I READ with interest the article in a recentedition of the BEN concerning the mistake made over the name of Hall I'Th' Wood museum by the makers of Ordnance Survey maps.

Ironically, it seems as if the ordnance survey is not the only party prone to making silly mistakes. In your 'fact file' on Hall I'Th' Wood, you state that Crompton invented The Spinning Mule there in 1785 . Unfortunately, it seems that, this time, it is yourselves who have the information wrong as Crompton actually invented the Mule there in 1779 -- a good six years prior to the date given by yourselves. He actually left Hall I'Th' Wood in 1785, thus making any inventing on site impossible!

It seems that every time there is some kind of story relating to Hall I'Th' Wood, the house is trumpeted by both the press and Bolton Metro alike as a vital piece of Bolton's history. Like some tired, old relative at a wedding reception, the Hall is brought out and lauded and then left to sit in obscurity until the next time we need a bit of Bolton history to crow over. The fact of the matter is that the house is gradually falling into disrepair and, more importantly, into 'disregard'. The visitor figures are abominable. Those visitors who do visit the Hall (most of whom are NOT Boltonians) comment that, although the interior of the house itself is one of the best in Britain, the exterior aspect (i.e. the approach, the underground toilets and the car park) are a disgrace.

So, is this how Bolton treats its history? It seems that Crompton's monument has fared little better than Crompton himself did! Hall I'Th' Wood was Britain's first folk museum, originally it was listed alongside Stonehenge as an ancient monument. The house saw the invention of a machine which provided England with enough wealth to enable it to win the Napoleonic wars, so maybe it should be accorded the respect and love it deserves. As for the BEN reporter who researched the 'fact file', there is a lesson to be learned here -- that when castigating others for silly mistakes, make sure you get your own facts right first, as there's always somebody out there who will pick up on them!

Stella Blackburn

Tithe Barn Crescent,

Hall I'Th' Wood,

Bolton.