THEY were one of the most distinctive features of Victoria Square - the two hexagonal fountains with their glass panels which sat outside British Home Stores opposite the town hall steps.

Shoppers loved the powerful fountains with their constant splashing providing a soothing soundtrack as they went about their daily business.

Work on constructing the two fountains at either side of the town’s war memorial got underway in 1964 with the official opening being held a year later. By the late Nineties the fountains were in need of major repairs but as Victoria Square was once again being refurbished they were removed and two new ‘pyramid’ fountains constructed either side of the town hall steps.

The original fountains - designed by Geoffrey H Brooks, Bolton’s director of architecture who was also responsible for the original Octagon Theatre building - were a constant source of fascination to young and old alike. At times pranksters would pour washing up liquid into the fountains creating a sea of bubbles. On New Year’s Eve it was not uncommon to see revellers dancing in the fountains as the clock struck midnight.

Although never intended as ‘wishing wells’ it would seem that from their earliest days, people couldn’t resist throwing in a few coppers or some loose change.

This meant that they fountains had to be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent coins from damaging the water pumps.

The Evening News photograph from 1970 show Tom Smith of the council’s architect’s department collecting the various coins which had been tossed into the fountain with around 30 shillings being recovered from the water.