Oxford, Liverpool, Manchester, Central Lancashire and Keele, while maintaining a strong connection worldwide of local and family history. Currently a Council member of the Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, Chetham Society, honorary research fellow at the Universities of Lancaster and Liverpool.