New communities
These links take you to other pages from Building Bolton:
New communities have always come to settle in Bolton.
Flemish weavers settled in Bolton in 1330s introducing spinning and weaving to the area, as well as bringing clogs, which were absorbed into the local culture.
There are many reasons why people settle in Bolton. Some people come for a better way of life and work. Others come to marry. Some people flee their own countries because of war or persecution.
This section of the exhibition looks at some of the reasons why people have made Bolton their home and how areas have changed to reflect these new groups.
Yu Min Kang's story
‘My name is Yu Min Kang and I am seventeen. I have lived in Bolton for ten months.’
‘I
was born in North Korea but left my country because there is no freedom
there. You cannot say what you want or make your own choices. If you do
not agree with the government they send you to prison. Two of my uncles
went to prison; we have not heard from them since and I do not know if
they are alive.’
‘To get to England, my brother, mother and I
had to cross the border into China. We were very scared; if you are
caught then you would be sent to prison.’
‘I am surprised at how many types of people live in Bolton. I feel safer because I am not just one.’
Mr and Mrs Atcha's story
‘I
arrived in England in 1967; ten years after my husband came to live in
Bolton. My husband and I came from the village of Barbodhan in India.’
‘We
first lived in Deane Road, above my husband’s shop, which he set up
with his brother in 1964. It was the first halal butcher’s shop in
Bolton. Before that Muslims had to go to farms to buy chickens and
prepare them according to their faith. The shop on Deane Road was
knocked down but we still have a halal butchers, it is a family
business.’
‘I had no idea what Bolton was like before I came
here. When I first arrived I did not like it. It was cold and the
houses had no heating. I missed Barbodhan and still think of it now but
Bolton is my home. I like the area that I live in now there are more
Indian shops it is easier. In the 1960s I used to wear crimpoline
trousers and Polo necks because I could not get Indian clothes.’
