Did you know the inventor of one of the most well-known toy companies was born in right here in Merseyside?
Frank Hornby, born in 1863, invented Meccano and Dinky Toys, as well as founding the model railway company which still bears his name.
Having no formal engineering training, he began his illustrious career by making toys for his own children in 1889 - and went on produce some of the most popular toys of the 20th century.
His creations made Hornby a multi-millionaire.
During the 1920s and 1930s Meccano Ltd was the biggest toy manufacturer in Britain.
Hornby bought up five acres of land in the Old Swan area of Liverpool and it was here the Binns Road factory opened in 1914. This became the company headquarters for more than 60 years.
After living in the Hollies in Station Road, Maghull, he moved into a mansion on Quarry Brook, and was chauffeured to Binns Road every day by limousine.
The Maghull trail takes you past his former Station Road home, which today proudly displays a blue English Heritage plaque.
In its heyday Meccano also had factories in Speke and Aintree as well as manufacturing bases in Argentina, France, Germany, the USA and Spain. In 1963 there were 2,000 employees at the factory (of which 80% were female) and another 3-400 on staff.
A decline in profits led to a takeover by Lines Brothers in 1964 and the Airfix Group in the 1970s. The Binns Road factory finally closed in 1979.
Whilst running his company Frank Hornby also became unionist MP for Everton in 1931. He died on September 21, 1936. His legacy lives on today with thousands of enthusiasts all over the world still building Meccano models and running Hornby train sets.
Dinky is the oldest of Britain’s three most successful toy car brands, and by the 1940s Dinky was synonymous with the small model car.
In 2015, a collection of 1500 Dinky Toy cars was auctioned for around £250,000, and, in 2008, a Hornby model delivery van which would have originally cost 2/6 (12.5p) was sold for nearly £20,000.
Hornby was named among the top ten toy inventors ever in a poll of modern-day toy makers in 2015.
He came second on the list of inventors and was one of only two British designers along with Jenga creator Leslie Scott to make the rundown.
LEGO creator Ole Kirk Christiansen took the number one spot.
On October 18, 2017, a huge Liverbird made out of Meccano pieces was unveiled at Liverpool Shopping Park.
Do you remember your Meccano or Dinky Toys? Tell us in the comments below
And if you have any Sefton memories you think deserve a nostalgia piece, please email kate.lally@reachplc.com
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