St. Helens is an industrial town in Merseyside that has been renowned since the 18th century for its glass manufacture. However its history dates back further than that; a settlement developed around the 14th century Church of St. Helen’s and took its name.
In the 16th century Peter Leagh the younger was responsible for opening the St. Helens coalfield and in 1755 an Act was passed authorising the construction of the Sankey Brook Navigation, which was to take coal to the emerging chemical industries of Liverpool and so the first canal of the Industrial Revolution was started here.
St. Helens glass industry is explored at the World of Glass, where you can see a unique Victorian furnace and learn about the glass manufacture from earliest times to the modern day.
Missing some information? Got it wrong? Let us know.
Liverpool was awarded the European Capital of Culture 2008. The vibrant city is renowned for its arts & culture and is home to numerous museums & galleries including a branch of the Tate Gallery. Read more ...
