FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 10 - 16 JUNE 1974
This week's many stories include the first ever strike at Rainhill Hospital, the pay dispute at a Parr clothing factory, the unfit homes in Herbert Street, St Julie's annual gala, St Helens Council serve a prohibition notice on Fibreglass after the escape of a cloud of gas and Rainford Rates Action Group take the council to court seeking a rates reduction.
We begin on the 10th with an advert in the Liverpool Echo for Moneysave, who claimed to be "one of Britain's leading discount store groups". They were planning to open a store on Merton Bank Road in St Helens in early August and were recruiting staff.
Full-time female checkout operators and shelf fillers could earn £18 per week at the age of 20, with their part-time equivalents earning 40p per hour. Girls and boys undertaking Saturday work aged at least 16 would receive £3 a day. It must have been a decent-sized operation as a canteen lady was also wanted, although no cooking was involved.
On the 10th the second day of the first ever strike at Rainhill Hospital took place, with over 1,000 nurses walking out in a pay dispute. There had been fears that the two 12-hour strikes would lead to the whole hospital needing to close and cause a mass evacuation of patients. But in the end the two unions involved decided to leave behind a skeleton staff as emergency cover.
However, a few wards did still shut with their patients temporarily moved to other parts of the hospital. During the morning local GPs came in to hand out the medication that was normally distributed by the nursing staff. And ambulance drivers showed their support by not admitting any patients other than emergency cases.
Another pay dispute was affecting clothing factory Northgate on the Parr Industrial Estate. Over 700 female machinists, pressers, packers and examiners had been out on strike since last Friday. They were demanding the £1.20 pay rise that had recently been awarded to seven million other workers in the country under what was termed a "threshold" agreement.
Formerly known as J. & P. Jacobs, in June 1972 Northgate had a curious advert in the St Helens Reporter. Next to a satanic illustration were the words "Ladies Can I Tempt You To A DEVIL Of A Good Job At Northgate". The firm claimed to be the leading manufacturer of St Michael garments, the brand that Marks & Spencer adopted between 1927 and 2000. However, on the 11th of this week the St Helens Newspaper stated that the average take-home pay for a girl of 18 at Northgate was only £13.
The Oldham Tinkers (pictured above) performed at the St Helens Theatre Royal on the 12th. One of the folk group’s most popular songs was "A Mon Like Thee" which had been written by Edmund Hill of St Helens just before the outbreak of WW1. He was a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs.
Leathers Chemicals was not the only works in the town that was being blamed for discharges of noxious gases into the atmosphere. It was announced this week that St Helens Council intended to serve a prohibition notice on Fibreglass after there had been an escape of a cloud of fumes. Brian Douglas, the Principal Public Health Inspector for St Helens, said:
"The fumes were obnoxious, a nasty irritating smell. It went straight across Prescot Road to the West Park area and towards Taylor Park." Issuing a prohibition notice meant that the council could take immediate action against Fibreglass if the discharge occurred again. Mr Douglas blamed the discharge on "gross errors of negligence" within the factory.
St Helens Corporation would often issue compulsory purchase orders on houses deemed unfit to live in. However, some of the residents with a long attachment to their homes would disagree with the ruling and appeal against the order to the Government. A public inquiry was then held in St Helens Town Hall and an inspector would hear the evidence, inspect some of the houses and then later report back with a decision – which almost always went in favour of the Corporation.
This week such an inquiry was held into 35 properties in Herbert Street in Sutton. James Webster, a senior housing inspector, told an inspector for the Department of the Environment that each house in the clearance area was well below a reasonable standard of fitness and it was impractical to bring them up to standard.
Mr Webster listed dampness, sagging roofs, bulging chimney stacks and dark, winding staircases among the defects in the 70-year-old homes. And Dr Julian Baines, the St Helens Medical Officer of Health, submitted a written statement, which declared the houses unfit for human habitation and called for their demolition.
However, owner occupier John Morley of 109 Herbert Street told the adjudicating inspector: "If my house isn't up to standard, then 90% of the houses in St. Helens aren't. The structural foundations are sound." The Ferguson Trust owned half of the homes in Herbert Street and objected to the redevelopment plans but said they would rely upon the inspector's own inspection to support their case. A decision on the appeal would be made within the next few weeks.
