THIS fabulous building was called Little Bolton Hall and it stood above the River Tonge near Turner Bridge until it was demolished in 1960.

This was not, however, the original hall which was built in around 1300 and rebuilt by Stephen Blair in imitation Tudor-style on the opposite side of the river in 1862.

In 1907 Miss F Beatrice Blair, the niece of Stephen Blair, presented the hall and estate, including five cottages, to St John’s Church, to be used as a church institute and club and it would be known as St John’s Church House — Blair Institute.

In 1925 the Sumner Memorial Room was added which commemorated the service to the parish of the Rev S B Sumner who was vicar from 1895 to 1913.

Until 1939 the Church House was used for a variety of events associated with an active church, together with its adjoining bowling green and tennis court.

During the War it became a WVS centre and afterwards it reverted to its former purpose in a more subdued way as the home of the St John’s Men’s Club.

But as demolition took place throughout the area the social life of the former hall drained away and in 1958, after the building had been disused for two years, the parochial church council decided to sell it.

Presumably though there were no takers for this rather splendid looking and historic building because the hall was pulled down only a couple of years later.

Do you have memories of the Turner Bridge area?