Ever wondered why St Helens is world-renowned for its glass? Or why the North-West has the best Victorian glass anywhere in Britain?

One reason is the little-known link between Cheshire salt and glass production. In 2022, the United Nation is celebrating its International Year of Glass, and the Lion Salt Works’ new exhibition explores how, historically, Cheshire salt was one of the catalysts in the foundation of the region’s hugely successful glass industry.

Exploiting its early salt advantage, Pilkington Glass in St Helens went on to find the formula for creating perfect, flat glass production (float glass), which has made possible every glass skyscraper in the world. The Victorians introduced ecclesiastical and Town Hall stained glass schemes that are unrivalled in the UK. Even today, the North-West has not lost its pre-eminence in glass production with Encirc producing one in three of the glass bottles used in the UK. Later this year, Glass Futures, a multi-million pound sustainable glass research and development company, will be opening its huge new plant in St Helens and its new technologies will benefit glass producers nationally and internationally.