Sefton: Iron Men, Red Squirrels, and the Grand National
Sefton stretches along the Lancashire coast north of Liverpool, from the Victorian resort of Southport down through Formby, Crosby, and Bootle. Southport's Lord Street, a broad tree-lined boulevard with canopied shopfronts, is said to have inspired Baron Haussmann's redesign of Paris — a claim that is difficult to verify but persistent. The town has a pier (second longest in England), a Marine Lake, and the kind of genteel coastal atmosphere that sets it apart from the more commercial seaside resorts further south.
Crosby beach is where Antony Gormley's "Another Place" installation stands — 100 cast-iron figures spread across two miles of sand, facing out to sea. Installed in 2005, the figures were originally intended as a temporary piece but were granted permanent status after a public campaign. Formby, between Southport and Crosby, is known for two things: red squirrels and asparagus. The National Trust pine woods at Formby Point are one of the few remaining habitats for red squirrels in England, and the sandy soil of the surrounding farmland has produced asparagus since the Victorian era.
Aintree, in the borough's southern reaches, hosts the Grand National — the most famous steeplechase in the world, run here since 1839. The three-day meeting in April draws global television audiences and gambling revenue on a scale that dwarfs the racecourse's modest surroundings. Bootle, closer to Liverpool's docks, has a grittier character — it was heavily bombed during the Blitz and has faced persistent economic challenges, though the presence of several large employers, including HMRC and Santander, provides an employment base.
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Sefton stretches along the Lancashire coast north of Liverpool, from the Victorian resort of Southport down through Formby, Crosby, and Bootle. Southport's Lord Street, a broad tree-lined boulevard with canopied shopfronts, is said to have inspired Baron Haussmann's redesign of Paris — a claim that is difficult to verify but persistent. The town has a pier (second longest in England), a Marine Lake, and the kind of genteel coastal atmosphere that sets it apart from the more commercial seaside resorts further south.
Crosby beach is where Antony Gormley's "Another Place" installation stands — 100 cast-iron figures spread across two miles of sand, facing out to sea. Installed in 2005, the figures were originally intended as a temporary piece but were granted permanent status after a public campaign. Formby, between Southport and Crosby, is known for two things: red squirrels and asparagus. The National Trust pine woods at Formby Point are one of the few remaining habitats for red squirrels in England, and the sandy soil of the surrounding farmland has produced asparagus since the Victorian era.
Aintree, in the borough's southern reaches, hosts the Grand National — the most famous steeplechase in the world, run here since 1839. The three-day meeting in April draws global television audiences and gambling revenue on a scale that dwarfs the racecourse's modest surroundings. Bootle, closer to Liverpool's docks, has a grittier character — it was heavily bombed during the Blitz and has faced persistent economic challenges, though the presence of several large employers, including HMRC and Santander, provides an employment base.
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