This website documents the variety of brickmarks found in different locations within the Borough of St Helens. The origin of the name St Helens stretches back to a Chapel of Ease dedicated to St Elyn, the earliest reference to which is in 1552. St Helens was formed from the townships of Eccleston, Windle, Parr and Sutton. It is famed for its glassmaking, coal production, canals, railways, foundries, pottery and chemical production.
St Helens development as an industrial town gave birth to such well-known names within the town and the wider world such as: The Ravenhead Glass Bottle Works. The Ravenhead British Plate Glass Works. The Ravenhead Copper Works. Daglish's Foundry. Cannington Shaw. UGB. Beecham's Pharmaceutical Company and Pilkington Brothers Glass.
There were numerous coal mines in the town that included: Alexandra Colliery, Ravenhead Colliery, Clock Face Colliery, Bold Colliery, Lea Green Colliery and Sutton Manor Colliery to name a few.
Brick making included some local businesses like: The Greengate Brick and Tiles Works (Ravenhead) and the Liverpool Pottery and Boundary Road Brick Works (Doulton Bricks).
The buildings of some of these industrial business' have long since been demolished but their history remains under your feet and this website gives a glimpse of a bygone age and its connection with a greater industrial geography that extends beyond of what was once St Helens, Olde Lancashire.
Currently there are 256 full stretcher bricks in the galleries.