Bolton, a town in Greater Manchester, offers a surprising array of attractions including a free aquarium with Brazilian stingrays, streets used as film sets for TV shows like Peaky Blinders, and historic pasty shops dating back to 1898. During a recent visit, tourism writer Liv Clarke explored these highlights and more.
Aquarium and Museum
The Bolton Art Gallery, Library and Museum houses Greater Manchester's only public aquarium, which opened in January 1941. It features over 70 varieties of fish, including piranhas from South America, glass catfish from Malaysia, and neon tetras from Peru. The star attractions are spotted freshwater stingrays from northern Brazil, with both adults and pups bred during the 2020-2021 lockdown.
Upstairs, the museum boasts an extensive Egyptology collection with around 12,000 objects, including a mummy known as the Unknown Man, who died approximately 3,250 years ago. The local history gallery covers the Mass Observation project, which ran from 1937 to the 1960s and nicknamed Bolton 'Worktown'. A quirky 'Unpacked' room displays random artefacts like a dentist's chair and a Peruvian mummy.
Pasty Shops
Bolton is famous for its pasties. Carrs Pasties, founded in 1937, offers flavours like cheese and jalapeno, sausage rolls, and raspberry and white chocolate pasties. Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe, in a building dating to 1667, has been a bakery since 1898, serving meat and potato pasties, meat pies, and Maid of Honour tarts.
Film Sets and Architecture
Le Mans Crescent, the former police station and courtrooms, has served as a backdrop for TV shows including It's a Sin, Peaky Blinders, and Coronation Street. The town hall features neoclassical columns and a baroque-style clocktower. A golden postbox commemorates Sir Jason Kenny's gold medal in the 2012 Olympics.
Historic Pubs and Models
Ye Olde Man & Scythe, one of Britain's ten oldest pubs, dates back to a 1251 charter. Local artist Verona Medhurst created miniature models of iconic buildings, including Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe and Fred Dibnah's house, displayed in windows near the town hall.
According to Clarke, "It may not be at the top of people's list of places to visit, but it certainly packs a punch when it comes to history and culture - and the best part is it's free."
