SURVEY works have taken place at Cannington Shaw to identify the repairs and upgrades needed to preserve the building.

The works took place during August as the project to renovate the historic former bottle factory site continues.

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) and S106 monies set aside from the Saints stadium development have contributed £15,000 to undertake the feasibility investigations.

These identify the repair, conversion and upgrading of the structure necessary to preserve it for future generations.

The fund has supported the appointment of a team of architects, engineers and heritage conservation specialists.

They are exploring possible end uses including design concepts, carrying out topographical and measure surveys of the structure as well as providing solutions to stabilise and make the structure safe.

The end outcome will be a Project Viability Report and Viability Appraisal which will identify future uses and repurposing of the site.

Matthew Ashton, director of MGMA Architects in Liverpool, said: “The survey will form the most comprehensive and accurate measured record of the building to date, allowing the design team to fully assess the stability and condition of the structure, and to explore in detail strategies for conservation and potential future uses.”

The Friends of Cannington Shaw have campaigned for the last three years to conserve the building's legacy. The Victorian Society nominated Cannington Shaw in their Top 10 list of Endangered Buildings in the UK in 2017.

The Friends have continued to work proactively with St Helens Council, Historic England and the site owners Network Space.

Siemens have agreed to lend their name in support of the project. Friedrich Siemens invented the Regenerative Tank Furnace in 1856, the engineering principle which launched new glass manufacturing technologies at Cannington Shaw as the company became the biggest bottle making factory in the world.