It's a distinctive landmark and can be seen from across Bolton . To mark national Heritage Week, Bolton Parish Church staged tower tours. The church, which dates back to 1870, is the fourth to be built on the site and covered the former parish of Bolton-Le-Moors, so-called because of the moorland which surrounds the town.
It is Grade II* listed and although its resplendent hall is magnificent, one of its greatest facets is its tower - standing at 55 metres or 180 feet high, it is the tallest of any parish church in the ceremonial county of Lancashire. The roof offers commanding views of Bolton and beyond and inside are 12 bells, which are often heard ringing throughout the town. Bellringers Angie Foster, left, and Linda Mort, right, with happy attendees (Image: Newsquest) Over the past weekends, people were offered a glimpse behind the curtain to see how the bells work and take in the glorious views as part of Heritage Week .
Luckily, the weather held up. There were three scheduled tours, at 10am, 11.30am and 2pm, but there was so much demand for the latter that bell ringers had to put on another tour at 3pm.
The tour showcases the bellringing room, and the rooftop - although attendees will have to scale the thick end of 200 tight spiral steps in order to get there! Bell ringers demonstrating (Image: Newsquest) First stop was the bellringing room , only the 50 steps up, where bell ringers gave a demonstration of how it is done - by pulling on 80-foot ropes, which make the bel.