15 pictures of St Helens town centre from down the years

There can be no doubt the high streets of the town have faced their most testing times in a generation, with online shopping, edge-of-town retail parks, the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis adding to the challenges faced by traditional shopping areas.

The impending loss of Wilko is further evidence of this.

As the clock begins to tick down to the start of the redevelopment next year, we take a look back at images from the town centre's past.

While we have lost some landmarks, such as Helena House, the Fleece and the Savoy, much of the layout and skyscape of St Helens remains the same, even if many of the occupiers have departed.

If you have any memories of the town centre, or pictures you'd like to share you can email them to news@sthelensstar.co.uk or drop them in the contribution form on this story.

A view of St Helens Town Hall from Cotham Street in the 1980s (Image: Anthony Liptrot)

Pimbletts and Tyrers in St Helens town centre are much missed (Image: Tyrers)

Another view of the landmark Tyrers building (Image: Tyrers)

Cars parked up outside Marks & Spencer on Church Street (Image: M&S)

The Marks & Spencer was one of the town's iconic stores (Image: M&S)

M&S and Woolworths stood side by side (Image: M&S)

The water fountain in St Helens was a central feature of Church Square (Image: St Helens Star)

Martins bank on the corner of Hardshaw Street and Church Street (Image: Submitted)

The Fleece Hotel on Church Street is another landmark that disappeared (Image: Contributed)

Traffic on Ormskirk Street (Image: Contributed)

Corporation Street in the 1980s (Image: Anthony Liptrot)

A striking shot of Westfield Street (Image: Archives)