About The Lifeboat Bakery
The Formby lifeboat station was the first in the world, built in the 1770s. It stayed in use until 1918 and the building remained until it was demolished in 1970. The lifeboat would have rested on a wagon drawn by a team of horses and was hauled down to the sea to be launched. (https://lancashirepast.com/2018/08/27/formby-lifeboat-station-a-world-first/)
The Lifeboat Bakery is based in my home in Formby, Merseyside. Formby tradition has it that this building was originally a pub named the Lifeboat Inn and that this name was visible on the side of the house until the 1950s. The pub was next door to the barn where the horses for hauling the original Formby lifeboat into the sea were kept. Although the building has been radically remodelled, a drawing of the original house, by local artist Muriel Sibley, is held in the collection of the Formby Civic Society. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/formbycivicsociety/4742837539/in/album-72157624253191683)
About me
I’m Mary-Ann Campbell and I’ve lived in Formby for almost 15 years. My interest in baking and cake decorating is rooted in a lifelong love of preparing and sharing food. While members of my family are highly artistic, my background is in science and it’s only recently that I discovered how satisfying it is to express my creativity through the medium of decorating cakes. The enthusiasm of others who enjoy my cakes encouraged me to take a step beyond baking for family and friends and so The Lifeboat Bakery was born.
This site
Content © Mary-Ann Campbell 2026. Web site by David Chambers. Bakery graphics by Sophie Chambers.
