Bradshawgate with Richard Moyles ladies outfitters on the near corner of Great Moor Street and the Balmoral Hotel on the far corner.

Crompton House in a later guise as Buffet King.

Picture posted on Facebook by Michael Lever.

A very large well stocked shop. This corner building was called Crompton House.

Then Revolution

and later a Chinese Restaurant



2003  not my picture - I cannot find out whose it is. Is it yours?

Of particular note in this picture is that Gregory and Porritts who originally had the white building have now expanded onto the site that was previously the Salvation Army Citadel.

Further away we can see the Mawdesley Street Sunday School building and on the left Bolton County Grammar School (the elephant school)

<<<<<This picture was posted on facebook by, and I imagine belongs to, Michael Snape.

We have a slightly clearer view of G&P and note that the new building on the site of the Savation Army Citadel mimics the old one with its points on the fascia roof line.

This seems to be the old shop. After the extension this part became the lighting department, but even before then they usually had lights in this window.

What a shop it was. You could get everything and anything in the hardware line. Nails and screws, counted out or weighed into paper packets - just the number you wanted - not having to buy far too many in sealed plastic; segs for your shoes (who remembers those?); bell pushes........

Picture posted on Facebook by Matt James.

Property of Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army Citadel on Great Moor Street just up from the Balmoral Hotel.

The SA started in Bolton in 1878.

Quite a lot of people will remember Lanzetter's jewellers and Skelton sewing machines.

2019 (C)WDC The Gregory and Porritt's site now has this building on it. Apparently it was being built as student accommodation by the man who owned Bury Football Club. You may be aware that Bury had difficulties paying players' wages - not only Bolton - so it seems he had money troubles and at least for the time being building has stopped.

May 2015 (C) WDC

From the right - Gregory and Porritts has now been demolished; Turkish Baths; Tax Office, now Army Careers Office, the high stone plaque says 1898; Chancery Lane; The Mawdesley Street Sunday School building which for many years was FADS but by 2015 had been disused for some time. It was demolished in 2016.

May 2019 (C)WDC

The Turkish Baths now dwarfed by the ex Tax Office and the unfinished Student flats.

To the right across Bradshawgate we see two more fairly recent additions to Bolton's architecture"; The Picturehouse Apartments on the Lido Cinema site and to its left The Cube, student accommodation later destroyed by fire.

May 2019 (C)WDC

Bolton Turkish Baths.is what is carved in the stonework below the bay window. It was opened in 1891 and seems to have been known originally as the Victoria Turkish Baths.

May 2015 (C)WDC

Note the Army Careers Office to the right the the narrow Chancery Lane. Mawdsley Street is at the left. The main subject is the Mawdsley Street Sunday School.

The ground floor has become an eyesore though the upper storeys appear to be in quite good repair.

It was the decorating shop FADS for many years. FADS has closed down at this point. To its left is "The 99p Shop" also no longer in business. This was another historic building which was not unattractive. The owners tried to sell it for a number of purposes over a few years but without success and it was demolished in 2016. It was within the Mawdsley Street conservation area.

May 2015 (C) WDC

Seen from Johnson Street with St Patrick's RC Church on the corner.

The Sunday School Building still looks a decent building but we have greenery growing from the side walls.

At the far left of the side wall level with the upstairs windows you might notice a plaque.

When FADS and the 99p shop were still functioning.

Great Moor Street, bus outside the Congregational School.  .WH 5402 specially polished!

Picture posted on Facebook by David Whenlock

We see all the buildings we have previously looked at including the Internal Revenue Office, Turkish Baths, Gregory and Porrits (original building) Salvation Army Citadel with Lanzetter's jewellers, and The Balmoral on the corner. Of course we also see the LIDO.

early 1950s

From the side of St Patrick’s, Johnson Street, (where the foot bridge across the railway junction from Trinity Street came out) we look across GMS and straight along Mawdesley Street, down to the Gas Offices on Hotel Street. We see the Congregational Church again and behind it the Mawdesley Street Institute.

probably 1920s

Mawdesley St viewed from alongside County Court building, looking into Acresfield with the gas office tower prominent towards the left. Exchange Street is left and right at the junction.

A gloomy old picture looking along Acresfield into Mawdesley Street with Great Moor Street at the end.

1957

Mawdesley Street on the left with the corner of the Congregational Church and the Congregational School looking in good repair and not yet turned into a shop. St Patrick’s RC church just visible on the right – probably no steeple, the end wall is Bolton County Grammar School. And of course The LIDO

we look across GMS and straight along Mawdesley Street, down to the Gas Offices on Hotel Street. We see the Congregational Church again and behind it the Mawdesley Street Institute.

(C) WDC A similar direction of view to the pictures above in August 1998,  from Johnson St across Gt Moor St into Mawdesley St,along to the Arndale (later Crompton Place and in 2021 about to be redeveloped). Not much changed from 1998 to 2021 except for the demolition of the Sunday School building (FADS)

Mawdsley Street looking towards Great Moor Street. County Court on the right. Acresfield is behind us.

