Trips & Adventures – 6 September 2018

The visit to St Helens started in Manchester with others joining the group in Bolton and Wigan.

St Helens did not exist as a town in its own right until as late as the middle of the 19th century. The development of the town has a complex history: it was spurred on by the rapid population growth in the region during the Industrial Revolution. Between 1629 and 1839 St Helens grew from a small collection of houses surrounding an old chapel, to a village, before becoming a significant urban centre. However, glass producer Pilkington is the town’s only remaining large industrial employer.

We struggled to find somewhere nice to eat, but were guided by a local person, via the lingerie department of Marks & Spencer, to The Glass House. We enjoyed main courses and sweets including a regular apple crumble, which was delicious. The chocolate fudge cake was 924 calories!

There was no signposting in the town and we walked around for a bit before we found the Glass Museum. The entrance fee was £6 but this lasts for a 12 month period, if we wish to return.

We watched a short film and then wandered round the various exhibition spaces – there was so much to see and we didn’t have time to view everything.

The highlight was a demonstration of glass blowing where we were shown a glass swan and a glass bowl with curvy edges. The furnace was over 1200 degrees and it was fascinating seeing the unique items being made.