St Helens - the Town
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St Helens |
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St Helens to the north-east of Liverpool, gives its name to the borough. St Helens was created in the early 19th century from the townships of Eccleston, Par, Sutton and Windle. The new town was named after St Helen's parish church in Hardshaw (within Windle). St Helens was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. Because of the availability of sand and coal, the glass industry became very important here. In 1757 the St Helens Canal was built to transport raw materials and finished goods to and from the River Mersey and in the 1830s this was augumented by the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway. Today the glass industry remains very important to the town, with the large Pilkington plant dominating the town. The coal industry completely disappeared when the last collliery at Newton-le-Willows, just east of the town, closed in 1992. St Helens has been regenerated in the last 30 years and in now one of the finest towns in the North West. Victoria Square, the location of the splendid Victorian Town Hall, has been pedestrianised and the Theatre Royal has been renovated with a glass exterior. A tourist attraction, The World of Glass Museum, opened in 2000, gives visitors a fascinating insight into one of the most common substances on earth and features live glass-blowing demonstrations. The St Helens Canal has been cleaned up and now attracts wildlife and the St Helens Transport Museum, opened in 1980, has been redeveloped. St Helens is popular shopping centre - three indoor shopping malls and many retail streets. Over the last ten years the town has become known for its nightlife with new bars opening up and people from a wide area travelling into St Helens to experience its delights. The town is also famous for Rugby League team. Haydock Park horse racing course is to the east of the town, just off Junction 23 of the M6 |
St Helens
St Helens to the east of Liverpool is famed for its glass production, where glass has been manufactured here since the 18th Century at Pilkington’s. Today the World of Glass exhibition celebrates the past, present and furture of the industry. The Pilkingtons factory works would draw water from The Hotties canal, the UK’s first modern canal linking it to the River Mersey, before emptying hot water back into it, creating huge clouds of steam, which could be seen across the town.
The town was named after the Chapel of St Elyn at nearby Prescot and houses many buildings of particular interest including the Friends Meeting House in Church Street, a stone building with mullioned windows and sundial, and the grand Town Hall of 1876.
St Helens is home to the Transport Museum, which boasts a collection of old buses, coaches, trams and lorries under one roof, as well as a great number of art galleries and museums.
Local Businesses
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