Passing by the imposing mansions on Victoria Road, you'd do well to assume you weren't in an enclave of Beverley Hills.
The street in Freshfield is one of Merseyside's most sought-after locations with properties selling for an average of £1,783,333. It's no surprise therefore that the road has been dubbed Millionaire's Row, with Jurgen Klopp, Wayne and Coleen Rooney, John Parrott and Brendan Rodgers having once called the area home.
In the last year, prices on Victoria Road have soared and the most recent house changed hands for £2.7 million. One home, currently on the market for £1.8m, boasts a swimming pool, cinema room, gym, sauna and a 'Kitchenhaus kitchen'.
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With these gated dwellings ultimately restricted to the rich or famous (or both) you may think Victoria Road lacks any sense of community - but that's where you're wrong. On a wet and windy Tuesday afternoon, I meandered down Victoria Road. Given that I know neither anyone rich nor famous, this was my first time on the street.
Of course, it was hard to ignore the wealth, within about five minutes of arriving a Porsche Macan, a new BMW X5 and Porsche Cayman drove by. However, I hadn't come to Victoria Road for a bout of car spotting, I'd come to see what makes this seemingly sleepy street so special.
After passing several palatial manors and one of Formby's nimble inhabitants, the red squirrel, I stopped for a bite to eat at Kiosk Coffee, which is co-owned by Alison Mattravers.
Alison, along with Chris, Michelle and Rob, opened Kiosk Coffee in 2021 as they sought to find the perfect cup of java. Speaking to the ECHO, Alison said: "We wanted to bring our passion for quality coffee to the area. We also wanted to bring together all the food and drinks that we love, and offer them to our customers.
"We’re obsessed with pastries, cakes and bread so we teamed up with some of the best bakers in Liverpool to bring Formby an array of quality artisan products under one roof, along with our delicious selection of freshly prepared sandwiches, soups, cakes and lots more - even our dog biscuits are baked in-house."
The coffee shop and eatery is a popular meeting point for people in the community. While I tucked into a raspberry Bakewell, several dog walkers and local business owners popped in for a flat white or muffin.
Alison said: "We love running our business on Victoria Road. When we first opened we were overwhelmed with words of support and enthusiasm from customers. The response was incredible and still is nearly 18 months later.
"There is a real community feel to running Kiosk Coffee. We have lots of regulars and we’ve become a go-to for a quick takeaway for lots of people."
She added: "On a sunny day, particularly at the weekend, Kiosk Coffee is booming with activity. It’s such a positive place to be.
"We love the coffee culture in places we’ve visited abroad. Amsterdam, Sydney and Athens to name a few. We were definitely influenced by those places when designing the coffee shop and we feel like the communal feel has been achieved."
However, Victoria Road's camaraderie is not just between the residents, but the businesses too. Speaking to Michelle Fairclough, of The Good Catch fish and chip shop, she agrees that Kiosk Coffee serves the best hot beverages.
She said: "Our neighbouring business, the Kiosk, is an independent coffee shop that also brings a lot of visitors to the area. They serve artisan pastries as well as the best coffee. We love being located here as it is a community hub for all residents and businesses to relish and enjoy."
Michelle is part of a family-run fish and chip business stemming from three generations. They have shops on Great Homer Street, Crosby and two stores in Manchester, but for their next venture, they wanted a more traditional location.
Michelle said: "We always appreciated the area around the National Trust in Formby and have family ties within Formby. We were keen on finding a location that would help us promote fish and chips in its true entirety and tradition, mainly the association with coastal links.
"It was when we stumbled on this perfect position as The Good Catch is located on Fisherman’s Path that leads to the Ainsdale coast and Victoria Road that leads to the pinewoods in Freshfield."
After opening in 2012, The Good Catch has continued to grow. Michelle said: "We love being located on Victoria Road. We have so many lovely loyal customers that make this location a community feel.
"It’s now established as a local institution having associations like the RNLI hosting regular charity events and teaming up with us to do the food offering.
"We use local business when we can as we feel this helps other business peers. To have such a variety of custom from visitors coming outside the area to fellow neighbours appreciating their local fish and chip shop we feel very lucky to be a part of the Freshfield community."
To water down all the pastries, cakes, fish and chips a trip to the Beer Station is necessary. The micropub is run by father and son team Ian and Keir Walsh.
The Beer Station is unlike most pubs in the area. There is no television or piped music hammering away through the speakers. Ian said: "The atmosphere is created by customers talking to each other. As space is limited it is common for customers to share tables with strangers.
"Many of our customers, who did not know each other when we opened, are now good friends."
Even when lockdown hit and the Beer Station was forced to close, the community spirit still lived on. Ian said: "We have a Facebook page and WhatsApp group which allowed us to keep in touch during the lockdowns.
"They are now used to publicise our charity events such as the Busking Festival, Beer Station Bowls Competition and the Big Dip where customers walk to the beach in fancy dress for a swim."
Ian added: "We have a large group of regular local customers and several who travel from Liverpool, Crosby, Southport and Maghull. We also have many cyclists and walkers calling in and at the weekend groups on a pub crawl along the Merseyrail Northern Line."
So for good food, a cracking pint and a friendly face, Victoria Road appears to have it all.
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