Bolton School 4.65

Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It comprises a co-educational nursery, co-educational infant school (ages 5–7), single sex junior schools (ages 7–11) and single sex senior schools including sixth forms (ages 11–18). With almost 2,400 pupils, it is one of the largest independent day schools in the country.HistoryEarly HistoryEstablished as Bolton Grammar School, it is not known exactly when the boys' school was founded although it is recorded in 1516. In 1524, William Haigh of Wigan left land worth 33s 4d towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster to teach grammar in Bolton. In 1644, it was endowed by Robert Lever the start of a long relationship with the Lever name. During the 17th Century, the school moved from its original Tudor building to new premises beside the Parish Church in Bolton.Bolton Girls' Day School was established on 1 October 1877 as one of the earliest public day schools for girls in the country. The schoolroom was in the Mechanics' Institute, and the first intake was 22 girls. The school was renamed Bolton High School for Girls and moved to the Park Road site in 1891. Its new building was opened by the suffragist Mrs Millicent Fawcett and the school had 67 girls on roll.In 1899 Bolton Grammar School for Boys moved to its current location on Chorley New Road shortly after its amalgamation with Bolton High School for Boys. The move was made possible by Sir William Hesketh Lever. He had agreed to put up £5,000 and to be co-opted as a governor of the school in 1898 and a year later bought the freehold at Westbourne and offered it the school. He also financed the necessary building alternations. The school remained in these premises at Westbourne until 1932.