In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described St Helens like this:
St Helens.-- parl. and mun. bor., manufacturing and market town, Prescot par., SW. Lancashire, 12 miles N. of Liverpool and 191 NW. of London by rail, 6586 ac., pop. 57,403; 2 Banks, 3 newspapers. Market-day, Saturday. St Helens, which within comparatively recent times was little more than a village, is now one of the most thriving commercial towns in the county. ...
It owes its rapid growth largely to the canal and railway systems, which connect it with extensive coal-beds in the vicinity, and with the Mersey. It has large alkali, copper-smelting, and iron works, but is best known for the mfr. of glass, which is carried on to a great extent in all its varieties. A handsome town-hall, with public library, was opened in 1876. St Helens was made a mun. bor in 1868, and a parl. bor. in 1885; it returns 1 member to Parliament.
St Helens through time
Click here for graphs and data of how St Helens has changed over two centuries. For statistics for historical units named after St Helens go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of St Helens in Lancashire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/244
Date accessed: 18th April 2024
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