It was supposed to be one of the region's top seaside resorts with a 1,000ft promenade, grand villas and a spot for bathing.
But all that remains of Merseyside's now forgotten seaside resort is a flight of steps to nowhere, half covered by weeds.
Formby-by-the-Sea was dreamed up by Victorian businessmen excited by the success of the nearby resort at Southport, which had seen a boom thanks to the advent of the railway.
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In 1875, the Formby Land & Building Company raised £50,000 to develop the location, and bought a number of plots of land totalling 105 acres around the Ravenmeols area, away from the main town.
A station was planned near Alexandra Road with six level crossings and a bridge over Lifeboat Road, not far from the current car park in the pinewoods. There was also a coastal road mooted but none of the proposals ever came about.
The first sod for what was due to be a double-tiered promenade was cut in 1876 and some of the resort's roads were laid out.
Several houses were even built behind the promenade but the development faltered and the company was wound up in 1902.
Now, if you take a walk along that area of the Sefton coastline you will find plenty to discover - foxes, stoats and weasels as well as one of the UK's largest sand blow-outs, known locally as 'Devil's Hole'.
But the only sign that anyone dreamed of it being a glamorous seaside resort is that single flight of steps.
