Crossword Dictionary
St Helens
St Helens is an urban area (from 2011 built-up area) and metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of Merseyside, historic county of Lancashire, northwestern England. It lies in the industrial belt between Liverpool and Manchester.
Coal pits were exploited in the locality in the 16th century, and sand deposits led to the introduction of glassmaking in 1773. Glassmaking long dominated the borough’s industrial structure but has declined; there has been some economic diversification.
St Helens takes its name from a chapel, which was first mentioned in 1552. At that time the area was divided into 4 townships: Eccleston, Windle, Parr, and Sutton. Though the area was mainly agricultural, coal mining was carried out as early as the 16th century. The town of St Helens grew because it had readily available supplies of coal and sand for making glass and it had good communications.
St Helens also benefited from the rapid growth of Liverpool from the late 17th century onward. Liverpool was a market by itself but it was also a convenient port for goods from St Helens.
In 1746 St Helens was connected to Prescot and Liverpool by a turnpike road. In 1753 the road was extended to Ashton. A canal called the Sankey Navigation was cut in 1762, making it much easier and cheaper to take coal to Liverpool. In the 18th century, improved communications helped the growth of St Helens.
Glassmaking began in St Helens by the early 18th century. In 1773 The British Cast Plate Glass Manufacturers opened in St Helens. In 1780 a copper foundry was opened and in 1798 an iron foundry was opened. St Helens continued to grow rapidly.
In 1828 a man named Josias Gamble set up chemical works in St Helens. He made washing soda and later chemicals such as acids and alkalis.
In 1868 St Helens was incorporated and in 1889 it was made a county borough.
St Helens was made a metropolitan borough in 1974. The North West Museum of Transport opened in 1991. World of Glass opened in March 2000.