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[[St. Helens]] is a large town on [[Merseyside]], [[England]]. It was an insignificant village on the South Lancashire Coalfield until the mid-eighteenth century, but the construction of a [[turnpike]] road to St Helens in 1746 and the opening of the Sankey Navigation, the first modern canal in [[Britain]], in 1762, made it an ideal site for industrial development. Its location on a coalfield, and close to the [[salt]] deposits of [[Cheshire]], allowed economical manufacture of chemicals and glass, and many large companies were set up in the growing town. St. Helens became a municipal borough in 1868. Just over a century later, in 1974, it was transferred from the traditional county of [[Lancashire]] to the newly formed metropolitan county of Merseyside, and its boundaries were enlarged to take in the surrounding towns of Newton-le-Willows, Haydock (famous for its racecourse, Haydock Park) and Billinge. The enlarged borough has a population of around 180,000 people, and retains a significant glass industry. It is also the home of [[St. Helens RFC]], one of the strongest [[Rugby League]] teams in Britain.

[[St. Helens]] is a large town on [[Merseyside]], [[England]]. It was an insignificant village on the South Lancashire Coalfield until the mid-eighteenth century, but the construction of a [[turnpike]] road to St Helens in 1746 and the opening of the Sankey Navigation, the first modern canal in [[Britain]], in 1762, made it an ideal site for industrial development. Its location on a coalfield, and close to the [[salt]] deposits of [[Cheshire]], allowed economical manufacture of chemicals and glass, and many large companies were set up in the growing town. St. Helens became a municipal borough in 1868. Just over a century later, in 1974, it was transferred from the traditional county of [[Lancashire]] to the newly formed metropolitan county of Merseyside, and its boundaries were enlarged to take in the surrounding towns of Newton-le-Willows, Haydock (famous for its racecourse, Haydock Park) and Billinge. The enlarged borough has a population of around 180,000 people, and retains a significant glass industry. It is also the home of [[St. Helens RFC]], one of the strongest [[Rugby League]] teams in Britain. The club has won the Challenge Cup ten times, World Club Challenge in 2001 and 2007. The club has also won Super League (Europe) a record six times.

 

 

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