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Local and family history library service

Ainsdale Lido Ref.P11/10You and your heritage

  • Local history ("local studies") deals with all aspects of life in the area, from earliest times right down to the present day. It is the story of the landscape and its communities, and of the changes that have taken place over the years. It is about people and events, places and buildings.
  • Family history (genealogy) concentrates on tracing people down the centuries.
 
Local History Units at two main libraries offer you a special local and family history service:-Formby village Ref.P20/56
 
  • Southport Library (for North Sefton). This Unit covers the area from Crossens, Churchtown and Marshside, through Southport, Birkdale and Ainsdale to Freshfield, Formby and Hightown. 
  • Crosby Library (for South Sefton). This Unit includes communities along the coast from Hightown through Blundellsands, Great Crosby, Waterloo, Seaforth, Litherland and Bootle, plus inland from Ince Blundell and Little Crosby through Lunt, Sefton Village, Netherton, Orrell, Aintree, Melling, Maghull and Lydiate. 
 
Sefton Metropolitan Borough is in the historic county of Lancashire.
 
People outside the Southport scenic railway Ref.P7/35Who can use the Local History Units?
Anybody can. The local history service is freely available for you to use, whether or not a member of the library. However, we do ask you to "sign in" each time you visit to use the material, by putting your name and address in our register.
 
There are many reasons why you may wish to use the material:
  • to find out about the history of your street or house
  • to trace your family tree
  • to prepare a school or college assignment
  • to seek background information for a talk or article
  • to undertake academic or scholarly research
  • to satisfy your curiosity about something in the district
 
Novice or expert, you are very welcome.
 
To find out more about our service, view our user guide. We have also put together a selection of useful local and family history links, to help you seek information for yourself. For detailed research we can supply you with a list of local independent searchers who would charge a fee. (Please note Sefton MBC is not responsible for research carried out by third parties.) We can, however, deal with limited written enquiries involving searches of our collection for our standard fee
 
Last Updated on 1/18/2010