January 2024. St Helens.
St Helens doesn’t haven’t much for the tourists, bar a glass museum on the Pilkington site, two award-winning ale houses, a raft of basic boozers and a rugby league team of some repute. I’ve never been to a rugby league match, saving my debut for Castleford’s Jungle.
There were coachloads of gentlefolk arriving for the glass blowing displays,
so I nipped ahead of the pack to the displays.
Another of the UK’s millennium projects, still holding on to free entry (bar the glassblowing),
and another great run-through of UK social history.
I particularly like the model of Blackpool Tower,
but there’s plenty of brewing history as well.
Apparently at some times I could pull pints in this recreated Victorian pub,
possibly from a 30 year old barrel of Greenall’s Bitter. Or not.
My average time to go round a UK social history museum is 13 minutes; I spent 24 in St Helens. Do the math.
Outside, head through the tunnels to explore Pilkington’s archaeological site,
gloriously free of the commentary,
stick a fiver in the donation box, and head for the pub.
retiredmartin 
As Rene Lalique used to say, “I’d rather get my glass from Castleford.”
Does every glass still come with a free gallon of Esso?
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Andy,
And over fifty years ago now handled half pint glasses from Shell.
I’ve still got one or two somewhere.
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Still, you can only put a tiger in your tank in Castleford (or Hull).
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Blimey that’s taking me back. Too much nostalgia on this blog now.
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You might just manage it in Leicester, Andy.
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(one or two HUNDRED).
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Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
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I remember the beermats at the left of the display, three red and one yellow, from Oakengates pubs I’d cycled to during the summer of 1973.
You don’t often get jokes on beermats nowadays.
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Beer is a serious matter, Paul, especially on Discourse.
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But one gets a right bollocking nowadays for mentioning the 1970s on Discourse. It’s almost as serious as an attempt at humour.
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I don’t agree with every point you make on Discourse, Paul (I’m sure that’s mutual !), but your intelligence and humour is totally wasted on that forum.
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I’d be very worried if you agreed with every point I make on Discourse.
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I’d say 9.3 out of 10 at best.
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The North West Museum of Road Transport is nearer the station but closed for maintenance until the Fourth of Feb..
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Thanks.
I noticed at least one potential new GBG entry advertising cask on the walk back to the station (the Lamb) so I expect I’ll get a chance to visit that museum soon enough. Blackpool Jane is the expert at finding these sort of gems !
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I think the Lamb used to be called the Olde England.
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Ah, that WAS in the GBG a decade ago. Looked good.
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Not to be confused with the Wooden Walls of Old England at Collingtree we stopped off at in 2006 ?
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Might their main exhibit be a 1970s Leyland tanker resplendent in Bass Charrington livery, a once familiar sight on the M6 delivering “chemical fizz” to kegging depots far and wide ?
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