A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th century, introducing a wool and cotton-weaving tradition.
The urbanisation and development of the town largely coincided with the introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution.
Bolton was a 19th-century boomtown, and at its zenith in 1929 its 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching and dyeing works made it one of the largest and most productive centres of cotton spinning in the world. The British cotton industry declined sharply after the First World War, and by the 1980s cotton manufacture had virtually ceased in Bolton.
University of Bolton Facts
The University of Bolton was initially founded in 1824 as the Bolton Mechanics institute, before going through a number of changes and eventually being given taught degree awarding powers in 1990, and the title the University of Bolton in 2005.
Over 30 University of Bolton courses are professionally accredited, including the British Psychological Society and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Bolton is also a leading UK institution when catering for students with disabilities of all kinds.
Bolton offers some of the lowest fees in the country for students wishing to study at the University, even after all forms of financial support are taken into consideration.
Bolton recently opened a small campus in the UAE, continuing its commitment to international expansion.
Its student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the UK with around 25 percent coming from minority communities.