Birkenhead - Place of Beauty and Industry

Birkenhead lies on the Wirral, opposite side of the River Mersey to Liverpool and next to Wallasey. This is mainly an industrial town but with many places of beauty and rarity. Bidston Hill overlooks Birkenhead, Wallasey, Moreton, Leasowe and you can see easily the Welsh Hills in the distance. Atop Bidston Hill stands the Observatory, the Lighthouse and the Windmill, landmarks well known to locals. Once an area of good housing for the more affluent persons of the region, it has now been eclipsed by the building of the Ford Estate, a typical council estate with its associated problems. Did you know that Central Park, Birkenhead, was the model for Central Park New York? Famous personages include: Freddie Starr, Lewis Collins, Glenda Jackson, Elvis Costello, Patricia Routledge. Population is just over 100,000 and growing. I moved to Birkenhead, from Moreton, after meeting my wife, to live in Rock Ferry. We lived in an Victorian oasis of old houses and trees known as Egerton Park.







			The last 8 were from Jenny Minshull in Oct 08 and show 3 of Claughton in 1955 and 1 of the town Hall, also in 1955. Then St James Church, Tolemache Road School, Upton Road and Bidston Hill by Upton Road

Before Norman times, most of the Wirral consisted of natural woodlands and open spaces with farms and cottages. Small areas of the woodland can still be seen at Bidston, Storeton and Eastham. In those days a single cart track ran northwards from Chester towards the River Mersey to a point where the river was little more than half a mile wide. Early in the 12th century, Benedictine monks from Chester earned a living by trading with the merchants in Liverpool and operating a ferry across the river at this narrow point. They built the Birkenhead Priory here so that they could avoid having to travel daily from Chester.

There were strict forestry laws at the time and there were several occasions when the monks were re-called to Chester to defend themselves on various related charges. By the year 1332, it was recognized how important the monk's ferry was to trade between Liverpool and Chester that Edward III granted the Priors exclusive ferry rights. At this same time, the inhabitants of Chester were becoming increasingly alarmed that the forest was acting as shelter for outlaws and, by 1376, most of The Wirral had been de-forested by order of the Earl of Chester (son of Edward III).

The monks at Birkenhead Priory continued until 1536 when the Priory was closed by order of Henry VIII's bailiff, Randle Arrowsmith, and the monks returned to Chester. The Priory has remained closed ever since and has, naturally, suffered from the ravages of both time and developers. Never-the-less much of it remains in tact and it has recently undergone some restoration work and is now open to the public.

The industrialization of Birkenhead (and, subsequently, most of the East side of The Wirral) began in 1824 when William Laird established a boiler works and a shipbuilding yard on the banks of Wallasey Pool and laid out the beginnings of the town at Hamilton Square. Although the population was only 109 in 1800, by 1830 it had risen to over 2,500. The opening of the railway line to Chester in 1837 and the establishment of docks and a tidal basin in 1843 was the beginning of the modern Birkenhead as it is today.

Birkenhead Park is acknowledged to be the first publicly funded park in Britain. It was the forerunner of the Park's Movement and its influence was far reaching both in this country and abroad - most notably on Olmstead's design for Central Park, New York. Designed by Joseph Paxton (later Sir Joseph Paxton) in 1843 and officially opened in 1847 it was an immediate economic and social success. Its history is inseparable from that of Birkenhead town itself. Distanced from the ravages of the Industrial Revolution in Liverpool and the North-West by the physical barrier of the River Mersey, Birkenhead retained its agricultural status until the advent of the steam ferry service in 1820. Ready access from Liverpool now opened up the Wirral for development and prompted the rapid growth of Birkenhead as an industrial centre.

Within ten years the town's population had grown from just over one hundred to two and a half thousand. Recognising the need to exercise control over its development and establish municipal powers, the Government approved the setting up of the Birkenhead Improvement Commission in 1833 after an Act of Parliament. At the same time, in the country as a whole, there was a growing awareness of the detrimental effects of overpopulation and the atrocious living and working conditions to be found in the major industrial areas. This promoted the establishment of various reform movements, including that of the 'Park's Movement'. Its central theory was that by providing open spaces for public use, the well-being of the industrial workforce was improved.

In 1841, alarmed by the exploding population figures, the idea of a public park in Birkenhead was first raised by Mr Isaac Holmes, a Liverpool Councillor. Two years later, empowered by another Improvement Act, the Birkenhead Commissioners created history by purchasing land on which to construct the world's first publicly funded park. The site chosen for the park was part of the Birkenhead Estate, owned by Mr F R Price. The land was low lying, a mixture of fields, marsh and commons, and contained a small farmhouse which was a known beer den where illegal gambling and dog fighting took place. The land was purchased cheaply because of its poor quality. 125 acres were designated for public use, the remaining 60 acres were to be sold for private residential development. The proceeds from the sale of the building plots was sufficient to recoup all the costs incurred by the purchase of the land and the construction of the park.

