Fellow local historian Steve Wainwright, producer of the Sutton Beauty and Heritage website, tells me: “In your assessment of St Helens’ connection with innovation and the famous in Coffey Time last November, you said that Gladstone had visited Newton.
“Well, he also went to St. Helens in 1868, beginning and ending a general election campaign that led to him serving the first of his four spells as Prime Minister. One of his speeches was on Ireland and said to have been of national importance. Gladstone’s lectures in St Helens took place at the Volunteer Hall, which could comfortably accommodate 2,000, maybe 3,000 at a squeeze. Winston Churchill also gave a speech to a crowded hall in November 1905.
“Other famous folk worthy of mentions in Coffey Time dispatches include the Duke of Wellington. I’ve discovered two old newspaper articles that refer to the "Iron Duke" visiting St Helens around 1810.
“He was in the company of the Prince of Wales, who became George IV. The pair visited the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works, which was the ‘World of Glass’ 19th century style.
“A surprising number of royal and military celebs while staying with the Earl of Derby at Knowsley Hall visited the plant that had cast the nation’s first plate glass.
“Alexandra, the Princess of Wales who was married to the future Edward VII, made a visit to the Ravenhead works on November 1, 1865. A day's holiday was declared in St Helens and all schools and pits were closed so people could welcome the Danish princess. One newspaper reported: "Never in the history of St Helens has it been recorded that such a concourse of people were assembled together."
“Around the time of the princess's visit they were sinking coal pits nearby. So they called the new mine Alexandra Colliery in honour of her visit. Then in 1867 Queen Sophie of the Netherlands made a visit to Ravenhead Glass Works and the St Helens-born Prime Minister of New Zealand, Richard Seddon, inspected it in 1902 just after Pilkingtons acquired the works.”
*There will be more from Steve in future issues.
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