Saxon settlers and Viking invaders defined the early settlement of Formby on the coast of north-west England. The manors that made up the town and small port lived through the Norman Conquest and the Black Death, and it is here that the country’s first lifeboat station was set up, on its beach. But it was the coming of the railways in the nineteenth century that transformed the area, with easy access to Liverpool and new businesses attracted to the town, with large areas of housing built as a result. Today, Formby lies in Merseyside and is a commuter town for Southport and Liverpool and other towns in the conurbation. Many visitors are attracted to its beaches, sand dunes and nature reserves, which are still home to the now rare red squirrel and natterjack toad.

Illustrated throughout, this accessible historical portrait of the transformation that Formby has undergone through the ages will be of great interest to residents, visitors and all those with links to the town.