Looking along Mawdesley Street to St Patrick’s Church where a new steeple is being erected.

Originally posted on Facebook by Angela Thompson.

Back to Great Moor Street and a fine picture of the Congregational Church which had been built.in 1870.

When Great Moor Street was widened in the 1920s the front of the church was chopped off and rebuilt further back. This picture is after the rebuilding with five windows on the side instead of the original seven.

March 1963

From a few yards further back into Johnson Street, remember the garage? The demolition of the Mawdsley Street Congregational Church

November 1959

We look down Great Moor Street towards the Lido. GMS Congregational Church is still in use. The rather nice buildings on this side of it were erected in the late 1920s when Great Moor Street was widened

David Whenlock picture

Splendid picture of a Bury bus. On the left you can see the concrete and glass structure which replaced the church but the school (tower above the back of the bus) will be with us for some years yet.

Picture posted on Facebook by Gene Watts

Great Moor Street looking towards Newport Street. These shops, typical of their time replaced the Congregational Church.

Note the rebuilt Wheatsheaf pub on the far corner of Newport Street and the Flash Street Mill chimney at the far left.

A David Whenlock picture dated 1927.

Great Moor Street is being widened.

The nearest building is the new block of shops west of the Congregational Church which is off picture on our left having already had its front moved back. Then on the corner of Great Moor Street and Newport Street, the Waller and Riley chemist has not yet been demolished

Note the Flash Street Mills chimney.

The tram is G for Great Lever.

1929 We now reach the corner with Newport Street.

The new building for Waller and Riley chemist is almost complete in its new alignment and the building with the Bovril advert will shortly be demolished.

The matching buildings to the left have not yet commenced building.

The Congregational Church is on its new alignment. It is possible to see the back (left hand end) of the roof so clearly we have five windows on the side, not seven.

1930 Great Moor Street has now been widened. The building on the corner was rebuilt with a rounded front to match the Wheatsheaf (Shannons was presumably built at about the same time) while it was still Waller and Riley. It became Timothy White’s and Taylors and then Boots and is still a chemists. Note the view down Great Moor Street, the LIDO has not yet been built.

I have been told that the round corners (also Oxford St / Knowsley St) were to facilitate trams turning the corner. Probably true, but a nice architectural feature anyway.

The chemist and Shannons (off the picture to the right) also matched the rounded front of the older Wheatsheaf Hotel (off the picture on the left).

Return to the Bradshawgate end of Great Moor Street so we can now look at the south-east side, The LIDO has not yet appeared.The main feature of the picture is the Bolton County Grammar School - previously the Municipal Secondary School and the Higher Grade School.

Built 1897 in red brick with terracotta dressings. Listed Grade II. The listing specifically includes the railings in front of and to the side the building.

A David Whenlock card.

County Grammar moved to Breightmet in 1966. The building was used for Sharples School before that was ready in approx 1973. At some point it was also an annex to the Art College.

It has been “The Old School Rooms” Apartments since c2000.

<<<< postcard dated 1910

St Patrick's Church has a steeple.

County Grammar School

Great Moor Street.

1998 (C)WDC

The County Grammar School building was an annex of the Technical College (Art College) when BCGS moved to Withins.

Johnson Street, bridge over the railway triangle across to Trinity Street.

Picture posted by Peter Haslam

Great Moor Street. We see the County Grammar School, St Patrick's Church with its new steeple, the New Zealand Chief hidden by the bus and Partington's cycle shop.

Notice the detail of the leaded window to the right.

The New Zealand Chief. 5 Great Moor Street..

Stephen Southern's picture.

A nice view of that whole block. Fairly recent, the Lido has been replaced, the New Zealand Chief has been replaced, but this is before the whole block was demolished for the new transport interchange.

Apart form the New Zealand chief replacement this was a block, not ancient but with some age, with no great architectural merit, but a pleasant view of a typical just out of town centre street. Pity it couldn't be kept.

March 1955

Great Moor Street up towards Newport Street.

Note the old Wheatsheaf pub on the far corner of Newport Street and the Flash Street Mill chimney. Olympus has not yet been rebuilt.That corner is .....ighton's bads and suitcases.

The odd looking blank wall at the end of the near block is Shannon's; the building is curved round the corner and when built in the 1920s perhaps anticipated further redevelopment in this direction.

There is a clock on a pole to the left of the bus shelter.

9 May 2013 (C) WDC

Great Moor Street. The block from Shannon's to (not including) St Patrick's Church is about to be demolished for the new transport interchange

Note how the curved Shannon's (at this time Cash Store) ends suddenly.

Same place but bringing into view the much maligned 1960s new shops. But to be honest, the view overall is quite easy on the eye.

Soon to be demolished. There had been suggestions that Shannon's might have survived matching the other round corners, chemist and Wheatsheaf.

Olympus had already been rebuilt on the near right corner (right edge of the picture) with a diagonal instead of rounded corner.

Looking down Newport Street through the Gateway into Bolton to Trinity Church - of course on a one way street out of Bolton.

Everything as far as the bridge is shortly to be demolished.