History of Market Place

Bolton Market Hall

Bolton Market Hall was designed by architect G. T. Robinson, and opened on 19 December 1855. Measuring 294 feet in length and covering an area of 7000 square yards it was said to be 'the largest covered market in the kingdom'. It cost £50000.

Development

A long procession led to the opening ceremony. To complement the produce stalls and boost custom, a fish market was built next to it which opened in 1865 at a cost of £30000.[3] The fish market was demolished in September 1932.

The market hall was modified in 1894 and further alterations were carried out at the turn of the 20th century. In 1938 the interior layout changed with roofed stalls in tightly packed islands replacing the long rows of stalls and in 1982 a competition brief to redevelop the site immediately to the north of the market hall into a shopping centre was won by Chapman Taylor Partners. In 1985 Grosvenor Developments took over the Market Place project from Wimpey Property Holdings.

More Development

The hall was refurbished in the 1980s to become the Market Place Shopping Centre and was opened in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II.

A more recent multi-million Pound re-development has transformed the vaulted basement of the old market which dates back to 1855 into 30,000 Sq. Ft of new restaurant space, sympathetically restored retaining many of its original features.

The Vaults & Cinema

A new 4th floor has been created to include a 9 screen cinema, turning Market Place Bolton into a dynamic Retail and leisure environment for people of all ages to enjoy.