Ranging from Egyptian mummies to local history and wildlife, Bolton's collection has something for everyone.
Because of its links with the cotton trade, Bolton's Museums have always had strong Egyptology collections.
Bolton Museum houses a fine art collection of over 3500 items. Nearly all of these are works by British artists dating from the 18th century to the present day.
There's about 60,000 specimens in the botanical collection. Most are herbarium specimens which are either pressed and mounted on to sheets of paper or dried and stored in packets.
We have around 100 contemporary ceramics dating from the 1970s to mid 1990s and a collection of about 150 netsuke, inro and scent bottles bequeathed to the museum in 1959.
Bolton’s industrial heritage has had a strong influence upon the make up of the town and its people.
Slow looking at some of our paintings the Art Gallery.
How to donate to Bolton’s Museum and Archive Collections.