The World of Glass
The World of Glass is St Helens explaining itself. The town went from nowhere in particular to a world leader in glassmaking, largely on the back of Pilkington, and the museum sits on Chalon Way East beside the stretch of canal known locally as the Hotties.
It opened in the March of 2000, a £14 million build paid for mainly by the Heritage Lottery Fund and European grants. It merged the old Pilkington Glass Museum collection with the council’s local history collection.
Two main galleries carry the load: Glass Roots covers glass itself, with objects going back as far as Ancient Egypt, and Earth into Light covers how the town rose on the strength of it. There are over 7,000 objects between them.
The real draw is the live glassblowing in the working hot shop, along with the Victorian furnace underneath the site. That furnace was the first continuous regenerative glassmaking furnace anywhere, built by William Windle Pilkington in 1887. You can walk through its underground tunnels. The Grade II listed Tank House stands outside.
The place came close to going under. A public crowdfunder and £286,000 from Arts Council England’s Museum Renewal Fund kept the doors open and it has since regained its museum accreditation and picked up further grants.
It is an independent charity rather than a council museum, which is worth knowing if you are deciding whether the entry money matters or not.
It is worth timing your visit, given that the International Festival of Glass runs on a yearly basis.
The Basics
- Where: Chalon Way East, St Helens, WA10 1BX
- Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays, 10:00 to 16:00. Closed Monday and Tuesday
- Admission: Museum entry is free, with glassblowing demonstrations charged separately. Prices need confirming
- Don’t miss: A glassblowing demonstration, and the 1887 furnace and tunnels underneath
- Also on site: St Helens lending library, a gift shop and a café
- Run by: The World of Glass (St Helens) Ltd, registered charity number 1006990