Favourite places in Bolton.

[TANGODANCER]

Where do you remember with special affection from way back when? Favourite shops, pubs, coffee bars, restaurants or hang-outs from childhood, youth or later. They may be there no longer but will always have a place in memory. Places like Tognarelli's for example....

[Lofthouse Lower]

Farnworth Baths for Mad Splash on a Saturday morning

Tempest United to see my granddad managing the reserves

Pastie Shoppe for lunch

Unit 4 cinema in Walkden to see Addams Family (outside the remit of thread but I'm having it) and other classic films such as He-Man

That bit of grass off Plodder Lane where many millions of games of cricket occurred

Orlando Bridge

Pat and Brian's corner shop

Jack's corner shop

Centre Spot - club shop in the Arndale

Moss Bank Park mini-train

........................all not as good now

[Lord Kangana]

Silverwell street for what seemed like one long endless childhood game of 5-a-side.

I'm pretty certain the place was a shithole, but it didn't seem so at the time.

[TANGODANCER]

Pat and Brian's corner shop

If that's the one on the corner of Plodder Lane, Bradford Road, they're still there. Changed it to a video shop and now they run it for their kids as a bathroom outlet. Pat's bad on the pins but Brian still runs for a hobby. Saw him last week.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Amazing! Haven't seen them for 15 years or so.

Used to go in and get a bag of toffees and a video on a Saturday afternoon.

[Lord Kangana]

Bumped into a an engineer in Paris who, when we got talking, had grown up on Plodder Lane. Not been back for decades. Small world.

[P.O.S.]

Silverwell street for what seemed like one long endless childhood game of 5-a-side.

I'm pretty certain the place was a shithole, but it didn't seem so at the time.

Yes! Silverwell Street! I bet it was an absolute dive as well thinking about it - spent full days in there during summer holidays; playing 5-a-side, trying to sneak around in the store rooms to see what old gear they had stored up, watching videos/tv in some little room off to the side it must have been with some sort of school holiday club. Best of all, the huge cups of coca cola from the vending machine with crunched up ice in them to help stop me hyperventilating after about 12 hours running around non-stop!

[P.O.S.]

Favourite places from when I was younger; the playing field behind Devonshire Road, scene of day-long 30+ aside football games in any available space.

The Guide Dogs place, brilliant for sneaking around the woods and gardens around it hiding from the security guard for as long as possible.

The woods at Captains Clough, absolutely covered in rubbish and discarded household waste but to have woods slap bang in the middle of a load of terraced streets was great. Moss Bank Park, Smithills and Barrow Bridge were brilliant too. Like LL said, the mini steam train was good whenever it was actually there... but dont go in the toilets on Moss Bank Park, they're haunted!

[thebish]

Favourite places from when I was younger; the playing field behind Devonshire Road, scene of day-long 30+ aside football games in any available space.

The Guide Dogs place, brilliant for sneaking around the woods and gardens around it hiding from the security guard for as long as possible.

The woods at Captains Clough, absolutely covered in rubbish and discarded household waste but to have woods slap bang in the middle of a load of terraced streets was great. Moss Bank Park, Smithills and Barrow Bridge were brilliant too. Like LL said, the mini steam train was good whenever it was actually there... but dont go in the toilets on Moss Bank Park, they're haunted!

+1 for captains clough and barrow bridge - spent MANY hours out and about in those places...

[Gary the Enfield]

On a cold clear winter's evening I used to run up Belmont Road and along Scout Road (past the chippy) until I got to the junction with Smithills Dean Road. The view on a clear night showed Bolton in a relief map of streetlights. Breathtakingly beautiful.

Barrow Bridge and the cigarette tunnel.

Sandy (Centre) Park on Avenue Street

Merehall Park

Queen's Park

''Outside 'Track's Records' at two'' was the standard meeting place. Avoid standing in Cider Billy's piss as he relieved himself in the shop doorway.

Army and Navy Stores on Newport St.

The all weather pitches on Sharples School

[Lofthouse Lower]

Queens Park? I feel like I'm taking a risk just mentioning it now - whereas once that cafe there was a nice place to visit

[Harry Genshaw]

Budgies in the Arndale

Nags Head & the Ancient Shepherd in the Town Centre

Patagonia Cafe (is it still there?)

The Lamplighter restaurant

Burnden Park

Bradford Street & The Happy wanderer Guest house cos it was on our route to the ground

The Tobacconists on Bradshawgate

But mainly, Rivington and the surrounding area. Looks great at any time of year

[TANGODANCER]

Nags Head & the Ancient Shepherd in the Town Centre
The Lamplighter restaurant
The Tobacconists on Bradshawgate

Lower Nags next to Marks and Sparks was the best Friday night meeting place in town before going on to the Empress. Lamplighter restaurant had a Spanish guitar player at one time and Morris's tobacconist is still going strong. Used to be another tobacconist next to the old Theatre Royal, run by a blke called Margiotta (his son was a Thornleigh wallah)
Percivals Coffee House, opposite the Market Hall side entrance, had the most magnificent aromas imaginable. Used to sell ground coffe beans of all types.

[TANGODANCER]

Barrow Bridge boating lake was fantastic and all the little wooden tea houses over the stream. Moss Bank, Mearhall and Queen's Park were all World Cup and test match venues as was the shale parch outside Holy Harbour. Used to sneak on to Holy Harbour pitch itself occasionally. It was kids Wembley to us. Climbing along the big pipe over Mop Brook was our endurance test and climbing up the drainpipes to touch the roof of St Thomas's Church. Makes me shudder now to think how daft we were. My mate lost a clog in the Mop Brook and had to go to school next day in a clog and a gym shoe as a punishment.

[Gooner Girl]

I've never been to Bolton. Doesn't sound like i'm missing much?!

[William the White]

Where do you remember with special affection from way back when? Favourite shops, pubs, coffee bars, restaurants or hang-outs from childhood, youth or later. They may be there no longer but will always have a place in memory. Places like Tognarelli's for example....

What was the other ice cream place by the side of the Capitol/ABC called? Sabini's? Used to go there in the evenings when I couldn't stand being in at home and couldn't con my way into a pub... With a whole bunch of 14-16 year olds with very little money and making not much profit for the owners.

[William the White]

And there's a fair few others from up Halliwell way on this site - Moss Bank and Barrow Bridge were home from home in the summer holidays...

And i still like em both... and Winter Hill...

[Clean Shirt]

Winter Hill
Rivington Pike
That ice cream shop in Edgworth

Pat and Brian's corner shop

If that's the one on the corner of Plodder Lane, Bradford Road, they're still there. Changed it to a video shop and now they run it for their kids as a bathroom outlet. Pat's bad on the pins but Brian still runs for a hobby. Saw him last week.

Never knew they still owned that place.

Used to get all sorts of obscure Star Wars videos in there as a kid

[General Mannerheim]

the A666 outta there!

nah, tbh i do love it round Edgeworth, Turton, Belmont, Rivington, and the olde pastie shoppe!

[Clean Shirt]

the A666 outta there!

nah, tbh i do love it round Edgeworth, Turton, Belmont, Rivington, and the olde pastie shoppe!

Best places round Bolton have been annexed by Blackburn