Fears for Grade I-listed birthplace of machine that turned Bolton into a boomtown

It is a town's most important historic building. Within its walls, Samuel Crompton invented a machine that would help chart the course of the Industrial Revolution.

The spinning mule turned Bolton into a boomtown. It was used to spin cotton fibres into yarn, which could then be woven into a variety of textile goods including the highly desired muslin.

Crompton and his family were renting rooms at Hall'i'th'Wood, Bolton, in 1779 when he created a machine which would change history. But at the time he could not afford a patent, and instead revealed the machine's potential to manufacturers on condition they would pay him. All he received was £60.

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In 1812 when there were at least 360 mills using 4,600,000 mule spindles, Parliament granted him £5,000. He used it to enter business, but was unsuccessful first as a bleacher and then as a cotton merchant and spinner. Crompton left the hall in 1782, moving on to a new lodging in Sharples.

Now the house where he came up with the invention has been placed on Historic England's at risk register. It is one of two buildings in Greater Manchester that have been added to the list - the other has links to one of the region's football teams.

Hall'i'th'Wood is a Tudor timber-framed Grade I listed building dating back to the early 1500s. As one of only 48 Grade I-listed buildings in Greater Manchester, it is described as "a rare and valuable example of Tudor architecture."

The 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