Despite its old name of Bolton-le-Moors, the history of Bolton is tied up with the Industrial Revolution. Its population grew from 17,000 inhabitants in 1801 to nearly 181,000 in 1911. It is well known that the damp climate of England's north west was perfectly suited to the textile industry, and the area's ties with the great and even the good of industry could not be tighter. A walk around the centre of Bolton whether on foot or by the wonders of virtual technology in the form of Google Streetview reveals much about the town's aspirations in the 1870s, with its twin landmarks of the parish church and the town hall.

Bolton's medieval church was demolished in 1866. The Parish Church of St Peter was consecrated in 1871, having been built on the same site in a Victorian Gothic style (refined Early English with some good decorated window tracery). The...