An Improvement Committee chaired by William Jackson was set up to supervise the development of the park. Joseph Paxton, a Landscape Gardener whose work in Liverpool had brought him to the attention of the Committee, was approached and in August 1843 he was engaged to design and construct the park at a fee of £800. By November 1843 the completed plan of the park and the preliminary sketches for the lodges (drawn up by Paxton's assistant, John Robertson) had been approved. Preparatory work began on the site under the supervision of Edward Kemp - later the Park Superintendent. A young Liverpool architect, Lewis Hornblower, was engaged to supervise the construction of the lodges, and to design and oversee other artifacts and building work within the park.

Major planting of trees and shrubs was carried out during the planting season of Autumn 1844/Spring 1845. Attention was then directed to the establishment of grassland areas. Sixty acres of peripheral land were divided into building plots and sold for private development at two auctions and through estate agents. In order to ensure a degree of uniformity and consistent high standard of development, strict rules were laid down regarding the construction of the dwellings. Any unsold plots of land were eventually absorbed into the public area of the park. For example, the area now known as the Bowling Greens on Park Road North was laid out for bowls and quoits in 1880. The Boothby Ground was purchased from the Boothby Estate as late as 1903.

Work was virtually complete by Autumn 1846 but the official opening of the park was delayed until 5th April 1847, in order to coincide with the opening of the Birkenhead Dock Complex. The park was opened by Lord Morpeth and visited on that day by an estimated 10,000 people. The strength and flexibility of the original design were revealed over the years by the ease with which the park evolved to satisfy the changing demands of its users. From an almost entirely passive function the park absorbed facilities for active sports and large scale events. Commemorative trees were planted, unemployment relief schemes undertaken. Two World Wars intruded onto the park, different buildings and structures erected and then removed or demolished. Some areas such as the area known today as The Sunken Garden changed their nature and their name.

1609 The first reference to a wooden windmill on Bidston Hill appeared in manuscripts.

1763 A signal house on Bidston Hill was first mentioned - although Bidston had probably been used as a lookout from pre-Roman days. A telegraph service was set up to give early notice of the arrival of ships in the Port of Liverpool. Over one hundred signalling poles were erected, extending from north of the lighthouse to beyond the windmill, belonging mainly to the merchants in Liverpool. As the ships carrying their cargoes were spotted out at sea, the relevant flags were raised and could be seen from Liverpool. The advance knowledge of their ships' arrivals enabled the owners to hasten the unloading of their cargoes.

1771 The first Bidston lighthouse, an octagonal structure, was built. The Government established a chain of stations fitted with semaphore signals, between Bidston and Holyhead, in order to 'give alarm upon any intelligence of an enemy'. It took only eight minutes to transmit messages from Holyhead to Liverpool.

1791 The wooden windmill was destroyed in a gale and was replaced by the present one.

1834 The Royal Navy recommended the establishment of an astronomical observatory in the Port of Liverpool. The exact longitude of Liverpool was then unknown, so all the ships' chronometers rated in the port would have carried an error with them, resulting in the loss of life and property. Mariners also did not know the weather conditions when they left port and consequently sometimes ran into storms.

1845 Liverpool Observatory was built on Waterloo Dock, with the objectives:

1858 The Bidston telegraph service was superseded by the electric telegraph, and the lighthouse and telegraph services were amalgamated.

1864 Due to the expansion of Waterloo Dock, the decision was taken to close Liverpool Observatory and build a new one on top of Bidston Hill, where there was also the advantage of clearer skies for astronomical observations.

1866 Land was purchased from a local landowner, Mr Vyner, who owned Bidston Hall, and Bidston Observatory was built, faced with sandstone excavated from the site. There was an equatorial telescope in the west dome, which was used mainly for the observation of comets, and a transit telescope in the east dome, which was regularly used for the determination of time from the stars. These telescopes are now in Liverpool Museum. There was a large instrument room - the through room on the ground floor - which contained two warm air chambers. Each of these could hold up to one hundred chronometers. These chronometers were tested over several months at varying temperatures and had to be very accurate before they were considered safe to take to sea. Sextants, barometers and thermometers were tested in the basement.

One o'clock was still indicated to the citizens of Liverpool, but now by the One O'clock Gun. This was situated at Morpeth Dock, Birkenhead and was connected by telegraphic line to Bidston Observatory. It was fired from here by the staff each working day, except for a six-year break during the Second World War. It was also fired at midnight to mark the beginning of the 20th century. The original cannon was a relic of the Crimean wars, and after it was replaced by a naval Hotchkiss gun, was on display in the Observatory grounds for many years.

1897 Several seismographs were set up in the deep cellars for experiments in the then new science of seismology.

1913 The lighthouse ceased operations, having acted as a guide to mariners for 142 years.

1924 The Liverpool Tidal Institute, under the directorship of Professor Proudman at Liverpool University, relocated to Bidston Observatory. Tidal predictions, which were calculated by hand, were produced on a commercial basis.