The local government reorganisation and high rates of inflation had led to a big rise in St Helens' rates. In March while describing how residents' bills were set to go up by between 42 and 60%, the St Helens Reporter quoted Cllr Len Williams. He was the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, which had decided to make the large increase.
Cllr Williams admitted: "This is a shocking budget", but he explained to the paper that they felt they had no other option. But the Rainford Rates Action Group thought otherwise. On the 14th of this week the Reporter revealed that they were taking St Helens Council to the Crown Court in a unique challenge to try and get a general rates reduction. The group were invoking the little-known Section 7 of the General Rate Act, which says that any person aggrieved by their rates can appeal against them. The Reporter said the action had come as a bombshell to St Helens Corporation.
Ratepayer groups from all over the country were closely watching the forthcoming court case, as it was believed to be the first time that the section had been used to try and get a reduction. Len Scott of Norwood Grove in Rainford had first looked up the Act after being tipped off about it. But the maths teacher insisted that they were not being "bloody minded" but felt the council had exceeded reasonable limits with its rates rise.
The Reporter also described the recent St Julie's Gala Day in Eccleston. A donkey derby used to be a fixture of the annual event but the organisers had moved with the times and 'It's A Knockout' was now the gala's highlight. It was a good move to bring in local schools to participate in the competition, as many of their parents would go to watch, boosting the attendance.
The six schools included Bleak Hill Junior, Eccleston Mere Junior and St Luke's of Knowsley Road with the cup winners being St Julie's Junior Mixed and Infants. The event was held on St Julie's playing field and began with a parade from the church featuring over 300 children. The attractions at the gala included pony rides, stalls, games, a playground and a chance to travel in a vintage car.
In November 1973 the Reporter had described how "one of Rainhill's worst eyesores" would soon disappear when a number of derelict properties on Warrington Road were demolished. The two shops and a row of cottages opposite the Victoria Hotel were set to come down as part of a redevelopment scheme. The site had been vacant for ten years and had become a target for vandals, with windows and boards smashed and slogans daubed on walls.
However, this week the Reporter stated that there seemed little likelihood of the work starting in the near future. The Clerk to Rainhill Parish Council told the paper that a planning application for a supermarket and two shop units had been submitted to St Helens Council but little progress had so far been made on the scheme.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Langtree Street engineering firm that fired a metal bolt through a woman's bedroom window, the concerns over a stagnant brook off Berrys Lane and Sutton Harriers clubhouse is described as the last outpost to hell.
We begin on the 10th with an advert in the Liverpool Echo for Moneysave, who claimed to be "one of Britain's leading discount store groups". They were planning to open a store on Merton Bank Road in St Helens in early August and were recruiting staff.
Full-time female checkout operators and shelf fillers could earn £18 per week at the age of 20, with their part-time equivalents earning 40p per hour. Girls and boys undertaking Saturday work aged at least 16 would receive £3 a day. It must have been a decent-sized operation as a canteen lady was also wanted, although no cooking was involved.
On the 10th the second day of the first ever strike at Rainhill Hospital took place, with over 1,000 nurses walking out in a pay dispute. There had been fears that the two 12-hour strikes would lead to the whole hospital needing to close and cause a mass evacuation of patients. But in the end the two unions involved decided to leave behind a skeleton staff as emergency cover.
However, a few wards did still shut with their patients temporarily moved to other parts of the hospital. During the morning local GPs came in to hand out the medication that was normally distributed by the nursing staff. And ambulance drivers showed their support by not admitting any patients other than emergency cases.
Another pay dispute was affecting clothing factory Northgate on the Parr Industrial Estate. Over 700 female machinists, pressers, packers and examiners had been out on strike since last Friday. They were demanding the £1.20 pay rise that had recently been awarded to seven million other workers in the country under what was termed a "threshold" agreement.
Formerly known as J. & P. Jacobs, in June 1972 Northgate had a curious advert in the St Helens Reporter. Next to a satanic illustration were the words "Ladies Can I Tempt You To A DEVIL Of A Good Job At Northgate". The firm claimed to be the leading manufacturer of St Michael garments, the brand that Marks & Spencer adopted between 1927 and 2000. However, on the 11th of this week the St Helens Newspaper stated that the average take-home pay for a girl of 18 at Northgate was only £13.
