Bidston hill-A very important place

I travel to Bidston hill on the Wirral to discover some historic tit bits about the beautiful victorian buildings and its windmill that helped to feed the local population. Discovering its nautical past and connection to the napoleonic wars and its importance to the port of Liverpool and Birkenhead. Enjoy,
Andy x
Music by : Bob Davies
Andy Davies
www.bensounds.com
Pictures from friends of Bidston hill
www.bidstonhill.org.uk

[@gingersperg]

You can tell the trees were cleared, even up to the mid 20th century. If you go for a wander off the beaten path, you can find the occasional (inaccessible) entrance to the world war bunkers and foundation of brick structures buried within the hillside. I wish I knew more about them.

[@Supernorthwest]

the whole place is amazing brother. hope you enjoyed the film and thank you so much for watching it👍

[@briandillon9503]

Well researched and shot. Well done.

[@Supernorthwest]

Cheers buddy! Thanks for watching 👍

[@andywilliams7323]

The tunnels were a WW2 air raid shelter built in very late 1941 and most of 1942. They could house about 3000 local workers and civilians who were given a permit to access them. However, as they were opened in late 1942 after the constant heavy bombing of the Blitz had come to end, they saw very little actual use. They are underneath each side of Boundary Road and Boundary Road itself. In length, they stretch from just before where Boundary Road makes its left-hand curve downhill towards Bidston Village Road, to just before where Boundary Road connects with Brow Road. It has 2 entrances just inside the wood at each end of its length both facing Hoylake Road. The entrance at the Brow Road end is just inside the wood, behind and roughly in line with the very last house on Hoylake Road where the small field running alongside Hoylake Road at the very foot of the hill begins. The Entrance towards the Bidston Village Road end is just inside the wood behind and roughly in line with the very last tree in the small field right next to Hoylake Road. That last tree is just in front of where a tarmac footpath next to a bus stop curves left from Hoylake Road up across the small field to Bidston Village Road, about 100 meters before the traffic lights junction with Bidston Village Road and Valley Road. Last I knew both entrances had been 95% obscured by hilled earth piled in front of them within the hill and could only be accessed by getting down flat on your belly and crawling through small holes left at the very top of the hilled earth piles.

[@Supernorthwest]

Thanks for the brilliant info Andy! I think another trip to the Wirral is on the cards. 👍

[@Dianchi]

Great info thank you for posting.

[@Supernorthwest]

Thank you for watching 👍

[@autisticdrone.]

Very interesting video. I will watch the follow up video when it’s done. I plan to go to this location myself in a few months.

[@andywing2030]

My old stomping ground, interesting. 👍🏻

[@johnlamb6095]

Striking, as we did, pretty near north-west across the island, we drew, on the one hand, ever nearer under the shoulders of the Spy-glass, and on the other, looked ever wider over that western bay where I had once tossed and trembled in the coracle. The first of the tall trees was reached, and by the bearings proved the wrong one. So with the second. The third rose nearly two hundred feet into the air above a clump of underwood-a giant of a vegetable, with a red column as big as a cottage, and a wide shadow around in which a company could have manoeuvred. It was conspicuous far to sea both on the east and west and might have been entered as a sailing mark upon the chart. But it was not its size that now impressed my companions; it was the knowledge that seven hundred thousand pounds in gold lay somewhere buried below its spreading shadow. Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island 1881.

[@1926brady]

Good vid mate 👍

[@andywilliams7323]

The flags and later semaphore signalling system were also used for insider trading. In the late 1700s and early 1800s crossing the Atlantic was very perilous, there was no guarantee a ship would survive the crossing. Many ships were lost, never to be seen or heard from again. When a ship was first sighted off the North Wales coast its name and what company it belonged to would be identified. Those details were then quickly signalled to Bidston Hill to make the Liverpool docks ready. But it also gave the shipping company to which the ship belonged and others in the know early notification that the ship had survived the Atlantic crossing with its cargo intact. The shipping company members and those others in the know then immediately bought financial shares in that shipping company. Knowing that later that day or the next day the ship would arrive in Liverpool with its cargo. Which caused the shipping company's share price to quickly increase. Resulting in those who bought shares in the company when the ship was first sighted off North Wales making a quick killing in profits.

[@Supernorthwest]

Wow! Insider trading! That’s amazing mate. Sometimes after visiting these places, I learn so much more from guys like yourself. Thank you for taking the time to watch my films and give great comment. Makes me want to do more exploring and keep making films. Cheers, Andy👍

[@davidwoods4832]

One of "Elvis Costello Album' Famous for Oliver's army a photo them in front of the observer try

[@beakytzw]

I grew up at the M53 side of Biddy Hill, I would camp out there at least 4 times a year from the age of 12 onwards on the hill and spend many a weekend just messing about with school friends up there. Got pissed for the first time on the hill and smoked my first spliff not far from the Observatory. There was a pub called the one o clock gun on the Ford Estate and the Gun placement is still on the dockside. Unfortunately it has a tree growing out of it. I remember the Distance Marker well, my Nan would show it to me when I was really young. They used to open the windmill to visitors during some weekends in the summer in the 80s/90s. If you walk in a straight line from the Windmill to the observatory you might get lucky and see the holes in the sandstone for the flag poles. Also there are some rock drawings from approx 9th century: www.bidstonhill.org.uk/heritage/trail13/ Great video mate, thanks for rekindling old memories.

[@Supernorthwest]

Agh so glad you enjoyed it mate. I can imagine smoking a joint up there on a summer night watching the world go by back in the day. Wonderful place. Thank you for watching👍