A towering 280ft Victorian chimney in Bolton could soon be transformed into one of Britain’s most unusual family homes – complete with a rooftop garden, glass lift and sweeping views across the Pennines.
The Grade II-listed Barrow Bridge Chimney, once part of the town’s Halliwell Bleach Works, is up for auction with a guide price of £300,000 and planning permission already in place for a spectacular conversion.
The landmark, built in 1863, is one of Bolton’s best-known sights and even has a brush with TV history – steeplejack legend Fred Dibnah famously scaled it as a teenager after accepting a 10-shilling bet.
Designs show how the enormous brick structure could be wrapped in a futuristic, glass-walled octagonal home perched 60ft above the ground.
Plans include a three or four-bedroom residence with sloping glazed walls, steel frames and nearly 4,000 sq ft of living space.
There would even be a ‘rooftop garden’, solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system to make the property as eco-friendly as it is eye-catching.
Estate agents Miller Metcalfe are marketing the chimney as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, saying: ‘This is your chance to own more than bricks and mortar – it’s a chance to live inside a landmark, to shape its story for future generations, and to call a piece of Bolton’s proud industrial heritage your own.’
Developers say new owners could take things even further – applying to add extra rooms, gyms or even a sauna spiralling skywards to create one of the most extraordinary homes in Britain.
The chimney was last used in the 1970s as part of an aluminium casting plant before falling into disrepair.
It was listed in 1974, and while extensive repairs were carried out in the 1990s, planning documents say it now requires fresh investment to stop further deterioration.
Work first began on converting the site in 2014 but stalled due to lack of funds.
Repairs to the top 15ft of the stack, as well as the inside brickwork, are among the immediate jobs needed.
Fred Dibnah, who became a household name for demolishing and repairing chimneys across the North West, first came to fame after climbing this very structure as a boy.
His daredevil exploits and old-fashioned methods later turned him into a national treasure.
Fred passed away aged 66 on November 6, 2004, and a statue and memorial tile were since installed in his home town of Bolton.