Leathers Chemicals was not the only works in the town that was being blamed for discharges of noxious gases into the atmosphere. It was announced this week that St Helens Council intended to serve a prohibition notice on Fibreglass after there had been an escape of a cloud of fumes. Brian Douglas, the Principal Public Health Inspector for St Helens, said:
"The fumes were obnoxious, a nasty irritating smell. It went straight across Prescot Road to the West Park area and towards Taylor Park." Issuing a prohibition notice meant that the council could take immediate action against Fibreglass if the discharge occurred again. Mr Douglas blamed the discharge on "gross errors of negligence" within the factory.
St Helens Corporation would often issue compulsory purchase orders on houses deemed unfit to live in. However, some of the residents with a long attachment to their homes would disagree with the ruling and appeal against the order to the Government. A public inquiry was then held in St Helens Town Hall and an inspector would hear the evidence, inspect some of the houses and then later report back with a decision – which almost always went in favour of the Corporation.
This week such an inquiry was held into 35 properties in Herbert Street in Sutton. James Webster, a senior housing inspector, told an inspector for the Department of the Environment that each house in the clearance area was well below a reasonable standard of fitness and it was impractical to bring them up to standard.
Mr Webster listed dampness, sagging roofs, bulging chimney stacks and dark, winding staircases among the defects in the 70-year-old homes. And Dr Julian Baines, the St Helens Medical Officer of Health, submitted a written statement, which declared the houses unfit for human habitation and called for their demolition.
However, owner occupier John Morley of 109 Herbert Street told the adjudicating inspector: "If my house isn't up to standard, then 90% of the houses in St. Helens aren't. The structural foundations are sound." The Ferguson Trust owned half of the homes in Herbert Street and objected to the redevelopment plans but said they would rely upon the inspector's own inspection to support their case. A decision on the appeal would be made within the next few weeks.
The local government reorganisation and high rates of inflation had led to a big rise in St Helens' rates. In March while describing how residents' bills were set to go up by between 42 and 60%, the St Helens Reporter quoted Cllr Len Williams. He was the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, which had decided to make the large increase.
Cllr Williams admitted: "This is a shocking budget", but he explained to the paper that they felt they had no other option. But the Rainford Rates Action Group thought otherwise. On the 14th of this week the Reporter revealed that they were taking St Helens Council to the Crown Court in a unique challenge to try and get a general rates reduction. The group were invoking the little-known Section 7 of the General Rate Act, which says that any person aggrieved by their rates can appeal against them. The Reporter said the action had come as a bombshell to St Helens Corporation.
Ratepayer groups from all over the country were closely watching the forthcoming court case, as it was believed to be the first time that the section had been used to try and get a reduction. Len Scott of Norwood Grove in Rainford had first looked up the Act after being tipped off about it. But the maths teacher insisted that they were not being "bloody minded" but felt the council had exceeded reasonable limits with its rates rise.
The Reporter also described the recent St Julie's Gala Day in Eccleston. A donkey derby used to be a fixture of the annual event but the organisers had moved with the times and 'It's A Knockout' was now the gala's highlight. It was a good move to bring in local schools to participate in the competition, as many of their parents would go to watch, boosting the attendance.
The six schools included Bleak Hill Junior, Eccleston Mere Junior and St Luke's of Knowsley Road with the cup winners being St Julie's Junior Mixed and Infants. The event was held on St Julie's playing field and began with a parade from the church featuring over 300 children. The attractions at the gala included pony rides, stalls, games, a playground and a chance to travel in a vintage car.
In November 1973 the Reporter had described how "one of Rainhill's worst eyesores" would soon disappear when a number of derelict properties on Warrington Road were demolished. The two shops and a row of cottages opposite the Victoria Hotel were set to come down as part of a redevelopment scheme. The site had been vacant for ten years and had become a target for vandals, with windows and boards smashed and slogans daubed on walls.
However, this week the Reporter stated that there seemed little likelihood of the work starting in the near future. The Clerk to Rainhill Parish Council told the paper that a planning application for a supermarket and two shop units had been submitted to St Helens Council but little progress had so far been made on the scheme.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Langtree Street engineering firm that fired a metal bolt through a woman's bedroom window, the concerns over a stagnant brook off Berrys Lane and Sutton Harriers clubhouse is described as the last outpost to hell.
