Bolton pub being pulled down so another pub could expand

The last days of a pub with a fascinating history are captured in this great photograph from December 1949. Nelson Square, Bolton , 1949 (Picture: Newsquest) Demolition was underway of the Lever’s Arms Hotel on Nelson Square with the slates being removed from the roof. The pub was coming down, ironically so that another hotel - the Pack Horse - could expand.

Originally built around 1826 as a townhouse for surgeon, it was believed to be the only house built in Bolton that year, the local economy was in such a poor state. By 1830, the premises had been divided into two - the Lever's Arms occupying one half and the court the other. The pub soon got the nickname of The Cock and Trumpet based on the emblems on the Lever families’ crest.

In the post war years, Magee’s Brewery bought the properties between the Pack Horse and the Lever’s Arms with the aim of making the Pack Horse the town’s largest hotel and the Lever’s Arms fate was sealed. The extended Pack Horse Hotel was opened in August 1952. Part of the pub would later become the Regency Lounge, a cafe and an Italian restaurant .

Northern Monkey brewpub opened on the site of the Lever’s Arms in 2018..