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August 2008 Archives

Thomas Formby - press ganged - twice!

Posted by Cliff Birchall on August 21, 2008 9:59 AM

VICTORIAN England is our destination this week, thanks to Fr Geoghegan of Herbert House.
Fr Geoghegan told Times Past the wonderful story of his relative, Thomas Formby, who was born in 1827, and famous for being press ganged - twice!
On the first occasion he fell victim to the mob in Formby, and on the second he ended up on a ship destined for Australia.
Fr Geoghegan said: "He then jumped ship, although he still ended up in Australia. He was caught up in the country's gold fever, and later returned to Formby with his new-found wealth. I think he bought the pub with his gold money."
The pub in question was The Railway in Formby.
Fr Geoghegan also provided Times Past with a remarkable photograph of Thomas Formby, sitting outside The Railway. If you know anymore about the history of the pub, or of Thomas Formby, please get in touch.
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Thomas Formby, sitting outside The Railway in Formby
If you can tell us any more about this story, or about any of the other pictures, write to Tom Duffy at Times Past, Formby Times, 17 Elbow Lane, Formby L37 4AD, phone 872237 or email newsdesk@formbytimes.co.uk
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Were you one of these babes in arms? Let us know.
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Were you among the cast? Let us know.

Nothing is as it seems at Tower Grange

Posted by Cliff Birchall on August 14, 2008 11:09 AM

By Tom Duffy, Formby Times

TOWER Grange is the perfect paradox in that its beauty is matched only by the mystery that surrounds it.

The property is currently home to Maureen Griffiths, who lives there with her daughter Ruth, son-in-law Steve and grandson Jack. The grade II listed property seems to be the perfect family home, with exposed timber beams and a sweeping garden.

However, as Maureen pointed out: "In this house, nothing is as it seems."

Although Tower Grange is obviously a period property, perhaps it has just a little too much history. The house is mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was commissioned in 1085 by William the Conqueror.

And Maureen and Ruth provided records on the house which suggests it belonged to Whalley Abbey in the 13th Century. The Reverend Thomas Woolfale, who was the Vicar of Formby, used it is a grange in the 16th Century, and described it as "an ancient building, old and ruinous."

However, Tower Grange has another, more sinister thread to its history. A priest hole exists between it and the house next door, and the skeleton of a cleric was reputedly discovered in it. It is the ghost of this man which reportedly haunts the house, contributing to Tower Grange's dark side.

Today, Tower Grange is no more than a beautiful family home. However, its strangeness is profound, and even extends to the garden which sits behind the house. From this location the property seems to morph into another house completely, which is odd to say the least. Perhaps the final word should go to Maureen,who knows Tower Grange as well as anyone: "I call it the crooked house, because that is what it is."

Building's history

TOWER Grange is actually two houses. The original property is on the left of the drive, with a lounge on the ground floor and bedroom above it. In 1904, an architect named Atkinson began the extension which today forms the rest of the house. However, the work done was unusual to say the least.

The owner forbade the builders to use plumb levels, and insisted on eccentric features such as trap doors, secret passages and cupboards with windows. In parts it almost feels like a chocolate house, which is slowly starting to melt.

However, it seems that Mr Atkinson was not the only "character" to have lived in Tower Grange.

Local historians are sure that a Professor Garstang lived there around the turn of the last century. He apparently made exotic trips to Egypt, to take part in archeological digs, and filled the house with a bizarre array of finds and artefacts.

And this only added to the house's reputation in Formby, particularly among cleaning girls and tradesmen who visited the property.

Ghostly goings-on

WHEN Maureen moved into the house 20 years ago, a painting of the ghost was already on the wall.

Fortunately, this is the closest anyone in the family has come to meeting the metaphysical. However, a couple of years ago Maueen was visited by a "ghostbuster," complete with a machine that measured "something in the air."

Maureen said: "Apparently his machine recorded something odd in the atmosphere."

Although Maureen has not had a direct encounter with the ghostly cleric, she knows someone who has. Around 15 years ago she was disturbed late at night by her then neighbour, Mena, who lived in the house which shares the priest hole.

The woman was distraught, and claimed to have seen the ghost at the foot of her bed. Needless to say, when Maureen returned to the neighbouring property with Mena, the only people in the house were the two women.

