Rainhill is situated in the north west of England, about 10 miles (16km) east of the city of Liverpool. It forms the southern-most portion of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens. To its southeast lies Halton in Cheshire and to the west and south the borough of Knowsley.
There was a settlement at Rainhill as early as the year 1190, when the spelling Raynhull was recorded. The creation of the turnpike road from Liverpool to Warrington in 1753 gave Rainhill a greater degree of importance as a coaching station on the route to London. The opening of the pioneering Liverpool Manchester Railway, following the world famous Rainhill Locomotive Trials of 1829, brought prosperity to the area.
During Victorian times residential areas grew around the village centre, and family run firms linked to the local watch-making, glass-making and coal industries began to thrive. In the 1930’s and, especially, the 1960’s and 70’s, residential estates surrounded the village, and Rainhill’s population soared.
Today, Rainhill has even better transport communications, situated as it is adjacent to the M62 motorway. The village centre is a conservation area. While industry is now almost absent from the township, arable farming is still an important feature. Many residents commute to work in neighbouring towns, especially Liverpool and St Helens.
Credit to The Story of Rainhill, by R and F Dickinson (Rainhill Civic Society, 2002)