By Tim Lambert

Early Bolton

1251 The village of Bolton is made into a town. Bolton is given a charter and is allowed to hold markets and an annual fair.

1516 Bolton Grammar School is founded. Bolton is a thriving little town.

1623 Bolton is struck by plague

1643 During the Civil War the royalists try to capture Bolton but they are beaten off

1644 The royalists are beaten off again in February but in May they capture Bolton

mid-17th Century Bolton has a population of about 2,000. It is described as a fair, well-built town with broad streets.

1773 The population of Bolton is 5,339

c 1780 The cotton industry in Bolton booms

1792 A body of men called Improvement Commissioners is formed to pave, clean and light the streets

19th Century Bolton

1801 The population of Bolton is 17,416

1819 The streets of Bolton are lit by gas

1824 A water company is formed in Bolton

1838 Bolton is made a borough

1843 A railway to Preston opens

1853 The first public library opens in Bolton

1866 Queens Park opens

1873 The Town Hall opens

1880 Horse drawn trams begin running in the streets of Bolton

1883 The Royal Infirmary opens

1894 Bolton gains an electricity supply

1900 Electric trams begin running in Bolton

Modern Bolton

1901 The population of Bolton is 168,000

1910 The first cinema in Bolton opens

1916 A Zeppelin raid kills 13 people in Bolton

1920s The cotton industry in Bolton begins a long, slow decline

1941 A bombing raid kills 11 people in Bolton

1947 The last tram in Bolton runs

1967 The Octagon Theatre opens

1971 Crompton Place Shopping Centre opens

1988 Market Place Shopping Centre opens

1997 Reebok Stadium opens

A History of Bolton

A Timeline of Manchester

A Timeline of Warrington

A Timeline of Stockport

A Timeline of Lancaster

A Timeline of Liverpool