Bolton ranking in Britain’s best large towns revealed

The town ranked 11th out of the ‘Best 25 biggest towns in Britain’, according to newly published rankings by The Telegraph travel writer Chris Moss.

Moss scored each contender out of 10 based on architecture, attractions, culture, dining, and overall appeal.

Bolton received a score of six out of 10, placing it in the top half of the list and ahead of several larger or more widely known urban centres.

Moss said: “Bolton’s peak production year was 1929, when 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching works were operating.

“It’s a town shaped by both industrial greatness and post-industrial challenge.”

He described Bolton as “a typical post-industrial town, with a lot of dead mills, windy spaces and underused facilities”, but noted it is not without promise.

He also referenced English writer JB Priestley’s 1934 travelogue English Journey, in which Priestley wrote of Bolton: “The ugliness is so complete that it is almost exhilarating.

“It challenges you to live there.”

He also claimed Bolton was “Too hard, too Yorkshire. [???]

“But a ghost of former greatness.”

While acknowledging the lasting impact of deindustrialisation, Mr Moss highlighted ongoing regeneration efforts, such as the transformation of the town’s listed Market Hall into a shopping and dining destination.

Mr Moss said: “Though chain restaurants will never replace the perfume and vitality of fish and fresh veg.”

He also touched on the town’s historical significance across multiple industries, not just cotton.

He said: “Mining, chemicals, heavy engineering and rope-making also played key roles in its development.”

His assessment of Bolton appeared in The Telegraph as part of a broader comparison of England’s largest towns, published amid the Government’s call for submissions to become the UK’s first official Town of Culture in 2028.

Three finalists, one small, one medium, and one large, will be shortlisted, with the overall winner set to receive £3 million and two runners-up £250,000 each.

He also pointed to Ye Olde Man and Scythe as a “secret sight.”

The pub is historically significant as the place where the Earl of Derby (whose family once owned the pub) was killed in 1651.

Bolton’s mid-table ranking reflects both its rich industrial history and the challenges it continues to face.

Elsewhere in Moss’s list, Blackpool took the top spot, while Watford finished last.

Other northern towns also featured prominently, including Rochdale and Stockport.

As the UK hones in on its first official Town of Culture, rankings such as Mr Moss’s serve to highlight both the proud heritage and modern challenges faced by some of England’s most iconic towns.

Bolton’s inclusion in the upper tier of the list, alongside ongoing investment in regeneration, may help support its case for further national recognition.