All Souls Bolton

All Souls is a nationally important piece of architecture which is almost perfectly preserved. The Church was established at the heart of Bolton’s Crompton community in 1881 by the Greenhalgh brothers. It is a unique Grade II* listed Gothic Revival building designed by Paley and Austin. But by the 1980s the building had fallen into disuse and disrepair. In partnership with the Churches Conservation Trust a rescue plan was developed which would breathe new life into All Souls, crucially, for the benefit of the community and Bolton as a whole. With all plans and permissions in place building work finally began in August 2013. The inside of the church had originally been designed to provide an unobstructed view to 800 people. As a result it boasts a huge space unobstructed by pillars or aisles. This makes it uniquely adaptable to its new purpose as an events and community space. The philosophy of the restoration was to preserve the original beauty of the church while incorporating the very best of contemporary design. There are two “pods” of modern design which will provide office and conference space in a new and visually striking way. The newly designed space provides: two meeting rooms a conference and activity room a classroom a media suite an events space in the main body of the church up to four office units, and a ground floor cafe. The pods create three new internal stories within the church. The new lay out will give people the chance to get up close to the fine detailing of the church which would otherwise be out of reach.