I Can't Sugar Coat This, Bolton Town Centre Made me Sad

My husband used to work with Fred and went all over the country taking his steam engine to shows. Your vlog bought a tear to his eye. X

Rip Fred Dibnah. Still creating joy even after his passing.

We live in Bolton , came to live here in 1979 , then many shops and so busy , but now we feel so depressed every time we go into town it is horrible. So what you said about Bolton is so true .

My grand parents were born and raised in Bolton and worked in the mills --- they emigrated to Fallriver ,Mass, in1926 -- so thankyou for your honest portrayal of Bolton as it is now

I went to college in Bolton in the late sixties and it was a wonderful vibrant town. 😮We used to regularly go to the octagon theatre. What a great town in those days.

I would like to give you 2 a massive thanks for yours vids, at the moment im flighting cancer, i watch your vids over & over again plz keep them coming they always put a huge smile on my face 😊😊😊😊

I live in Bolton, and I too feel sad when I go into the town centre. It used to be so vibrant, but places like Middlebrook and the Trafford Centre have taken people away. I'm sure this is happening all over. What you need to do if you're ever back over in this neck of the woods is to take Helen up Rivington. Some great walks and views up there and you could always end up in the Rivington Brewery for a pint or three. Fantastic place, right up your street!

Born and bred in Bolton, left for Skipton 24 years ago and a new life building canal boats and then camper vans.

Well done James!! A truly honest, down to earth, and accurate portrayal of Bolton today!! From birth in 1961, until leaving the area for the Lake District in 1983. I lived around the Bolton area. St Helens Road, Horwich, and Farnworth. I studied at Bolton technical college. Worked for Rumbelows, on Manchester road. Met my wife, currently of 38 years at Maxwells Plum nightclub in Bolton! And to be honest, apart from Walsh’s pasty shop, the whole town is a tragic shell of its former self! Am I ashamed to tell people I am from Bolton? NO! Definitely Not! Would I return to my roots? Sadly no. R.I.P Fred❤ keep doing all what you do so naturally well James and Helen!!!! Cheers Xx

I am from Bolton, lived in New York for 16 years never been back in that time, watching this feels like a dream.

Nice tribute to a true Legend James.  Shame to see no flowers on his grave. Fred a true one off character.

Your right mate, I worked on the shops in Bolton, seriously broken town , backing the day the old pubs,nightlife ,market was booming and I'm only going back to 97,98. People used to get the train to Bolton for the shops and nightlife, such a shame its dying if not dead 😢

absolutely spot on. Mate Bolton was brilliant before the millennium. was a brilliant place thriving night life, packed shops. was brilliant. is it an absolute hell hole now it us upsetting now

Very interesting video James, I think many of us live in or have a town nearby that has had the heart ripped out of it by retail chains and poor planning decisions. That high street could have been anywhere ... north, south, east or west it's just copy and paste or the same poor planning. Having said all that it was lovely to see the Fred Dibnah legacy and the original architecture of Bolton. All the best, David

This style of reporting (historical buildings in the town & Fred's house, cemetery) suits you best. This was really fascinating. It is a very sad state to see beautiful historical buildings looking so poorly maintained. Too many business owners today take no pride in their storefronts but the market was very nice - lovely to see these still exist. Thank you for the video because it was truly interesting although sad.

Living 30 mins away from Bolton, we used to go regular on a Saturday morning. We haven’t been for over 5 years as we concluded it was exactly like you describe…..DEPRESSING!!!! Cheers Andy

Thanks for the walkabout James,The precincts and high streets are the same everywhere these days...The meat market took us back to the castle market in Sheffield, all gone now, demolished and moved down the moor, but it's not a patch on the original place... Thanks for posting James, brilliant as usual mate.✅👍💞

yeah fred dibnah what a legend..respect. I broke down in oldham once in my van and the locals did me a bacon sandwich and brought me drinks..the friendliest ive known

I remember watching the original Fred Dibnah series with my Dad years ago, we always loved his programs. My Dad even took on Fred's saying when a chimney came down "Did yer like that" Thanks for bringing back good memories James

"Did ya like that" ? What a legend Fred was ! There will be even more boarded up shops, once they get their congestion charge in place !