Formby Hall is located to the north-east of Formby in the English metropolitan county of Merseyside, in secluded woodland adjoining the Formby Hall Golf and Country Club. The present house, built for William Formby, dates back to 1523 but it is believed that the Formby family has occupied the site since the 12th century.
Over the years the hall has seen many owners and occupants. The Formby family lived at Formby Hall in a direct father-to-son line from the year 1110, with just a single break, when a cousin entered the line of succession.[1] Many modifications and additions have been made to the original building. For example, the battlements were added in the 18th century by John Formby who took inspiration from the Gothic-style architecture of Horace Walpole's home at Twickenham. In 1896, the hall was modernised by Colonel John Formby who added the West Wing drawing room.
20th centuryedit
During World War II, the hall was continuously occupied by army personnel, with up to 150 soldiers accommodated in the spacious rooms. In the summer of 1949, the hall was broken into in the early hours through a ground floor window, with thieves taking keys from a bedroom and ransacking drawers in an office. The owner, John Frederic Lonsdale, quoted that "I wish I weren't such a sound sleeper", believing that the burglar must have been someone very familiar with the house and its layout. Among some of the valuables taken were silver ashtrays, cameras and cash.[2]
The hall was inherited by successive generations of sons of the Lord of the Manor. This chain ended in 1958 upon the death of Colonel John Frederic[3] Lonsdale Formby whose sons had both died during the Second World War. The estate was inherited by an Australian nephew but then fell into disrepair. In the 1970s, John Moores Junior leased the hall and the lands and used it as a home to house children from the crowded areas of inner city Liverpool.
Dereliction and refurbishmentedit
By the 1980s, the hall was once again disused and fell into dereliction. After this, Richard Irving acquired the whole Formby estate. At that time it was a run down collection of derelict buildings and overgrown land. After two years he sold the Hall to another local businessman, who bought it as ‘site as seen’[clarification needed] without even conducting a survey and has since restored the hall to its former glory.
The remaining land was sold to other local businessmen who developed a golf course.
^"Enter the Danes". The Formby Times and Ainsdale and Altcar Advertiser. 11 September 1943. p. 4.
^"Thieves break into Formby Hall, Steal Valuable Silver". The Formby Times and Ainsdale and Altcar Advertiser. 2 July 1949. p. 1.
^Bonney, Tony (12 January 2015). "Portrait John Frederic Lonsdale Formby 2015 01 13 Grave at St Peter's Church Green Lane Formby Died 19th Dec 1958". Flickr. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
External linksedit
Formby Hall at Images of England, English Heritage
Formby Hall Golf Club adjacent championship golf course
January 01, 1970
formby, hall, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 2016,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Formby Hall news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message 53 34 48 N 3 02 31 W 53 580 N 3 042 W 53 580 3 042Formby Hall Logo 1977 Woodland at Formby Hall Formby Hall is located to the north east of Formby in the English metropolitan county of Merseyside in secluded woodland adjoining the Formby Hall Golf and Country Club The present house built for William Formby dates back to 1523 but it is believed that the Formby family has occupied the site since the 12th century Contents 1 Early years 2 20th century 3 Dereliction and refurbishment 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksEarly years editOver the years the hall has seen many owners and occupants The Formby family lived at Formby Hall in a direct father to son line from the year 1110 with just a single break when a cousin entered the line of succession 1 Many modifications and additions have been made to the original building For example the battlements were added in the 18th century by John Formby who took inspiration from the Gothic style architecture of Horace Walpole s home at Twickenham In 1896 the hall was modernised by Colonel John Formby who added the West Wing drawing room 20th century editDuring World War II the hall was continuously occupied by army personnel with up to 150 soldiers accommodated in the spacious rooms In the summer of 1949 the hall was broken into in the early hours through a ground floor window with thieves taking keys from a bedroom and ransacking drawers in an office The owner John Frederic Lonsdale quoted that I wish I weren t such a sound sleeper believing that the burglar must have been someone very familiar with the house and its layout Among some of the valuables taken were silver ashtrays cameras and cash 2 The hall was inherited by successive generations of sons of the Lord of the Manor This chain ended in 1958 upon the death of Colonel John Frederic 3 Lonsdale Formby whose sons had both died during the Second World War The estate was inherited by an Australian nephew but then fell into disrepair In the 1970s John Moores Junior leased the hall and the lands and used it as a home to house children from the crowded areas of inner city Liverpool Dereliction and refurbishment editBy the 1980s the hall was once again disused and fell into dereliction After this Richard Irving acquired the whole Formby estate At that time it was a run down collection of derelict buildings and overgrown land After two years he sold the Hall to another local businessman who bought it as site as seen clarification needed without even conducting a survey and has since restored the hall to its former glory The remaining land was sold to other local businessmen who developed a golf course See also editListed buildings in FormbyReferences edit Enter the Danes The Formby Times and Ainsdale and Altcar Advertiser 11 September 1943 p 4 Thieves break into Formby Hall Steal Valuable Silver The Formby Times and Ainsdale and Altcar Advertiser 2 July 1949 p 1 Bonney Tony 12 January 2015 Portrait John Frederic Lonsdale Formby 2015 01 13 Grave at St Peter s Church Green Lane Formby Died 19th Dec 1958 Flickr Retrieved 7 February 2015 External links editFormby Hall at Images of England English Heritage Formby Hall Golf Club adjacent championship golf course Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Formby Hall amp oldid 1083052070, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
