HERE are a couple of teasing yedscratters to set the grey matter in motion. Firstly, Peter Rutherford, one-time manager of St Helens Town, tells us that he faintly recalls that an old St Helens watering hole once had a display of glass walking sticks (they were apparently made at the Pilkington glassworks). But he can't for the life of him remember which pub this was.

Peter now wonders if any long-memoried customer of this column can put him out of his agony by naming that particular pit-stop.

And Alan Warren of Billinge clocks in with yedscratter number-two.

He wonders if anyone can say just how many public timepieces used to be on view in the St Helens town centre area. And he'd like the locations listed.

Alan has come up with an amazing dozen clocks once familiar to shoppers and passersby, including such obvious ones as those atop the town hall, Lowe House Church and Beechams old head office. Multiple-faced clocks, such as the town hall, count as one; and timepieces inside pubs don't count at all.

As yet, Alan is not prepared to reveal all. So can anyone add to the above mentioned three? And perhaps, indeed, improve on Alan's own12-strong checklist.

IF so, please take the time to drop me a line at: Whalley's World, St Helens Star, YMCA Buildings, Duke Street, St Helens WA10 2HZ.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.