My-Formby.co.uk

Formby

The 'by' at the end of Formby suggests a Viking origin, although signs of settlement have been found predating this. On the beach, erosion has revealed footprints of neolithic animals and humans preserved in the layers of sand and mud dating back to approximately 2000BC.

Formby was originally spelt Fornebei, translating as "village belonging to Forni". Forni was a well known Norse family name. It is thought that it was in the middle of the 9th Century when Vikings mainly from Denmark invaded England. It was from Ireland in about 960 AD that these Vikings first came to the west coast of Lancashire, first trading or raiding and then settling. Tradition says that the Viking invaders failed to defeat the native Anglo-Saxons on the coast of Formby so they sailed inland, up the river Alt, and attacked from the rear. It is more probable that the Viking invaders simply found that the area was thinly populated so they took control without any blood being shed.

Formby Hall

Formby Hall is a Grade II listed building dating back to 1523, traditionally being the home of the Lords of the Manor. It is situated next to the Formby Hall Golf Club hidden in a secluded woodland. It was originally built for William Formby, but it is believed that the land has been with the Formby family from as early as the 12th Century. The Hall has changed hands many times over the years, with various modifications and adjustments to the original structure taking place. Formby Hall has traditionally been handed down through the generations of the Formby family, but this stopped in 1958 when Col. John Fredrick Lonsdale Formby died and whilst both his sons had died in WWII, the Hall was inherited by an Australian Nephew who unfortunately left the site to fall into disrepair.

Since then, renovation work has taken place to restore the Hall to its former glory, by a local businessman, Mike McComb.

Lifeboat Station

Formby beach is the location of the first lifeboat station in the UK and perhaps the world, which gives Lifeboat Road its name. Whilst no one is entirely sure when the Lifeboat station was first established, as records from that period are largely unrecoverable, it’s possible the station could have been established as early as 1771 by Aaron Jackson but certainly by 1776. The foundations of the lifeboat station building remain on the beach. The station was rebuilt in 1793, about 100 yards inland and above high water but is now submerged by the tide. The last launch took place in 1916, when the Lifeboat station was finally closed. It was used as a cafe on the beach from 1918 until its demolition in 1965 leaving us with little more than outlining bricks buried in the sand. The remains of Formby's lifeboat station can be found about half a mile down the coast from Formby Point.