Formby, Merseyside
| Formby | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Red squirrel in Formby |
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 Formby
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| Formby shown within Merseyside | |
| Population | 22,419 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SD293074 |
| Civil parish |
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| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVERPOOL |
| Postcode district | L37 |
| Dialling code | 01704 |
| Police | Merseyside |
| Fire | Merseyside |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Formby is a civil parish and town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It has a population of approximately 25,000, measured at the 2011 Census as 22,419.
Historically in Lancashire, three manors are recorded in the Domesday Book under "Fornebei" as Halsall, Walton and Poynton. The town's early recorded industry points to cockle raking and shrimp fishing (in addition to arable ventures) last through into the 19th century. By 1872, the township and sub-district was made up of two chapelries (St. Peter and St. Luke), and contained Birkdale township, the hamlets of Ainsdale and Raven-Meols and Altcar parish. Formby was built on the plain adjoining the Irish Sea coast a few miles north of the Crosby channel where the sands afford shelter to the towns.
Formby is affluent with high owner-occupation and car ownership. Strong economic ties are retained with nearby Liverpool to which it acts as a dormitory town for some of its residents.
The greater area is a popular tourist destination during the summer months, with day trippers attracted to its beaches, sand dunes and wildlife - most particularly the endangered red squirrels and natterjack toads. The area is conserved by the National Trust, and designated a site of Specific Scientific Interest.
Erosion of sand on the beach at Formby is revealing layers of mud and sediment, laid down in the late Mesolithic to the late Neolithic, approximately 8,000 – 5,000 years ago, and covered in the early Bronze Age. These sediments often contain the footprints of humans and animals (red deer, roe deer, wild boar, wolf, aurochs) and birds (oystercatcher, crane and other waders) from that period. In June 2016, over 50 human footprints from 7000 years ago were uncovered on the beach.
The common place-name suffix -by is from the Scandinavian byr meaning "homestead", "settlement" or "village". The village of Formby was originally spelt Fornebei and means "the old settlement" or "village belonging to Forni". At that time Fornibiyum was also a well-known Norse family name. He could have been the leader of the invading expedition which took possession of this coast. Until its closure in 1998, Oslo Airport in Norway was situated in a town called Fornebu.
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Wikipedia