Formby, The Village c.1960

Photo ref: F106013

More about this scene

As a barometer of Formby's growth in the second half of the 20th century, Chapel Lane (facing us) is a good measuring device. Many of the shops on both right and left had only recently been, or were yet to be, converted from private dwelling houses. The paved areas in front of those in the picture are the erstwhile front gardens of the houses, and the architecture above the shop fronts also betrays the origins of the buildings. Martins Bank (right) was acquired by Barclays in 1969. The elms on the left of Chapel Lane were removed in 1975 because of the ravages of Dutch elm disease. The roundabout has now been joined by several traffic-calming devices to cope with traffic volume, and at the beginning of the new millennium a set of pedestrian-operated traffic lights was installed halfway along this busy shopping street.