Windle is a suburb of St Helens, civil parish and ward of the metropolitan borough of the same name. The population of Windle was given as 10,690 at the 2011 Census. It was one of the original four townships alongside Eccleston, Parr and Sutton that merged to become St Helens. The name derives from Windy Hill.
History
Windleshaw Chantry, two engravings from the 19th century, and a photo of the remains in situ
Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the manor of Windle was historically recorded under variations such as Windhull in 1201, Wyndhill in 1320, and Wyndhyll, Wyndill, Wyndell, or Wyndle by the 16th century. The manor originally fell under the fee of the Warrington Barons until at least 1585, with Pain de Vilers recorded as the first baron. Vilers was disenfranchised by William de Ferrers, the Earl of Derby, to the benefit of William le Boteler from Warrington, leading to unsuccessful contesting claims by the Vilers family. Portions of Windle over the next three hundred years were divided between the local gentry families of Peter de Burnhull, Alan de Windle III, and Thurstan de Holand. The de Burnhull family married into the Gerard family from nearby Kingsley in Cheshire, who were the eventual inheritors of the land and title.
The present Windle Hall was built in 1782 and leased to Dr William Pilkington (whose sons founded the glassmaking firm) in 1795. The Pilkington family continued to live there until the death of Lady Mavis Pilkington in 1998.
Other significant families were the Colleys (or Cowleys), Hindleys, and Urmstons. The families of Harflynch and Eccles appear in the 16th century; and others of the neighbourhood, like the Byroms, Parrs, and Woodfalls, were also owners of land. Adam Martindale, a puritan divine born near Moss Bank in 1623, recorded daily life and events of the area in his diaries, describing the chapelry and family interactions.
18th-century Windle was originally constituted by the villages and areas of Cowley Hill, Gerards Bridge, Hardshaw, Islands Brow, Laffak, Moss Bank, Pocket Nook, Windle Ashes, and Windle Smithy. Hardshaw (or antiquated Hardsheigh), described as a berewick in the Domesday Book, was the site of The Chapel of St Elyn in Chapel Lane. The modern town of St Helens was formed around the Chapel of St Elyn that was located within the Hardshaw berewick since at least the 16th century.
In 1910, the area was said to cover 3,150 acres (12.7km2).
Governance
Windle is one of 18 wards in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens.
Until 1834 Windle was part of the ancient West Derby hundred before becoming part of the district of the Prescot Parish and Poor Law Union (as was much of St Helens). In 1834 St Helens was established as a Sub District before becoming a charter borough in 1868.
The Windle Parish was reduced as an official body in 1894 to allow for the creation of the St Helens Civil Parish. In 1934 it was again reduced. Windle falls under the remit of the unitary authority of St Helens Council, while Windle Parish Council retains authority for some local matters within the community.
Education
The local area includes several primary and secondary providers, some of which trace their lineage to early educational foundations in the borough.
Secondary education is provided by Cowley International College and De La Salle School. Cowley International College originally developed from the Cowley Schools, which were founded through a charitable bequest in 1716 by Sarah Cowley. Primary schools serving the area include Bleak Hill Primary School, Rivington Primary School, and St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School.
Transport
This historic boundary stone stands close to Windle Island.
The main access route linking Windle to St Helens town centre is the A570 (Rainford Road). The area is also intersected by the A580 (East Lancashire Road), which serves as a major connection between Liverpool and Manchester. The prominent A580/A570 Windle Island junction historically suffered from severe rush-hour traffic congestion, which led to a major £7m modernization program in 2019.
Entertainment and leisure
The area features extensive community leisure facilities across two primary locations on the border of the Windle and Dentons Green neighborhoods.
The council-run Queens Park Health & Fitness Centre, located on Boundary Road, features a 25-metre swimming pool, a sauna and steam room, a multi-station gym, and regular fitness classes operated under the local authority's Go Active brand. Built on the site of the former outdoor basketball courts immediately adjacent to the fitness centre is Soul Padel St Helens. Opened in November 2025 as Merseyside's first covered padel facility, the community hub features four canopy-covered court spaces and an accompanying clubhouse.
The nearby Ruskin Drive Sports Village provides an expansive private multi-sport complex. Its facilities include a gym, swimming pool, as well as a cricket, football, and rugby pitches.
Public open spaces in and directly bordering the area include Queens Park, Victoria Park, and Cowley Hill. The Bishop Road Playing Fields, formerly managed entirely as public open space, were transferred to local club ownership under a community asset transfer scheme by St Helens Borough Council in late 2025. The site was granted permission to become an official training and matchday ground integrated directly into the FC St Helens club system.
Sport
Windle is home to several of the town's sporting teams:
Liverpool St Helens FC, based at Moss Lane, is the oldest existing open rugby union club in the world, tracing its historical roots back to 1857.
St Helens Town Cricket Club and association football club St Helens Town AFC both play their home matches at the modern Ruskin Drive Sports Village.
FC St Helens is based at the Windleshaw Sports Ground on Windleshaw Road, with their main pitch designated as the Kay Welding Stadium.
Barker, T.C. & Harris, J.R. (1994) [1954]. A Merseyside Town in the Industrial Revolution: St. Helens, 1750–1900. Routledge. ISBN978-0-7146-4555-1.
Farrer, William & Brownbill, J (1907). A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3. Victoria County History. Victoria County History. Available online from British History Online
Fletcher, Mike (2002). Black Gold and Hot Sand: A History of St.Helens. Carnegie Publishing Ltd. ISBN978-1-85936-088-0.
Martindale, Adam (2008). The Life of Adam Martindale, Written By Himself. BiblioLife. ISBN978-0-559-40988-2.
