Faces of Bolton

Bolton was the centre of the Lancashire cotton industry, and experienced rapid expansion and population growth in the nineteenth century. The twentieth century saw the town coming to terms with this growth and the inevitable changes. Today it is less industrialised and hard-edged; an altogether much greener and cleaner place.

Local photographers Ray Jefferson and Jeff Layer know Bolton's ginnels, streets and squares, as well as its attractive moorland setting. Charged with capturing the essence of the town, they have turned their cameras on its inhabitants, the people who make Bolton what it is today. These are the people you'll find in these pages - the shopkeepers, schoolteachers, businessmen and women, nurses, musicians, restuarant owners, politicians, theatre and sportspeople, all of them taking pleasure in being a part of this Lancashire town and sharing their stories.