Bolton Oral History Project

This oral history project was funded by the Manpower Services Commission and sponsored by Bolton Metropolitan Borough. It ran from August 1981 to January 1983. During that time 170 life story interviews were recorded covering: childhood, school days, early working experiences, leisure activities, politics, and community life.

The men and women interviewed came from a wide range of backgrounds and their contributions provide a valuable insight into working and social life in the area since the turn of the twentieth century. The geographical area covered was the whole of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton.

The main themes in the collection include:

• Working life consisting of industries such as mills and textiles, coal mining, engineering, clog making, farming; and local companies including Edbros, Thomas Ryder & Sons, British Aerospace, Turner Bridge Works, De Havilland, Tyson’s, Rigby’s, Walker’s Tannery, Horwich Locomotive Works, Bessemer’s Forge, Hick Hargreaves, Bleachworks, Derby Ironworks, Dobson & Barlow; experiences of apprenticeships also feature.

war work at De Havilland in 1941; working with men; conditions and facilities there compared to mill

working as apprentice joiner at Tyson's; wages increased each birthday; indentures; treatment, only showed job once

Walkers Tannery; family worked there; terrible conditions; descriptions of jobs and working with hides

talk about her job in roller covering in a mill and how her mother had to pay for her to learn the job before she earned any wages

describes what it is like going down a pit and his role as maintenance engineer

how the Coal Board fitted bathrooms into the houses that were tied to the collieries

1. war work at De Havilland in 1941; working with men; conditions and facilities there compared to mill

3:36

2. working as apprentice joiner at Tyson's; wages increased each birthday; indentures; treatment, only showed job once

3:39

3. Walkers Tannery; family worked there; terrible conditions; descriptions of jobs and working with hides

4:31

4. talk about her job in roller covering in a mill and how her mother had to pay for her to learn the job before she earned any wages

2:31

5. describes what it is like going down a pit and his role as maintenance engineer

2:38

6. how the Coal Board fitted bathrooms into the houses that were tied to the collieries

1:50

• Politics including trade union involvement, strike action, local politics, Socialism, Communist Party, Labour Party, rise of fascism, the Blackshirts and later the National Front.

remembers the different political parties and organisations that would gather in the Town Hall Square on Saturday evenings including the Salvation Army and the Blackshirts

on how many in Astley Bridge were employed in local mills or the bleach works, her job in the bleach works, joining the union and benefits

on general interest in politics, voting, political parties and her father's politics

recalls the Blackshirts on the Town Hall Square and the Communist Party, comparisons with now [when interview was recorded in 1981]

1. remembers the different political parties and organisations that would gather in the Town Hall Square on Saturday evenings including the Salvation Army and the Blackshirts

1:39

2. on how many in Astley Bridge were employed in local mills or the bleach works, her job in the bleach works, joining the union and benefits

2:04

3. on general interest in politics, voting, political parties and her father's politics

1:22

4. recalls the Blackshirts on the Town Hall Square and the Communist Party, comparisons with now [when interview was recorded in 1981]

1:29

• Social history concerning poverty, pawnbroking, working class life, unemployment, workhouses and parish relief, World War I, 1926 General Strike, Depression, World War II.

talks about the Jarrow march, hunger, poverty and Queen Street Mission

experiences of working short time and being on the dole; the scheme to send unemployed to work on farms in Canada

recollections of the 1926 strike

’mashing’ knocking on along Bradshawgate, walking along and chatting up girls, a common and posh side of Bradshawgate; Tognarelli’s ice cream parlour

the hardships faced during their marriage when her husband lost his job, experiences of claiming dole

on their middle class upbringing and family church attendance

recalls shopping in Astley Bridge when she was younger

the May Queen procession to Col. Wilkinson's home and talk of the Sanatorium he built

1. talks about the Jarrow march, hunger, poverty and Queen Street Mission

1:37

2. experiences of working short time and being on the dole; the scheme to send unemployed to work on farms in Canada

2:26

3. recollections of the 1926 strike

2:17

4. ’mashing’ knocking on along Bradshawgate, walking along and chatting up girls, a common and posh side of Bradshawgate; Tognarelli’s ice cream parlour

1:25

5. the hardships faced during their marriage when her husband lost his job, experiences of claiming dole

2:21

6. on their middle class upbringing and family church attendance

1:48

7. recalls shopping in Astley Bridge when she was younger

2:34

8. the May Queen procession to Col. Wilkinson's home and talk of the Sanatorium he built

1:23

image: cassette tapes from Bolton Oral History Collection

audio: Mrs. Clifford shares her first impressions of Bolton after moving down from Edinburgh

This is one of the best-documented collections we have so far digitised. Most interviews come with a brief typescript summary as well as a full verbatim transcript. The summaries have been transferred into the British Library’s catalogue while the transcripts are available at Bolton Oral History Centre.

The full length interviews will be available at Bolton History Centre in due course. A selection of interviews will be published on the British Library website.

You can read the full descriptions online at the British Library’s Sound and Moving Image catalogue. The British Library collection reference is UAP014. The local reference is BOLTONOH.

Audio clips from this collection have been used with images from Bolton Libraries and Museums to create a post on Sport and Leisure in Bolton.