Do you remember when Bolton had a dozen or more cinemas? Were you a film buff in the Forties, Fifties or Sixties and have fond memories of the picture houses back then? Did you go to the Ritz, Regal, Rialto or Royal or one of the many other cinemas in the town?
Your fond memories could be invaluable in the first stage of a University of Bolton research project about Bolton's leisure history in 20th century.
Researcher Dr Peter Swain is working with Dr Bob Snape, the University's Reader in Leisure and Sport, to produce a book that will be an oral history of leisure in Bolton, from 1900-1999. Capturing Bolton's history in the words of local people has been made possible by unds from the Marriot Trust, which was donated to the University by Bolton Le Moors Rotary Club.
Dr Swain is beginning his research work focusing on the cinema and it is the memories of Bolton's picture palace regulars that he is looking to record now.
Said Dr Swain: 'I've already begun looking at the early history of cinema in the town and discovered amazing stories – for instance, that 'moving pictures' came to Bolton with travelling showmen who brought their fairgrounds and tents that could seat up to 1,000 people watching silent films.
'But I'm interested in stories connected with cinema in Bolton throughout the 20th century - cinema is stage one of my research.
'After that I'll be moving into different subject areas and we'll appeal again for local people's help.'
And there are plans to turn extracts from the book into podcasts, so Boltonians' memories will be captured in their own words as well.
Said Dr Snape: 'There is a huge range of stories out there to be heard – in music alone post-war Bolton covers everything from rock and roll, through to the swinging Sixties, to punk and beyond.
'We want to capture people's memories of everything from holidays to going to the cinema to women's rounders – everything that reflects our leisure lives, rather than our working ones.'
Anyone who has a memory of cinema going in Bolton that they can contribute to the research project should contact Dr Peter Swain. E: p.swain@bolton.ac.uk|| T: 0753 4502815, or write c/o The University of Bolton, School of Health and Social Sciences, Deane Road, Bolton BL3 5AB.
Photographs reproduced by kind permission of Bolton Council, from the Bolton Museum and Archive Collection