THE Reebok Stadium could take its place alongside Le Mans Crescent and other more venerable Bolton buildings in an updated edition of an architectural "bible".

Wanderers' home, which staged its first match in 1997, is believed to be the only 20th century structure under consideration for the new South-east Lancashire edition of Pevsner's guide to significant architecture.

Officers from Bolton Council's environment department have handed researchers details of all of the town's 658 listed buildings and 25 Conservation Areas as a starting point.

Prominent listed buildings -- such as the town hall, Le Mans Crescent and historic Smithills Hall -- are obvious candidates for inclusion.

But the 28,000 capacity Reebok Stadium, which has become one of the town's most distinctive symbols, is thought to be the only modern addition likely to end up gracing the guide's pages in its next edition.

An environment department spokeswoman said: "We have a rich heritage, but we haven't got that many quality 20th century buildings.

"They will probably consider the Reebok because it's a major landmark and it's a striking structure."

The Reebok won the British Construction Industry's building of the year award, in the category for projects costing less than £50 million, in 1998.

Judges praised its "stunning design". But the stadium had earlier come in for criticism from Bolton and District Civic Trust, which likened it to "a giant white crab in a semi-rural backdrop of fields and hills".

The Pevsner's Architectural Guides series was started in 1951 by architectural historian Nicholas Pevsner with the aim of being an up-to-date portable guide to the most significant buildings in every part of the country.

No publication date has yet been set for the latest edition featuring Bolton.