Formby

Formby, near the coast of the Irish Sea, like Crosby was initially a Norse settlement. Halsall, Walton, and Poynton are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Fornebei’s’ three manors. The Formby area has an agricultural heritage and two of its industries were cockling and shrimp fishing. By 1872 Formby consisted of two chapelries, St Luke’s and St Peter’s and the area also included Ainsdale, Raven-Meols, Altcar and Birkdale. Today Formby is a town parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton and is famous for its community of red squirrels, its natterjack toads, and its beach and sand-dunes. The area is affluent, and property is much sought-after.