Nearly 200 years of Formby history – and an incredible story is about to be told…

32 minutes ago
2 min read

Something very special is approaching in Formby.

Dean Brothers is preparing to celebrate an extraordinary 200 years of family history in the village – and the story behind the business is far bigger than many people will realise.

As preparations begin for the landmark anniversary, extensive historical research has been taking place with the help of Formby Civic Society and Heritage Centre, Preston Record Centre and historical records.

And what has been uncovered is fascinating.

The Dean family’s documented roots in Formby can be traced back to 1827, when Ellis Dean married Mary Chamberlain at St Peter’s Church in Formby.

Ellis was a wheelwright – an enormously important trade in a rural community at the time – and from those beginnings came a family story which would pass through generation after generation.

Over almost two centuries, the family business would evolve and change enormously, surviving through some of the most significant periods in British history while maintaining its connections with Formby and the wider North West.

There are stories of wheelwrights, blacksmiths, joiners and builders, branches of the family spreading across the area, generations working alongside one another and poignant connections with the First World War.

Eventually, those early traditions of craftsmanship and service would develop into the Dean Brothers that generations of Formby families know today.

But that is only a glimpse of the story.

The research has uncovered a remarkable family history spanning generations, and there is much more to tell.

Rather than reveal everything now, Formby Bubble will be working with Dean Brothers on a very special feature planned for January 2027, as the company begins its 200th anniversary year.

We hope to bring you photographs from across the generations, the people behind the business, its changing face through almost two centuries and some of the fascinating discoveries made while researching the family’s past.

From a Formby wheelwright in the 1820s to an independent family business approaching its 200th anniversary – this is a piece of our village’s history that deserves to be told properly.

And in 2027, we’re going to tell you the story.

Watch this space.