St Helens tourist information

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.

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 it's Rugby League team.

Haydock Park horse racing course is to the east of the town, just off Junction 23 of the M6.

St Helens has a Tourist Information Centre