This week's many stories include the first ever strike at Rainhill Hospital, the pay dispute at a Parr clothing factory, the unfit homes in Herbert Street, St Julie's annual gala, St Helens Council serve a prohibition notice on Fibreglass after the escape of a cloud of gas and Rainford Rates Action Group take the council to court seeking a rates reduction.
We begin on the 10th with an advert in the Liverpool Echo for Moneysave, who claimed to be "one of Britain's leading discount store groups".
They were planning to open a store on Merton Bank Road in St Helens in early August and were recruiting staff.
Full-time female checkout operators and shelf fillers could earn £18 per week at the age of 20, with their part-time equivalents earning 40p per hour. Girls and boys undertaking Saturday work aged at least 16 would receive £3 a day.
It must have been a decent-sized operation as a canteen lady was also wanted, although no cooking was involved.
On the 10th the second day of the first ever strike at Rainhill Hospital took place, with over 1,000 nurses walking out in a pay dispute.
There had been fears that the two 12-hour strikes would lead to the whole hospital needing to close and cause a mass evacuation of patients. But in the end the two unions involved decided to leave behind a skeleton staff as emergency cover.
However, a few wards did still shut with their patients temporarily moved to other parts of the hospital.
During the morning local GPs came in to hand out the medication that was normally distributed by the nursing staff.
And ambulance drivers showed their support by not admitting any patients other than emergency cases.
Another pay dispute was affecting clothing factory Northgate on the Parr Industrial Estate.
Over 700 female machinists, pressers, packers and examiners had been out on strike since last Friday.
They were demanding the £1.20 pay rise that had recently been awarded to seven million other workers in the country under what was termed a "threshold" agreement.
Formerly known as J. & P. Jacobs, in June 1972 Northgate had a curious advert in the St Helens Reporter.
Next to a satanic illustration were the words "Ladies Can I Tempt You To A DEVIL Of A Good Job At Northgate".
The firm claimed to be the leading manufacturer of St Michael garments, the brand that Marks & Spencer adopted between 1927 and 2000.
However, on the 11th of this week the St Helens Newspaper stated that the average take-home pay for a girl of 18 at Northgate was only £13.
The Oldham Tinkers (pictured above) performed at the St Helens Theatre Royal on the 12th. One of the folk group’s most popular songs was "A Mon Like Thee" which had been written by Edmund Hill of St Helens just before the outbreak of WW1. He was a composer of Lancashire dialect poems and songs.
Leathers Chemicals was not the only works in the town that was being blamed for discharges of noxious gases into the atmosphere.
It was announced this week that St Helens Council intended to serve a prohibition notice on Fibreglass after there had been an escape of a cloud of fumes.
Brian Douglas, the Principal Public Health Inspector for St Helens, said:
"The fumes were obnoxious, a nasty irritating smell. It went straight across Prescot Road to the West Park area and towards Taylor Park."
Issuing a prohibition notice meant that the council could take immediate action against Fibreglass if the discharge occurred again.
Mr Douglas blamed the discharge on "gross errors of negligence" within the factory.
St Helens Corporation would often issue compulsory purchase orders on houses deemed unfit to live in.
However, some of the residents with a long attachment to their homes would disagree with the ruling and appeal against the order to the Government.
A public inquiry was then held in St Helens Town Hall and an inspector would hear the evidence, inspect some of the houses and then later report back with a decision – which almost always went in favour of the Corporation.
This week such an inquiry was held into 35 properties in Herbert Street in Sutton.
James Webster, a senior housing inspector, told an inspector for the Department of the Environment that each house in the clearance area was well below a reasonable standard of fitness and it was impractical to bring them up to standard.
Mr Webster listed dampness, sagging roofs, bulging chimney stacks and dark, winding staircases among the defects in the 70-year-old homes.
And Dr Julian Baines, the St Helens Medical Officer of Health, submitted a written statement, which declared the houses unfit for human habitation and called for their demolition.
However, owner occupier John Morley of 109 Herbert Street told the adjudicating inspector: "If my house isn't up to standard, then 90% of the houses in St. Helens aren't. The structural foundations are sound."
The Ferguson Trust owned half of the homes in Herbert Street and objected to the redevelopment plans but said they would rely upon the inspector's own inspection to support their case.
A decision on the appeal would be made within the next few weeks.
The local government reorganisation and high rates of inflation had led to a big rise in St Helens' rates.
