Burnden Park was the former home of Bolton Wanderers Football Club. They played their last game here in 1997 against Charlton Athletic before moving to the stadium at Middlebrook.
The stadium has now been demolished and replaced by a retail park. Stores here at the time of writing (2023) include:
- ASDA – Supermarket offering a wide range of groceries, clothing, toys, books, and cards.
- Johnsons The Cleaners – This laundry and dry-cleaning service also offers shoe repairs, curtain cleaning, and key-cutting services.
- Home Bargains – A discount store that sells various branded products at competitive prices.
- Abakhan – This store specialises in knitting products, fabric, sewing patterns, and haberdashery.
- Greggs – Popular bakery chain that offers delicious pastries, sandwiches, and drinks.
- Barnardo’s – Charity shop selling various items to raise money for vulnerable children.
The Burnden Park Fitness Academy opened in 2020 in the unit previously occupied by the DW Fitness Club. The gym offers a wide range of fitness facilities, including a sizeable holistic studio for yoga and meditation, a spinning studio, free weights section, an indoor swimming pool, a spa, a sauna, and a steam room.
The retail park is on Manchester Road (postcode BL3 2NE), around 1/2 mile south of Bolton town centre. It offers plenty of free car parking for customers. Cash machines can be found outside the ASDA superstore.
Stores generally operate seven days a week. Check individual websites for specific opening times.
The History of Burnden Park
Burnden Park will forever be remembered as the historic home of Bolton Wanderers FC. The stadium was completed in 1895 and was located on a piece of land bordered on one side by the Manchester to Bolton railway embankment. The stadium held up to 70,000 fans and hosted several significant football events, including the 1901 FA Cup final replay.
However, the stadium’s history is marred by a tragic incident in 1946. During an FA Cup quarter-final second-leg match between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City, 33 fans lost their lives in what is now known as the Burnden Park disaster. Eighty-five thousand fans were in attendance, 15,000 above the stadium’s capacity.
The tragedy occurred at the Railway End of the ground, where barriers broke under the crowd’s pressure. The fans were crushed as the spectators on the terrace spilt forwards. The disaster led to the implementation of more rigorous control of crowd sizes and a voluntary code of conduct for football grounds.
Despite the tragedy, Burnden Park continued to be the home of Bolton Wanderers until 1997, when they moved to their current home in Horwich. The final match played at the stadium was against Charlton Athletic, which ended in a 4-1 victory to Bolton. Bolton had already been crowned Division One champions and promoted to the Premier League.
