Results tagged “Formby” from Formby Times - Past

THE life-blood of Times Past is our readers' response, and this week is no exception.
S.G. Mclardy, who is one of the column's best friends, has provided some lovely background information to a photograph we ran on October 8.
Mr Mclardy remembers the snap as a chess players award ceremony in the PE hall at Ravenmeols School. And he spotted his brother, Ian David, third from right on the top row, holding on to the rope net. The second face he recognised was that of Peter Baden, his best friend, fifth from left on the bottom row.
And Mr Mclardy has not stopped there. He has told us that Ian, who is now nearly 50 years of age, became a civil servant in the health and safety department at Bootle Town Hall, and now works in the Formby branch of Waitrose.

And his school pal Peter, who lived on Castle Drive, was a good chess player and bird watcher. The Baden family, who were apparently very musical, later moved to Oxfordshire, and the friends lost touch.
And finally, thanks to John K. Rowlands, who has helped resolve a reader's 'Cairnie House' mystery. John spent a little time searching the records in Formby Library, and discovered the site of the old house, on Victoria Way.
He said: "All that is left of Cairnie House today is the original front wall. This site is now called Victoria Way, which is a group of private houses built around 20 years ago."

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.

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

Were you one of these babes in arms? Let us know.

Were you among the cast? Let us know.

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

TIMES Past is plunging in to the Middle Ages this week, with Father Geoghegan of Herbert House.

Parishioners of St Luke's Church in Formby will be familiar with the headstone of Richard Formby, which lies in the entrance to the church.

It arrived in 1840, after it was damaged in a fire at York Minster.

Father Geoghegan, who is a retired missionary priest, was sufficiently interested in it to visit York Minster last summer.

He searched for the original grave, and plou ghed through the Minster's formidable archive, to find out a little more about Richard Formby.

Richard was famous for being an armourer to King Henry IV.

Father Geoghegan established that he died on September 26, 1407, of the plague. It also seems that Richard was something of a celebrity, and famed for his height, strength and fighting ability.

In 2003 a poem was written in tribute to Richard by David Davies, as part of the Formby Hall Project. The final three stanzas read:

"When he died, Henry honoured his famous 'armiger',

And buried him with all ceremony in famous York Minster.

But his tomb-stone was cracked in the great Minster fire,

And now rests in Saint Luke's church not far from the choir.

And if ever you go there on a warm summer's night

When bats wing the air and owls give a fright

You may glimpse a dark figure among the tall trees

And hear a faint chuckle borne aloft on the breeze

Tis the ghost of our Richard walking forth in the pines

And thinking of King Henry in those far distant times.

So be not afraid when you see him pass by

He'll just give you a wink and a long drawn-out sigh."

Have you ever done any research on this headstone or know of other details about it? Or have you any more modern memories about Formby and its churches? Contact Tom Duffy at Times Past by phoning 872237, writing to Times Past, Formby Times, 17 Elbow Lane, Formby L37 4AD, or emailing newsdesk@formbytimes.co.uk

THE old photograph of Park Farm, which featured in Times Past on July 3, has unearthed some wonderful memories of Formby's farming past.
Mr S G McLardy has provided a rather touching account of the Suttons' life in Formby, after the demolition of the old farm off Ravenmeols Lane.
He remembers Ted, Tom and Dorothy Sutton. Ted Sutton had a farmhouse in Moss Side, where he was famous for his chickens and eggs.
Tom Sutton's farmhouse was off Kew Road, where he also kept poultry as well as cattle. In fact, Mr McLardy remembers seeing Tom manually plucking farm fowl, so he obviously took a hands-on approach.
During the 1980s he grazed cattle on land off Range Lane, which is today a National Nature Reserve.
Mr McLardy also stumbled across remnants of the Suttons' time in Formby while rambling on the dunes. He came across the two old milk bottles, both marked Sutton's - Park Farm.
The first bottle was in the sand of Ravenmeols Local Nature Reserve, and the second was discovered in a ditch by old St Luke's Church.
If you have any more information about either of these pictures, or about life in general in Formby in yesteryear, call Tom Duffy on 872237 or write to Times Past at Formby Times, 17 Elbow Lane, Formby L37 4AD or email newsdesk@formby times.co.uk

The Sutton family were tenants at Park Farm off Ravenmeols Lane Code NA

Pupils at Freshfield County Primary
MANY thanks to Tricia Barrett, who recognised a Times Past school days snap.
Tricia is well placed to describe the photograph, because she is in it!
We now know it was taken during the 1968-9 academic year at Freshfield County Primary, which is a little earlier than Times Past estimated.
There are still one or two faces she could not name but the line-up is (front row, from the left) ? ? Tricia Stead (now Barrett), ?, Kim Crossweight, ?, Lyne White, Linda Spencer, Lesley Kinsella, Jill True, Andrew Grayson.
Middle row: ?, Sheena McCollam, ?, ?, Jeffrey Short, Jacqueline Wright, Barbara Shaw, ?, Elizabeth Bradbury, Debra Owens, ?, Victoria Sharp.
Back row: Adrian Rowe, Ian Wood, Paul Rigby, Jeffrey ?, Helen Kitis, Martin Hope.
This week's photograph comes via Cape Town. John Linaker, who now lives in South Africa, was visiting friends and family in Formby, and kindly popped in with the snap below of St Peter's first XI football team.
Back row, from the left; McDonald, R Bradshaw, headmaster Russell Brown, Jimmy Tyrer, Joe Maguire, Brian Whitaker.
Middle row from the left; David Lovelady, Derrick Houghton, Roy Kellet, Bernard Proudlock and Frank Dickison.
Front row Roger Gardiner, John Livesly and Richard Sherman
If you have any additional information about either of these photographs, contact Tom Duffy at Times Past, Formby Times, 17 Elbow Lane, Formby L37 4AD, phone 872237 or email newsdesk@formbytimes.co.uk

