PEOPLE from across St Helens and surrounding areas are invited to view a "heritage icon of the glass industry".

There is a rare chance to see and touch No: 7 Bottle Shop - Cannington Shaw, in St Helens on Saturday as part of Heritage Open Day celebrations.

The remains are what was once the largest glass bottle manufacturing site in the world, say glass enthusiasts.

It is believed by Historic England to be the most "intact example of a late 19th century Bottle Shop".

A notice on the Heritage Open Days website states: "On Saturday, September 7 2024 the public will have a chance to enter the compound and view this incredible piece of industrial archaeology for the first time in over 50 years.

An aerial view of Cannington Shaw Bottle Shop

"Opened in 1886 and one of the first of its kind anywhere in the world, No: 7 helped to pave the way forward in glass melting technology, utilising a process invented by Friedrich Siemens and patented in the UK in 1856.

"To celebrate, the Cannington Shaw Preservation Trust CIC will be hosting two Heritage Open Days, providing a talk at regular intervals to showcase the rich history and heritage of what is a scheduled monument and grade 2 listed structure, highlighting the technological advancement the building embodies, as well as giving an insight into the people that worked there. The Trust will be backing this up with workshops, stalls and fun for the children.

"Don't miss this rare opportunity to look behind the fence at one of the technological marvels of the industrial revolution and get a feel of what it was like to work there."

Tours take place on Saturday, September 7 September between 10am and 4pm.

No: 7 Bottle Shop - Cannington Shaw is approached via entering the Tesco car park and proceeding directly across it to the far corner, to the left of the Tesco Superstore as you look at it. Contact on the day is John Tabern.