Hall i’th’ Wood occupies a monumental place in Bolton’s identity — not only as a rare example of Tudor architecture, but as the birthplace for the cotton-weaving technology which would make Bolton a boomtown. Today – aside from signifying the iconic house, its surrounding neighbourhood, and even a train station – the name conjures memories of school trips familiar to anyone who attended primary school in Bolton. Samuel Crompton However, the Hall i’th’ Wood historic house museum remains closed over the short-term, as Bolton Council prepares a National Heritage Lottery Fund bid to help pay for essential maintenance at the Grade-I listed historic building.
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said the following: “We have been funded by Historic England to carry out surveys to begin to understand the condition of the building. “This programme of works is on target, and we are developing a longer-term project for submission to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This is a complex process that will take some time, as such, this is normal for projects of this scale and for buildings of this grading.
“In the interim, we will be involving the community through an engagement project, which we are currently seeking funding for.” First built in the early-16th century, the oldest part of Hall i’th’ Wood is a half-timbered house with a stone-flagged roof. Half-timber work is a method of building whereby walls are constructed using timber frames, and the spaces be.