On a beautiful summer evening in June the Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust group and Local Council representatives, gathered at the site to celebrate the milestone achievement of the bottle shop being transferred into the ownership of the trust.
Restoring the bottle shop was among several projects to receive funding from the St Helens Town Deal Board, which succeeded in securing £25 million for the borough from the Governments Towns Fund initiative.
Taking ownership of the site is seen as a key part of the journey.
John Tabern, chair of the Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust, said:
“The transfer of the No: 7 Bottle Shop to the Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust is a significant step in the forward momentum of this project.
“Combined with the award from the Towns Fund, it gives the Trust credibility in its endeavours to procure further funding for the onward development and future sustainability of the site.
“When it opened in 1886 it was revolutionary and at the cutting edge of developing technology, we at the Trust hope to return the bottle shop to that status with ambitious plans.
“This will require hard work from those involved, but I’m confident that we can achieve this.” Joining the group to mark the occasion was the trust’s president Andy Reid and leader of St Helens Borough Council, David Baines, along with several other local representatives.
Bringing new life to site
War veteran Andy Reid MBE said:
“I’m kept regularly updated on progress, I know first-hand how hard they have worked on this to bring it to this point.
“I look forward to being part of the next phase as we start work on site to bring new life and purpose to this remarkable piece of history.”
The noteworthy occasion advances this key Town Deal project reflecting the heritage of St Helens Borough’s glass industry.
Councillor Richard McCauley, cabinet member for regeneration and housing, said: he was delighted to see the plans for this historic St Helens site taking shape.
He said:
“We look forward to seeing the project progress and deliver on our aims to transform our borough through the Town Deal Fund.
“Cannington is a very important part of the new and emerging research, innovation and manufacturing hub surrounding the new Glass Futures facility.”
