TRAVELLING up Radcliffe Road was an altogether more sedate affair in the 1800s.

"Horse buses" were a familiar sight in Bolton up until 1880, during which time they were run by a firm connected with the predecessors of the Manchester Carriage Co.

The buses were introduced in London in 1829 and were soon found to be more efficient than stage coaches, and by the 1840s had almost completely replaced them.

The Times published a list of "omnibus laws" designed to make travel more comfortable. These included instructions to passengers to keep political talk moderate, avoid "conceited airs" and "behave respectfully to females".

However, with the inception of horse-drawn trams in September 1880, the buses were gradually replaced.