A FASCINATING new exhibition will tell the story of Smithills Hall through the ages and of the people who lived and worked there.

The Bolton historic hall has been the centre of local life for more than 700 years.

Now thanks to the Friends of Smithills Hall, visitors can journey back in time and see what life was like behind the doors of the grand hall.

The exhibition will introduce visitors to some of the powerful families who owned the house and estate over the centuries — and the servants who worked there.

It will also include a new interactive family trail with puzzles and word searches.

Cllr John Byrne, Bolton Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Youth and Sport, said: “We’re very fortunate to have such a wonderful asset like Smithills Hall in Bolton and even more fortunate to have the support of the Friends of Smithills Hall, who volunteer their time to ensure the history of the hall stays alive.

“We’ve worked closely with the Friends group to create a new, permanent exhibition which documents the lives, loves and work of those families who have been involved with the building over the past 700 or so years.

"The hall has a fascinating history which will appeal to all ages and it’s certainly worth a visit.”

Visitors can find out about the first owners of the hall, an influential, aristocratic family called the Radcliffes.

David Williams, Chairman of Friends of Smithills Hall, said: “The Friends of Smithills Hall have worked in partnership with Bolton Library and Museum Services to create the new family friendly exhibition.

"We hope that it entices people to visit and experience the rich history that the hall has to offer as well as finding out more about the Friends of Smithills Hall.”

Highlights include The Servants’ Corridor, which introduces visitors to the servants who lived and worked in the house in the late 1800s.

The Shuttleworth Accounts highlight the wonderfully evocative accounts kept by the brothers whom owned and managed the hall in the late 1500s, Richard and Thomas Shuttleworth.

Here visitors will learn about the weird and wonderful ways people used to earn a living, how local people reacted to the threatened invasion of England by the Spanish Armada, and what a wedding was like 1586-style.

Working Life will explore the hall’s connection to local industry.

When the Barton family owned the manor in the 1500s, the main industries were farming and weaving.

By the time Richard Shuttleworth became Lord of the Manor in 1582 the estate had its own mill.

Under the Ainsworths the hall became the centre of a hugely successful bleaching business.

The new exhibition will open on Thursday, (May 28) and will be a permanent fixture at the hall, in the Medieval Kitchen.

For more information visit www.friendsofsmithillshall.co.uk