Liverpool , 4 miles (6.4 km) to the east of St Helens , 5 miles (8.0 km) to the north of Warrington and 7 miles (11.3 km) to the south of Wigan . Contents 1 History 1.1 Railway town 1.2 Governance 2 Geography 3 Two town centres 4 Transport 5 Notable people [ edit ] History Newton-le-Willows