Plans for a home that have sparked outrage in Hyde are set to be approved next week.
25.02.2024 - 19:07 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
With its cobbled streets and pretty stone cottages, the tiny hamlet of Firwood Fold is a throwback to a lost age. Tucked away behind a housing estate two miles north east of Bolton town centre, a visit to the picturesque street feels like stepping back in time.
It's best known as the birthplace of Samuel Crompton, the inventor of the Spinning Mule, who as one of pioneers of the Industrial Revolution, changed the course of history. His childhood home is still there, a stone plaque on its façade bearing his name and date of birth.
Today, the historic street is home to a small, but tight-knit community - some of whom have lived there for decades.
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Among them is Clifton Riley, who was born and raised on Firwood Fold. More than six decades on, he is still proud to call the street home - the third generation of his family to have done so.
"My grandad lived here from the 1900s," the 63-year-old explained. “He and my grandmother lived at number three.
"My mum and dad moved down here and they lived at number one. When me and my sister were born the house was too small so we just swapped houses.”
After getting married, Mr Riley briefly moved away from the street before returning. He and his wife now live at number four, next door to his childhood home.
“There’s nowhere else I wanted to live,” he said. “I couldn’t live on a normal street. I've always had the connection here."
Firwood Fold's oldest properties, including Crompton's former home, date back to the 16th century. Others were built during the course of the next few hundred years as Bolton grew during the Industrial Revolution.
Many of the homes in Firwood Fold were occupied by employees at the nearby
Plans for a home that have sparked outrage in Hyde are set to be approved next week.
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