In March while describing how residents' bills were set to go up by between 42 and 60%, the St Helens Reporter quoted Cllr Len Williams.
He was the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, which had decided to make the large increase.
Cllr Williams admitted: "This is a shocking budget", but he explained to the paper that they felt they had no other option.
But the Rainford Rates Action Group thought otherwise. On the 14th of this week the Reporter revealed that they were taking St Helens Council to the Crown Court in a unique challenge to try and get a general rates reduction.
The group were invoking the little-known Section 7 of the General Rate Act, which says that any person aggrieved by their rates can appeal against them.
The Reporter said the action had come as a bombshell to St Helens Corporation. Ratepayer groups from all over the country were closely watching the forthcoming court case, as it was believed to be the first time that the section had been used to try and get a reduction.
Len Scott of Norwood Grove in Rainford had first looked up the Act after being tipped off about it.
But the maths teacher insisted that they were not being "bloody minded" but felt the council had exceeded reasonable limits with its rates rise.
The Reporter also described the recent St Julie's Gala Day in Eccleston.
A donkey derby used to be a fixture of the annual event but the organisers had moved with the times and 'It's A Knockout' was now the gala's highlight.
It was a good move to bring in local schools to participate in the competition, as many of their parents would go to watch, boosting the attendance.
The six schools included Bleak Hill Junior, Eccleston Mere Junior and St Luke's of Knowsley Road with the cup winners being St Julie's Junior Mixed and Infants.
The event was held on St Julie's playing field and began with a parade from the church featuring over 300 children.
The attractions at the gala included pony rides, stalls, games, a playground and a chance to travel in a vintage car.
In November 1973 the Reporter had described how "one of Rainhill's worst eyesores" would soon disappear when a number of derelict properties on Warrington Road were demolished.
The two shops and a row of cottages opposite the Victoria Hotel were set to come down as part of a redevelopment scheme.
The site had been vacant for ten years and had become a target for vandals, with windows and boards smashed and slogans daubed on walls.
However, this week the Reporter stated that there seemed little likelihood of the work starting in the near future.
The Clerk to Rainhill Parish Council told the paper that a planning application for a supermarket and two shop units had been submitted to St Helens Council but little progress had so far been made on the scheme.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Langtree Street engineering firm that fired a metal bolt through a woman's bedroom window, the concerns over a stagnant brook off Berrys Lane and Sutton Harriers clubhouse is described as the last outpost to hell.
We begin on the 10th with an advert in the Liverpool Echo for Moneysave, who claimed to be "one of Britain's leading discount store groups".
They were planning to open a store on Merton Bank Road in St Helens in early August and were recruiting staff.
Full-time female checkout operators and shelf fillers could earn £18 per week at the age of 20, with their part-time equivalents earning 40p per hour. Girls and boys undertaking Saturday work aged at least 16 would receive £3 a day.
It must have been a decent-sized operation as a canteen lady was also wanted, although no cooking was involved.
On the 10th the second day of the first ever strike at Rainhill Hospital took place, with over 1,000 nurses walking out in a pay dispute.
There had been fears that the two 12-hour strikes would lead to the whole hospital needing to close and cause a mass evacuation of patients. But in the end the two unions involved decided to leave behind a skeleton staff as emergency cover.
However, a few wards did still shut with their patients temporarily moved to other parts of the hospital.
During the morning local GPs came in to hand out the medication that was normally distributed by the nursing staff.
And ambulance drivers showed their support by not admitting any patients other than emergency cases.
Another pay dispute was affecting clothing factory Northgate on the Parr Industrial Estate.
Over 700 female machinists, pressers, packers and examiners had been out on strike since last Friday.
They were demanding the £1.20 pay rise that had recently been awarded to seven million other workers in the country under what was termed a "threshold" agreement.
Formerly known as J. & P. Jacobs, in June 1972 Northgate had a curious advert in the St Helens Reporter.
Next to a satanic illustration were the words "Ladies Can I Tempt You To A DEVIL Of A Good Job At Northgate".
The firm claimed to be the leading manufacturer of St Michael garments, the brand that Marks & Spencer adopted between 1927 and 2000.
However, on the 11th of this week the St Helens Newspaper stated that the average take-home pay for a girl of 18 at Northgate was only £13.
Leathers Chemicals was not the only works in the town that was being blamed for discharges of noxious gases into the atmosphere.
