Sefton in 50 buildings /

Sefton is one of the most variegated boroughs in the land. It encompasses two former boroughs: industrial seaport Bootle at one end and at the other the genteel seaside resort of Southport. In between stretches beautiful coastline, home to 6 links courses including championship Birkdale. The rural hinterland is the setting for grand country houses and for the tiny village of Sefton that gives its name to the borough. Join Hugh Hollinghurst as he looks at the wide range of architectural treasures in the borough, including: the village of St Helen's fifteenth/sixteenth-century Gothic revival church; the modernist St Monica's in Bootle; Crosby Hall, built in the early seventeenth century on a grand scale; beautiful thatched cottages which adorn the country town of Formby; and Southport's distinguished pier.