THE annual Local History Exhibition, as usual organised by the hard working Margaret Gibbons of St Helens Historical Society, will take place in the Friends Meeting House between 10am (sorry, wrong times given last week) and 4pm over the three days, Thursday, 18th June to Saturday, 20th June. Admission is free.

Exhibitors include Sankey Canal Restoration Society, Rainhill Railway and Heritage Society, Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Society, St Helens Historical Society, Eccleston Smithy Heritage Centre, and the Friends of St Helens Parks.

The Local History and Archives Library will have a display there. Bill Highcock will introduce you to the science of dowsing and its relevance to local archaeological research. Margaret’s Tyrer’s exhibition has been changed to a different theme.

There is wheelchair access and disabled toilets.

During 2007 and 2008, members of the St Helens Heritage Network were involved in a Heritage Lottery funded project “Transport in St Helens through the Ages”. The final step was a booklet chronicling the Project. They will be available for free to anyone who wants to take one, as long as stocks last.

I will be in the backroom screening archive film footage on DVD. My thanks to North West Video, Charisma Productions and others for permission to screen them. A new show starts every hour and admission is free.

Timetable of events

  • Thursday 18th... 11am - “Liverpool at War”; 12 “The Liverpool Overhead Railway; 1pm “St Helens Peeps In The Past One”; 2pm “CRAIC _ Cherish, Revive, Access Irish Culture (The St Helens items); 3pm “The History of Sutton Manor Colliery”
  • Friday 19th... 11am “Manchester At War”; 12 noon “Liverpool – The Gateway to America”; 1pm “St Helens Peeps In The Past Two; 2pm “Trolley Buses of South Lancs and St Helens; 3pm “The Mersey Tunnels”
  • Saturday 20th.. 11am “The History of RAF Burtonwood”; noon “New Brighton – Liverpool Playground”; 1pm “St Helens – Pleasures Past”; 2pm “Profile of Geoff Duke”, 3pm “The Four Schools Myths and Legends of St Helens

The last item I am really looking forward to as I haven’t seen it yet. Last November, the artist Bernadette Hughes and I went to four Primary Schools in the Town Centre, Holy Cross, Parish School, Merton Bank, and St Mark’s and St Thomas’s. I gave a talk on the Myths and Legends of St Helens.

Bernie then helped them so that in January the groups of pupils performed several colourful shadow theatre productions to fellow pupils, based on their interpretations of the legends, and Bernie filmed them.

I am still hoping that the groups of pupils will reform to put on repeat live performances in the Heritage Zone at the St Helens Festival. There is still a small amount of grant money left to help them with expenses. Please get in touch with Bernie or me.