HISTORY shows that Bolton's Back o' th' Bank power station was switched off 25 years ago today - on March 16, 1979.

Important guests gathered and the 64-year-old station ended its useful life.

But I can reveal - somewhat late, I agree - that a cold weather snap led to it producing electricity for another week after that.

The Bolton Evening News reported that the station's three main switches were pulled by manager Derek Shepherd, Mr Roy Houghton, acting director general of the Central Electricity Generating Board's North-west region and former charge engineer Mr Jack Millington, aged 82.

Mr Millington, who started work at the station when it opened in 1914, was given the honour of switching off the country's oldest steam turbine.

As far as everybody knew at the time, that was the end of an era.

But Mr Shepherd, who had worked there since 1947, told me this week that the National Grid - worried about the effects of the cold snap - was in touch asking Bolton to keep going before some of the guests had gone home.

The station contributed electricity to the grid at peak periods over the next week before the end finally came.

"It was a nice quirk to finish with," Mr Shepherd tells me.

Back o' th' Bank was built in 1913/14 by Bolton Corporation Electricity Department to replace their original station in Spa Road - opened in 1894 and found to be inadequate for further expansion in 1912.

The new station supplied all the town's electricity needs until 1935, but eventually the equipment became outdated and uneconomic.

It nearly closed in 1935, 1961 and 1968, but in the end it kept going until 1979.

For a fortnight during Bolton holidays in 1970, Bolton power station reverted to its original function of being the one and only source of electricity for the whole of Bolton - while work was carried out on the national grid line which supplied the town.

At its peak in the mid 1950s Bolton's power station, built by local company John Booth & Sons, employed about 220 people.

There were 59 there when it closed.

"I still meet people who enjoyed working there," Mr Shepherd said.

"It was a family affair with fathers and sons going through.

"Up to the 1960s it was all internal promotions.

"Local people worked there during their whole careers and I was involved in a lot of 40-year presentations."

The 300-ft cooling tower - a major landmark - was demolished in June, 1982 watched by hundreds of people (including me, as it happens).

Since then a road has been built through the Tonge Valley and the power station site has been covered with industrial units.

Mr Shepherd, who lives in Halliwell, is planning a booklet to commemorate Back o'th' Bank and the original power station in Spa Road (now the "One Call" offices).

Anybody who has any pictures or memories can contact him on 01204 844508.