Police called to suspected break-in at Hall i’ th’ Wood

Officers, alongside Bolton Council’s security team, attended Hall i’ th’ Wood Museum after an alarm was triggered at the Grade I-listed property.

Residents living nearby reported seeing a group of youths in the area before the incident. Several locals claimed the hall, which dates back to the 16th century, has been targeted by vandals on previous occasions.

Police attend Hall i’th’ Wood (Image: PHIL TAYLOR)

It is believed those involved gained access to the site before a fire extinguisher was thrown, causing damage to a number of the building’s historic stone mullion windows.

Police and council security staff remained at the property while assessments of the damage were carried out and the building secured.

Hall i’ th’ Wood Museum is currently the subject of a multi-million pound bid to bring it back in use.

The Grade 1 listed site, which has been operating as a museum under the management of Bolton Council since 1900, was forced to close its doors to the public in 2021 due to severe structural issues. These problems include timber decay, damp, rot, and damage caused by vandalism.

Police attend Hall i’th’ Wood (Image: PHIL TAYLOR)

This Tudor timber-framed hall dates back to the early 1500s, and is renowned as the location where Samuel Compton invented the spinning mule, a crucial development in the Industrial Revolution.

Historic England states: “As one of only 48 Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester, Hall i’th’ Wood represents a rare and valuable example of Tudor architecture.”

Police attend Hall i’th’ Wood (Image: PHIL TAYLOR)

Hall i’th’ Wood occupies a monumental place in Bolton’s identity ­— not only as a rare example of Tudor architecture, but as the birthplace for the cotton-weaving technology which would make Bolton a boomtown.

Today – aside from signifying the iconic house, its surrounding neighbourhood, and even a train station – the name conjures memories of school trips familiar to anyone who attended primary school in Bolton.