How Le Mans Crescent saved families from Great Depression

These pictures from the archive show what would become Le Mans Crescent taking shape.

As early as 1923, Bolton Council had decided to extend the Town Hall to the rear of the building and construct a new, crescent-shaped civic centre complex which would frame the design.

The new crescent would replace most of Spring Gardens and Howell Croft which was, at that time, a collection of run-down properties.

The extra building would provide a new home for the police station and courts (freeing up space in the old Town Hall) and also establish a purpose-built central library, art gallery and museum. Space was also allocated to the council’s expanding Public Health Department.

The scheme was designed by the Bolton architects, Bradshaw, Gass & Hope and work began in 1931

Eight years later the Earl of Derby officially opened the extensions although the library had moved to its new home from Victoria Square a year earlier.

During construction, around 800 men were employed on the project and it is widely credited with keeping many Bolton families above the poverty line during the Depression.

The Crescent was renamed in 1974 in honour of Bolton’s twin town and has also been awarded Grade II listed building statues.

It has become a regular sight on both TV and in the cinema featuring as a backdrop for many movies and series.

Only last week a new BBC drama series Ridley Road was being filmed there and just before lockdown in March Paddy McGuinness returned to his home town with the Top Gear team to film a special episode the motoring programme in which he and fellow presenters Chris Harris and Freddie Flintoff took part in their own version of the Le Mans 24-hour Endurance Race.

Eagle-eyed viewers will also have been able to see Le Mans Crescent feature prominently in the cult series Peaky Blinders, the comedy Cold Feet and even as Victorian London in Sherlock Holmes.