Ruth also remembers that Mena's dog, called Berkley, loathed the house and spent most of its life seeking refuge in Tower Grange.
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The painting of the ghostly presence at Tower Grange

Formby Mill

Posted by Cliff Birchall on August 8, 2008 3:19 PM

DR Reg Yorke of Formby Civic Society has kindly provided Times Past with more information on the old windmill.
It seems the society knows rather a lot about the old mill, from the name of the owner to the various tenants that lived in it. We now know the freehold belonged to Reverend Richard Formby in 1792. And the various tenants that lived in the mill included Peter Travis, John Lowe, Richard Meadow, Robert Rimmer, William Hargraves and John Robinson.
And the society even provided some detail on one of the tenancy agreements. It seems Richard Travis, who took the lease out in 1792, was required to:"Keep a Pointer or other dog after he becomes resident in Formby.....and agrees to sell to the said Richard Formby all the meal seeds, bran, wheat and grain produced by the mill."
The structure was demolished in the late 1880's, and was replaced with a steam powered mill on Cable Street. The civic society also think there may be evidence of the old structure in and around its site on Old Mill Lane. There may be remants of circular paving, stout posts, foundation beams or mill stones. And if you live on Old Mill Lane and spot anything unusual in the house or garden, please get in touch.
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Formby's old mill was demolished in the late 1880s
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Dr Reg Yorke of Formby Civic Society with his presentation on the old mill

Civic Society catches up with the Formby Times' old news

Posted by Cliff Birchall on August 5, 2008 10:27 AM

SEARCHING for reports of sandwinning, the Formby Civic Society's Anthea Royden and Pat McGregor began looking at old copies of the Formby Times on microfiche at Formby Library. Beginning at 1920, it was immediately apparent to them that the paper in those days was very different to today's.

IN 1920 the Formby Times consisted of four pages only, it cost one old penny and was published every Saturday. The appearance of the paper was not inviting. Each page was densely filled with small print; there were a few main headlines at the top of each page but no subsidiary headings, the different news items being separated only by a small space, with sometimes a dash.
There were no advertisements, in fact nothing to liven up the page and attract one's eyes. It was impossible to scan the page quickly for a particular topic, as every paragraph had to be scrutinised to find out its subject matter.
The topic reported reflected the character of Formby in the 1920s. It was still largely rural, so people read about the effects of drought or flooding on the growing crops, the possible threat of the dreaded potato blight, or rumours of nearby cattle sickness. The Poultry Club published a bulletin each week.
Many Formby residents travelled to Liverpool or Manchester to work each day, so the performance of the Railway Service was of great interest. There were reports of train breakdowns and cancellations, the shocking increase in the price of fares, and the occasional derailment or collision.
Gas was manufactured locally, so the price of gas was often mentioned. The activities of the local gentry were considered newsworthy, and there were frequent accounts of the doings of the families from Formby Hall, Little Crosby, Croxteth or Knowsley, perhaps setting off on holiday to the Continent (something rare in those days) or going down to London for an important social occasion.
A regular feature which ran for several years was the serialisation of novels. None of these were familiar and seemed to be either blood-and-thunder stories or romances in the style of Mills and Boon. The episodes took up almost the whole of one page, sometimes the front page, which seems a very strange choice. Later on the back page became their usual home. They were eventually ousted by the growing volume of sports news.
Another long-running regular feature was Quentin Quiz's article, which started in the late 1930s. The writer portrayed himself as an elderly busybody trundling round Formby in a bathchair, poking his nose into everything and criticising whatever met with his disapproval - holes in the road, dogs wandering loose, councillors who frequently missed committee meetings, the terrible price of coal.
You name it, Q.Q. had something to say about it. Occasionally, he gave praise, perhaps for a pretty garden which had caught his eye. People used to speculate about the true identity of Q.Q. The column was still running in the 1960s, by which time the original Q.Q. (as described by himself) must have been a centenarian!
Gradually the appearance of the paper became more attractive. More headings and sub-headings began to be used and, with the different news items more clearly separated and identified, the paper became easier to read. The first photos appeared (strangely, the first two we spotted were with obituaries) but they were of very poor quality for a long time. Advertisements began to appear - for many years the only one was for Broadbent's fashions. At sale times their advert took up a whole page.
World Ward Two came, bringing more news items to print, but also a shortage of paper. This was overcome by using even smaller print, so cramming an extra column on to each page, making nine columns instead of the usual eight.
The Formby Times now gave its readers news of ration books, and how to procure a new one, blackout transgressions, wartime recipes, and, of course, news of service personnel, perhaps home on leave or, sadly, sometimes reported missing.
The paper took both VE Day and VJ Day very much in its stride, hardly any mention apart from reporting on the various street parties that were held in celebration.
The paper shortage lasted for several years after the War, then gradually eased, and the Formby Times grew in size. In 1951 publication day changed to a Friday and the price went up to tuppence (two old pence). By the early 1960s the paper had changed to tabloid form, and the price had increased again to three old pence. Photographs were now plentiful and of much better quality and there were many advertisements of all kinds.
Pat and I ended our research in 1962, by which time the Formby Times was very much in the style it is today, albeit on a smaller scale. But it still cost only three old pence and was still published on a Friday

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Formby Times Past in the August 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.

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