DURING the summer of 1962, Formby musicians supported an unsigned Liverpool band at Southport’s Kingsway Club.
Only a year later its four young members were attracting such frenzied adulation a new term was coined – Beatlemania.
Their support act at the Kingsway was Chris and the Quiet Ones, a Formby quartet who had been part of the burgeoning Merseybeat scene since 1960.
Today, their frontman Chris Rimmer said he is not surprised the four Liverpudlians he shared a bill with in 1962 went on to become a global cultural phenomenon.
“They were meant to be,� he said of The Beatles, who he remembered as being “very nice lads and very talented�.
The Kingsway concerts were held in the venue's Marine Club, on its top floor.
Chris, 65, remembered: “Because a lot of the kids were under 18 they didn’t open the bar until afterwards.
“After the gig we sat and drank and jammed with them (The Beatles). We knew them quite well.�
“They were on the verge of going to Germany and there was talk of us going with them.�
Accompanying Chris as vocalist were the Quiet Ones – Barry Madden (drums), Ray O’Connell (rhythm guitar), George Eccles (lead guitar) and John White (bass).
All were from Formby and aged only in their mid or late teens, with Chris working as a farmer labourer and Ray still a schoolboy.
Southport was a regular destination for Chris and the Quiet Ones, who took their inspiration from the Merseybeat scene, plus 1950s favourites such as Buddy Holly, Cliff Richard and The Shadows.
The group played at venues including the resort’s YMCA, an underground cafe which then graced Lord Street and the since-demolished Palace Hotel in Birkdale.
Chris, who later worked as a lorry driver and builder, had starting singing with a local skiffle group in 1958.
Only months after the Kingsway gig with The Beatles he quit the Quiet Ones to marry Sandra and raise a family.
He said: “After I left and got married the group scene really burst open. Everybody seemed to be in a group. There was a lot of competition.�
Other bands that Chris, a grandfather of four, remembers on the Southport scene were: The Black Cats, The Undertakers, The Sandgrounders, The TeenBeats and Roy Storm and the Hurricanes.
Without Chris, the Quiet Ones morphed into Rhythm and Blues Incorporated and later became The Gems with Fender Ray.
Two years ago, Chris was re-united with ‘Fender’ Ray O’Connell and the duo play locally as Us 2, performing at pubs and bars and functions such as weddings.
“Music is my life,� said Chris. “I was very fortunate to be born in an era when I saw rock ’n’ roll at the beginning.�

Chris and the Quiet Ones at Formby Guild Hall, probably in 1962. From left: Barry Madden, Ray O’Connell, Chris Rimmer, George Eccles and John White Code NA

OUR LOOK back into the Formby of the 60s continues thanks to the discovery of more carefully saved Formby Times copies.
Starting with a feature that appeared in 1966, the average “Mr Formby� at this time had 1.2 children, owned his own home and commuted to a “white collar� job outside of Formby. A third of households had no car, but there were many one and two-car families already about.
Formby’s Mr Average had a home equipped with “a garage, a hot water tap, a fixed bath, an inside water closet and six rooms.�
The population had grown by 50% between 1961 and 1966 and this had resulted in some huge changes to the face of Formby.
According to one article, a long-awaited new school opened on Wicks Lane in September 1966, just in time for the new school year.
However the name of this school goes unmentioned. The article only tells us that builders and plumbers were still on site clearing up and the name of the school’s first headmaster.
When the article was written, headteacher Eric Kenyon had been in the job a week at the new school, working with his staff on administration and beginning to teach their new pupils.
If you know the name of the school, taught there or were a pupil, please get in touch with Times Past and tell us your memories.
A few years on, another newspaper article tells us that Formby’s population had boomed to the point where two comprehensive schools would soon be needed. The Divisional Education Officer for the area, told the Formby Times of their plans to provide a 10-form-entry school “together with provision for Roman Catholic pupils� by also providing a four-form-entry RC secondary school.
Farmers in the area were also extremely concerned about foot-and-mouth disease around this time. The local branch of the National Farmers’ Union postponed their annual ball and banquet so as to concentrate their efforts on stamping out the infection. The Milk Marketing Board were advising farmers to wash all milk churns with hot water and soda and to lay disinfected straw at all farm entrances.
In the same week as new school shoes entered the brand new school on Wicks Lane, a small business planned to clean up Formby. A small news article tells us that planning permission had been granted for a coin-operated launderette at 9a Duke Street.
If you have a tale for Times Past call Emma on 872 237, email newsdesk@formbytimes.co.uk or write to Formby Times, 17 Elbow Lane, Formby L37 4AD.

