BOLTON may not exactly be renowned for being at the centre of the motor manufacturing industry but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t produced vehicles for the road.

Tucked away in the Evening News archives are these two pictures from 1948 which show ambulances being hand-built by a company in Farnworth.

We think that the company in question was Levers and that the model of ambulance was, appropriately enough, called the Lancastrian.

The ambulance had a wooden frame constructed on to the chassis of possibly a Bedford truck.

Each ambulance was capable of transporting either one stretcher patient and four sitting patients plus a nurse or two stretcher patients plus ambulance crew. There was also room for two crew in the front cabin.

If you know anything more about Farnworth’s ambulances email john.anson@nqnw.co.uk