This week saw the death of Queen Elizabeth II bringing to an end her reign of over 70 years.
During her time on the throne, Her Majesty visited St Helens several times with the first of these royal visits coming in 1954. Local historian Stephen Wainwright recounted this visit saying: "In Queen Victoria's long reign of 63 years the monarch never once visited St Helens. However, the young Queen Elizabeth took only two and a half years from ascending the throne before making her first journey to the town.
"Mummy, Oh Mummy! She's Beautiful!" , was what one anonymous eight-year-old girl was quoted by the St Helens Reporter as having exclaimed upon sighting the Queen. The St Helens newspaper described how the 28-year-old had immediately taken to residents' hearts, with practically the whole of the population giving 'their beloved Sovereign and her husband a right Royal welcome'.