It was announced this week that St Helens Council intended to serve a prohibition notice on Fibreglass after there had been an escape of a cloud of fumes.
Brian Douglas, the Principal Public Health Inspector for St Helens, said:
"The fumes were obnoxious, a nasty irritating smell. It went straight across Prescot Road to the West Park area and towards Taylor Park."
Issuing a prohibition notice meant that the council could take immediate action against Fibreglass if the discharge occurred again.
Mr Douglas blamed the discharge on "gross errors of negligence" within the factory.
St Helens Corporation would often issue compulsory purchase orders on houses deemed unfit to live in.
However, some of the residents with a long attachment to their homes would disagree with the ruling and appeal against the order to the Government.
A public inquiry was then held in St Helens Town Hall and an inspector would hear the evidence, inspect some of the houses and then later report back with a decision – which almost always went in favour of the Corporation.
This week such an inquiry was held into 35 properties in Herbert Street in Sutton.
James Webster, a senior housing inspector, told an inspector for the Department of the Environment that each house in the clearance area was well below a reasonable standard of fitness and it was impractical to bring them up to standard.
Mr Webster listed dampness, sagging roofs, bulging chimney stacks and dark, winding staircases among the defects in the 70-year-old homes.
And Dr Julian Baines, the St Helens Medical Officer of Health, submitted a written statement, which declared the houses unfit for human habitation and called for their demolition.
However, owner occupier John Morley of 109 Herbert Street told the adjudicating inspector: "If my house isn't up to standard, then 90% of the houses in St. Helens aren't. The structural foundations are sound."
The Ferguson Trust owned half of the homes in Herbert Street and objected to the redevelopment plans but said they would rely upon the inspector's own inspection to support their case.
A decision on the appeal would be made within the next few weeks.
The local government reorganisation and high rates of inflation had led to a big rise in St Helens' rates.
In March while describing how residents' bills were set to go up by between 42 and 60%, the St Helens Reporter quoted Cllr Len Williams.
He was the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, which had decided to make the large increase.
Cllr Williams admitted: "This is a shocking budget", but he explained to the paper that they felt they had no other option.
But the Rainford Rates Action Group thought otherwise. On the 14th of this week the Reporter revealed that they were taking St Helens Council to the Crown Court in a unique challenge to try and get a general rates reduction.
The group were invoking the little-known Section 7 of the General Rate Act, which says that any person aggrieved by their rates can appeal against them.
The Reporter said the action had come as a bombshell to St Helens Corporation. Ratepayer groups from all over the country were closely watching the forthcoming court case, as it was believed to be the first time that the section had been used to try and get a reduction.
Len Scott of Norwood Grove in Rainford had first looked up the Act after being tipped off about it.
But the maths teacher insisted that they were not being "bloody minded" but felt the council had exceeded reasonable limits with its rates rise.
The Reporter also described the recent St Julie's Gala Day in Eccleston.
A donkey derby used to be a fixture of the annual event but the organisers had moved with the times and 'It's A Knockout' was now the gala's highlight.
It was a good move to bring in local schools to participate in the competition, as many of their parents would go to watch, boosting the attendance.
The six schools included Bleak Hill Junior, Eccleston Mere Junior and St Luke's of Knowsley Road with the cup winners being St Julie's Junior Mixed and Infants.
The event was held on St Julie's playing field and began with a parade from the church featuring over 300 children.
The attractions at the gala included pony rides, stalls, games, a playground and a chance to travel in a vintage car.
In November 1973 the Reporter had described how "one of Rainhill's worst eyesores" would soon disappear when a number of derelict properties on Warrington Road were demolished.
The two shops and a row of cottages opposite the Victoria Hotel were set to come down as part of a redevelopment scheme.
The site had been vacant for ten years and had become a target for vandals, with windows and boards smashed and slogans daubed on walls.
However, this week the Reporter stated that there seemed little likelihood of the work starting in the near future.
The Clerk to Rainhill Parish Council told the paper that a planning application for a supermarket and two shop units had been submitted to St Helens Council but little progress had so far been made on the scheme.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the Langtree Street engineering firm that fired a metal bolt through a woman's bedroom window, the concerns over a stagnant brook off Berrys Lane and Sutton Harriers clubhouse is described as the last outpost to hell.