Bleaching Industry

We knew that Bolton had been a very important town in the cotton industry but had little knowledge of what bleaching was and how this industry was based at Seven Acres. Therefore, we wanted to learn what exactly was the bleaching industry and why it was based so heavily at Seven Acres and similar river valley sites in Bolton.

Led by Sara Vernon, local archaeologist, we visited Seven Acres to explore the areas where bleaching works were based in the past. We looked at remnant features, particularly the lodges and Sara Vernon talked us through the bleaching industry at Seven Acres. Following this visit we took part in a session with staff at Bolton Museum to learn more about bleaching in Bolton, having the opportunity to handle artefacts such as Bolt Stamps. A visit to The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester allowed us to identify the types of heavy machinery that would have been based at the industrial premises at Seven Acres.

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