1929 The Liverpool Observatory of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board and the Tidal Institute of the University of Liverpool amalgamated becoming the Liverpool Observatory and Tidal Institute. Two tide predicting machines were now in use, and the tidal expertise of the institute received worldwide acclaim. Weather forecasting at Bidston ceased, although observations continue to be made to the present day.

1939-1945 Much valuable work was done during the Second World War. The staff worked seven days a week, from early morning to late at night, analysing and predicting tides towards the war effort. Tidal predictions were swiftly predicted for the seas around Burma, France and Holland. During these years one of the tide predicting machines was placed in an underground room in the Observatory grounds for security reasons. Photographic facilities were obtained, so that further copies of the predictions could be quickly provided in the event of their loss at sea.

1961 On the retirement of the Director, Dr Doodson, The Liverpool Observatory and Tidal Institute was renamed The University of Liverpool Tidal Institute and Observatory.

1969 The Institute became a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council and was renamed the Institute of Coastal Oceanography and Tides. An expanded marine research programme was embarked upon, with a corresponding increase in staff. The One O'clock Gun was fired for the last time on July 18th.

1973 Three previously separate NERC Institutes were amalgamated, becoming the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, including Bidston Observatory.

1975 The Joseph Proudman building in the Observatory grounds was completed, to accommodate the increase in staff and also the latest computer.

1987 The Institute at Bidston was renamed the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.

1992 An automatic weather station was installed, replacing the manual station which had been operating since 1867.

1994 The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, together with the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory near Oban, and Plymouth Marine Laboratory became the Centre for Coastal and Marine Sciences.

2000 The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory once again became an independent institute under the Natural Environment Research Council.



	When I lived in Rock Ferry (left) first I lived in Egerton Park (large circle) then in Bulwer Street (small circle) (left)	Dec 04 Day visit to Birkenhead First 8 - Hamilton Square

			Hamilton Square Underground
Meagre Xmas Tree	Egerton Bridge	Original Dockland
		U Boat 534	U Boat 534
Dark Satanic Mills!	U 534	The next 5 were taken on 7 Apr 05 and show Rock Ferry and where I used to live, Bedford Rd, Bulwer St and Egerton Park

Dacre Hill about 1900?	Woodside Ferry Terminal May 2008	New Home of the U534	Dacre Hill 1909?

	Dated 1868, these dock gates stand just south of Bridge Street between Hamilton Square Railway Station and Woodside Ferry Terminal. Image: Sept 2008	Woodside Ferry Terminal in September 2008
	Hamilton Square Underground Railway, Sept 2008	Woodside Ferry taken from deck of Royal Iris of the River Mersey on September 10th 2008
	Tranmere Oil Terminal taken from on board Ferry - September 10th 2008	This pub stands by the dock gates shown above and has the following impressive coat of arms still proudly emblazoned
	Birkenhead Brewery Coat of Arms - Sept 2008	Royal Iris at Woodside, from the landing stage at the Pier Head - Sept 10th 2008

Thank you for your web site which brought back fond memories. I emigrated to the United States in 1964 after being at sea for 10 years so my last real memories of Wirral date from the mid '50s. I lived on Highfield Road two houses up from Rock Ferry Station and spent many hours at the Byrne Ave Baths which became my second home in that I swam for Birkenhead and Rock Ferry High School. We used to get out from the swim club at 9 or 10 in the evening and went "scrumping" (thieving) apples from the fruit trees behind the houses around the park. I guess the statute of limitations has expired so I can fess up. I am now retired and spend time between Jupiter, Florida in the winter and Quemado, New Mexico in the summer. Thanks again for the site and memories. Norman Powell Oct 04

I can remember the days when a walk on a Sunday could take us up Biddy Hill past the Lighthouse and Observatory then to Bidston Village, either through the woods, steep path or following the wall to the "manhole" area ( great in winter for sledging down), to bring us into Povall's farm yard (Bidston Hall Farm) in front of Bidston Hall. we would then walk through the village, sometimes to see "Aunty Gladys ", Birkenhead News & Advertiser Chums , in her home in School Lane. In those days 50/60's it was possible to walk through fields all the way to Swan Hill Prenton via the Seven fields or Seven Stiles, via Noctorum and the "Flat Lanes". It was Glorious !! I can even fondly remember having to run cross country races from St Anselm's playing fields in Noctorum, despite the physical effort the views were great, the Woodchurch Estate was the only encroachment at the time. My claim to fame is that I took a picture of the Observatory for my younger brother to submit in a BBC Blue Peter competition... he was awarded a "Blue Peter " badge for our joint efforts. What happened to the old one o' clock gun ! Many thanks for a great sight, will return to see how things have changed. I am now living in rural Wiltshire, so am privileged to be wrapped in a time warp of open space, long since gone from Bidston.... and being stealthily moved in on, each passing year. Progress eh! Bas Hanrahan. Aug 2005.