Originally Posted by
Sirob
From the beginning of the last century, the mouth of the River Alt began to migrate along the foreshore towards Liverpool. This had the effect of lowering the beach, allowing waves to reach and erode the sand dunes, gardens and large houses along Burbo Bank Road. In fact Burbo Bank Road North itself disappeared at one point.
In 1936, the Alt was diverted out to sea by a breakwater between Hightown and Hall Road. Due to the lowered beach, erosion continued and Blitz rubble and Bootle Tinworks waste was tipped to provide a barrier. Later demolition rubble followed, until the construction of a promenade over part of it. The shore level has now risen enough for erosion to become accretion. Planting of Marram grass on the dunes north of Hall Road has stabilised that section.
Fort Crosby was located in the dunes, in line with an acess crossing the railway, half way between Hall Road and Hightown. In the 1960's, Rainfords extracted sand from that area, but I don't know if they demolished it. It consisted of a long concrete structure, buried at it's seaward side, with barracks and other buildings in the hollow behind it.
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The pictures are by the late R. K. Gresswell, who studied this coastline.
Great photo`s. I actually remember the last two from my boyhood and have vivid memories of the sea washing around those houses. The last photo though if my memory serves me correctly is of a gun emplacement which was actually on the headland at FRESHFIELD. We used to play in and on it until of course it toppled down the sandhill. I well remember playing around the abandoned and desolate Fort Crosby as a lad too. It was indeed aback the sand dunes in the hightown/Hall road area, which makes me wonder why it was referred to as Fort Crosby ? I do not remember whether it was eventually actually demolished or whether it just gradually disintergrated and became buried in the dunes. I do know however that sand was being taken from the area long before the 60`s. Rainfords wagons
used to load it from the dunes where mechanical shovels were used. The drivers then had to haul it to a railway siding which adjoined Formby Station at that time [by Eccles railway crossing which does still exist]. the drivers themselves then had to transfer the sand themselves by hand into railway wagons just using large hand shovels. They soon all started carrying extra shovels because we as kids would offer to help with the shovelling in return for a ride in the cab to the beach and back again when they were loaded up again.
We often spent all day just shovelling and riding back and forth in the wagons. It was backbreaking work but worth it for the rides. [or so we thought as kids]. Those drivers were all `made up` with us, though of course health and safety would soon put an end to that sort of thing these days. Anyway like I said,that was way before the 60`s, it would have in fact been from around 1942/43 and on, and even then the wisdom of the practise was being questioned, as to why so much sand was being taken from the area when everyone was fully aware that Formby was already below sea level anyway and all that sand was actually our protection.
Regards,
Ken.
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