Frank Hornby: Inspiring future generations
The Frank Hornby Charitable Trust
Maghull’s Frank Hornby
Heritage Centre
A journey that started with humble beginnings, tinkering with a toy to entertain & educate his children, to being an inventor, industrialist, businessman, politician & millionaire.
Meccano Aeroplane Constructor Set No.2
Produced 1932 - 1940. We have one on display at Maghull’s Frank Hornby Heritage Centre.
The colours of UFO Interceptors
An example of how Liverpool’s Meccano Factory made up their own colours for models produced as merchandise for the Sylvia/Gerry Anderson TV programmes. The SHADO Interceptor from UFO was produced in florescent green as can be seen from the photo above. However, the actual colour of Interceptors as seen on TV was white as per the photo below. This white model is a refinished from a previously battered green Meccano Factory one.
We at Maghull’s Frank Hornby Heritage Centre (where both models are on display) aren’t sure why those who marketed Dinky Toys chose non-show colours for quite a number of the Anderson TV models. If there's anyone out there who worked at the Meccano Factory and can shine some light on this matter the Heritage Centre would love to hear from you.
A press advert very much of its time!
An advert recruiting women to work for Meccano, building Mogul toys at its new Aintree Factory - It dates from 1974
A unique Hornby 0 Gauge van
A Hornby O Gauge model railway van repainted from a wreck by Steve Webb to acknowledge the Liverpool City Council Plaque on display at Liverpool Lime Street Station.
Steve has reproduced the plaque over the two sides of this van - the other side has the rest of the plaque detail.
Dinky Goods Train Set
An interesting Dinky Toys set recently acquired by Maghull's Frank Hornby Heritage Centre. Complete with box/packaging it looks rather nice.
National Museums Liverpool have a podcast all about Maghull's famous resident Frank Hornby
Les French & Tony Robertson take part from the Frank Hornby Trust to help tell the story of the world famous toy maker and his influences -
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/frank-hornby-national-museums-liverpool-podcast
Hornby Dublo (00 Gauge) Three Royal Daylight tankers on display at Maghull’s Frank Hornby Heritage Centre
This website aims to explore all things in the Hornby Universe, past and present, with the objective of generating a vast knowledge base in order to educate and connect enthusiasts.
The Frank Hornby Charitable Trust runs and curates the Frank Hornby Heritage Centre in Maghull on Merseyside, the Town where Frank Hornby lived for much of his adult life.
The Heritage Centre is within Meadows Leisure Centre on Hall Lane Maghull, L31 7BB. It opens the same hours/days as Maghull Library, presently 10 am - 5 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am - 2 pm Saturday.
Please note, we’re NOT open on Sundays and Bank Holidays
Our Heritage Centre, whilst being very much about Frank Hornby and the products of his Meccano Factory, also takes an interest in products that subsequently fell under differing ownerships, particularly following the demise of the Meccano Factory in 1979.
See our FHHC gallery photos under the ‘Products’ tag above
There is no charge to visit our Heritage Centre but donations can be made via our collection box.
Please see our disability access statement for the FHHC on our ‘Places to visit’ page under the ‘Clubs, Associations & Enthusiasts’ tab above
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Our Memories/Education Box is available to be borrowed via Sefton Council’s Library Service
Please follow the link below (or speak to Maghull [Meadows] Library staff) & search for ‘Educational Box: Frank Hornby’ to start the booking process - Educational Box: Frank Hornby
The Hornby/Meccano items in the box include a clockwork 0 Gauge train & track, 2 built Meccano models & some Dinky Toys.
Explanatory cards box tell users all about Hornby/Meccano so that they can lead a talk in schools, care homes, or to community/local history organisations, etc.
Looking for someone to give a Hornby talk?
If you’d like one of our volunteer trustees to come to give a talk please email Les French at caractorgraphics@yahoo.co.uk
We do ask for a minimum donation of £30 for such talks to cover our costs and to bring some money into our small charitable trust.
Our trustees will usually travel to venues within Merseyside and Lancashire but please feel free to contact us if you are further away to see if we can accommodate your request.
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Donations to our Charitable Trust
Monetary donations go straight into our funds which are used to make appropriate purchases for display at our Maghull Heritage Centre.
We have a donations box in our Maghull Heritage Centre which can also be used to pay for books purchased from our small library of mainly railway related reading.
We often get donations of model railway-related items, model cars, transport-related books, items of Meccano etc. etc. If the items are unrelated to Meccano/Hornby/Dinky Toys/other products of Hornby/Meccano we will usually sell them to help our Trust. If they are Hornby etc. we will put them on display at our Heritage Centre. If we already have an item we’ll keep the best and sell others.
All our funds are used for the benefit of our Trust and we are grateful for all donations.
If you’d like to donate items to our charitable trust please contact Tony Robertson at - t3robertson@gmail.com
Remember BAYKO?
We have a display of it at our Maghull Heritage Centre. Meccano manufactured it 1959/64. Prior to that it was made by Plimptons of Liverpool.
NML Curator Sharon Brown writes about some famous designers, inventors, scientists etc. who were inspired by playing with Meccano as children
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/how-meccano-changed-world
Meccano biplanes and a Concorde ‘flying’ at the Maghull’s Frank Hornby Heritage Centre