The lady holding the tray has been identified as Audrey Davis by a reader who is curious to know more. She guesses the people on this picture could be parents campaigning for a pool at Redgate or Woodlands School. Can you tell us more?

THE DAYS of Formby Council were fondly remembered when one reader recognised a Times Past picture.
Formby resident Shirley Childs wrote to us after spotting well-known political characters Mrs Wright, Bunty Williamson and Peggy Beeston in a photograph which appeared in our December 13 edition.
With them are some other well-known Formby residents who stopped for a chat with the canvassers at the same time the Formby Times photographer recorded the moment for posterity.
The snapshot captures the Conservative group, presumably as they were canvassing in Formby Village. Mrs Childs, who thinks the photograph was taken during the days of Formby Council, said: “Mrs Wright lived in Kings Road, on the corner with Phillips Lane. She was a stalwart of the Conservative Association.
“Bunty Williamson, who was a Lancashire County Councillor, a Sefton Councillor, and either an Altcar or Little Altcar Parish Councillor is on the picture next to Dennis Parker, brother of Roger Parker, who was a doctor.
“The lady speaking with them was known by many as ‘Bella the Bomber’ who worked at one of the local train stations. She had a husband called Charlie who always walked a few paces behind her. I remember she was always turning around and calling to him to catch up!
“The other familiar face is Mr Pope, whose first name could be Eddy. He was one of a family of brothers who had many electrical goods shops in Formby, Southport, Ormskirk etc, which were called ‘Pope Brothers’.
“Peggy Beeston is also on the picture. She was a Formby councillor for many years before becoming a Sefton councillor. I remember she was the mother of many children including triplets.�
Joan Rimmer, who also remembered many of the same people, added: “I remember that Peggy had seven children in total, including the triplets. Bunty Williamson must have been on Little Altcar Parish Council because Altcar Parish Council is too recent. I’m sure she was also a councillor for Southport as well.
“I don’t know Bella the Bomber’s real name – I don’t think anyone called her anything else. She was a porter at Freshfield Station and everyone who remembers her will also remember her husband Charlie, following behind her everywhere she went.�
Do you know how Bella got her nickname or remember any of these Formby faces? If you recognise anyone on this week’s photos or have a tale for Times Past call Emma on 872 237, email newsdesk@formbytimes.co.uk or write to Formby Times, 17 Elbow Lane, Formby L37 4AD.

CARTS which carried millions of tons of Formby sand provided a playground for young boys who years later still remember the bustle of industry.
Formby man Ray Mawdsley made contact this week to tell of the local businesses involved, as well as those who travelled for the best foundry sand in the country.
He said: “When I was at school in the early 1930s I used to play with Michael Burns who lived in Sutton Road. We used to go over the fields to the Power House where the diesel engine and trucks were left at the weekend.
“They were owned by a Southport man called Sherstone and tipped sideways, like coal trucks. We’d push one to the shore before riding it back to the Powerhouse.
“A lot of firms took sand from Formby – Woodwards, Harry and Bert Jones, West Point Sand & Lime, Bill Kellett, Stephen & Hooks, Masoms, Norman Hodgson, John Mawdsley and Turner Ardwick.
“Hadley Cutts came from Wolverhampton daily with an eight- wheeler lorry. They passed Cross Green at 10am – you could set your watch by them – and returned at 3pm. They said it was the finest sand in the country for the Midlands’ foundries.
“Woodwards was moving sand just after the Great War when Noel Woodward brought an ex-Army lorry. He had Gerry Norris as his second man who later became Director of Woodwards Garage, built on the fields where Tesco is now. Nobody knew why but the dual carriageway was built a few years later right in front of the petrol pumps.
“Woodwards took sand from the old lifeboat house, behind St Luke’s Church and Range Lane. West Point Sand & Lime had the first eight-wheel tipper. I remember the driver Walter Edwards, who lived next door to me in Phillips Lane, bringing it home and everyone came out to look.
“Bob Smith, who worked for Kellets, showed me a gold watch he had found 15-20ft down in sand by the boat house. He wound it up and it still worked.
“Joe Norris lived in the boat house, he made bike racks with driftwood and charged 2d a day. He would give you a ticket and stick one on the seat of your bike. He also supplied jugs of tea and cups with a tray. Behind the boat house was a tall building with small living quarters. It belonged to the Mersey Dock and Harbour Board. Joe Aindow and his brother used to read the tide times for the company.
“To make the roadway to the beach down Range Lane, Woodwards tipped tons of black lumps which shined like glass. we used to call it Pitch but we never found out what it was. My grandson brought some large pieces home some weeks ago, so it is still there.�
If you have a tale for Times Past, or recognise one of our photographs, post a comment or email emma.cruces@liverpool.com

Were you a flower girl? A familiar landscaper? Stiltons of memories to tell? Were you a dancing queen? Did they have some get up and go-go?