St Helens is a sizeable town in Merseyside with a population of about 117,000 and serves as the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough. Near the locality of Crank, the remains of the historic Rainford Delph Quarry—known locally as Crank Caverns—offer a glimpse of the area’s industrial past and a touch of rural character.
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St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England, with a population of 117,308, serving as the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough. In the nearby area of Crank, the remains of the Rainford Delph Quarry are known as Crank Caverns. These caverns consist of a vast network of old tunnels and caverns that were originally part of a sandstone quarry that began operation as early as 1700. The 1840s Ordnance Survey records the quarry as Rainford Old Delph, and the surrounding woodland was used as a game reserve by the Earl of Derby until 1939. During the Second World War the woodland became a storage facility for ammunition for the anti‑aircraft position at Crank. Today the caverns are still physically accessible from a nearby public footpath, though they lie on privately owned land and trespassing is technically required. The site remains a draw for generations of curious locals, many of whom have heard local myths and legends about the tunnels.