Hi all, been askin my mum and dad about Bidston Hill (my dad thinks he's knows another way in, will post it on the Bidston Hill Tunnels thread see if you've already been) and we've managed to find a really old map. Not sure when it's from (think it's my nana's, so maybe early 1900's?) and theres a couple of things that i wanted more info on.

on this map, the area where we think Bidston Hill should be is all referred to as "Flaybrick Cemetary" and the part where Flaybrick Cemetary should be is known as "Flaybrick Hills". Now my point of view on that is that Bidston Hill was built on a cemetary. Am i right or am i way off the mark here lol???

Also there is something marked on it as "Claughton Halls" just on the outskirts of where Claughton Village is now and a little way north of Birkenhead's second park. Anyone know what this was??

I don't have a scanner, so i can't even upload this map onto here, but will try and find a similar one on t'internet now

Flaybrick cemetery and Flaybrick hills should be by each other's side with a road running either side - Boundary and Tollemache. Bidston Hill has always been separate to Flaybrick. Not quite sure where the name Flaybrick comes from. The area, before being a cemetery and quarries, was partitioned into fields for farming. Flaybrick may have been the name of a hamlet in that area. After the cemetery the area east of it - Bidston Ave (or Bailey Street then) was all known as the Flaybrick Hill Estate. The cemetery was developed in the years running up to its opening in 1864.
Now I think about it I think Claughton Hall was the name of the local manor, owned at one point by William Jackson.

'The surface is dotted over with villas and other handsome suburban residences, amongst which is the Manor-House, lately called Claughton Hall, the seat of Mr. Jackson. Stretching down from this mansion, in a south-eastern direction, lies the fine public park of Birkenhead; and almost opposite the park entrance are the house and grounds of J. R. Pim, Esq., by whom a meeting-house for the Society of Friends has been erected on his own property.'

I think Claughton Hall was somewhere around Grosvenor Rd/Devonshire Place.

That's answered everything i wanted to know and more lol! thanks, thats cleared up a lot. shame bidston hill wasn't on top of a cemetry tho, that would have been a bit eerie and cool

I wouldn't be surprised if there were people buried up on the hill anyway, especially with its connections with early pre-christian religions.

I had the manor in the wrong place - map shows it as being on Egerton Rd. Its roughly where St Seiriol Close is now.

Claughton Manor House was built in about 1850 by local benefactor Sir William Jackson, with its gardens designed by Sir Joseph Paxton. It occupied a site between Egerton Road and Manor Hill until it was pulled down in the 1930s

Thanks jonno, got any more? Have I got it in the right place?
I was reading Harry Neilson's book and he mentions their property in Forest Rd overlooking Claughton Manor's lands. Any idea which house on Forest was Airliewood?

Unfortunatly what is already posted is pretty much all I know on the subject but i am trawling the tinternet as we speak.

I had trouble finding Claughton Hall - kept throwing up the Claughton in Lancashire.

This is all i could find, Claughton

my map puts it in an area now known as st seriol road between grosvernor road and edgerton road. it is close to forest road too and manor hill is on the other side of it.

Airliewood is about halfway down forest road, number 32 according to Google maps. hope that helps Miss G

st seriol road is where Claughton Hills would have been, not Airliewood. Sorry, didn't really make that clear lol

Huh?
Claughton Hills? or Hall? I found the Hall to be on Egerton Rd. Yes Airliewood was of Forest Rd.
I didn't realse google named the houses on their maps - thats useful

sorry, i meant claughton hall, i'm not with it this mornin :S lol

i think it only names some of them, i just put in airliewood, wirral and it popped up tbh

cool!

I had reason to visit a property some years ago behind Edgerton rd, St David Rd and St Vincent Rd. Entrance between houses in St Davids, Edgerton rd end. Property was called The Coach House. Possible it was the Coach house of Claughton Hall.

Have looked on the maps - would appear the building you mention is on the land associated with a house called High Meadow.

Interesting - looking at where Airliewood is on modern map - that is not the original house - the original had land which spanned about 4 of the properties in that road on that side.

i don't know how old my map is but it shows nothing on forest road at all, except woodland.

when was Airliewood built?? could give me a good indication of just how old my map is

also, is this the land that was bought by harry neilson or am i talking about a completely different place??

Sounds like maybe you have a tithe map.

Does it look like this?


If so, it is rare and circa 1840s.

Harry Neilson's family moved to the plot of land on Forest Rd in 1863.

'"In the year 1863 my parents moved with their family of children to the new house my father had built in Forest Road, Calughton, a suburb of Birkenhead. He bought the land, which was covered with fir trees, and one acre in extent, for 3s 6d per square yard! The house was called "Airliewood", a name well chosen, as was that of the road which it faced, for all around us stretched forest land composed mostly of Scotch firs."'

it is like that yeah, has names on it too which i think is people who owned the land at the time maybe??

wow, 1840's, didn't think it was THAT old

If you go here: http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/tithemaps/ You can check out who owned the land etc.

The tithe maps are a great source of info and are especially useful when you can plot who lived where!

That is what I found when I looked it up, as well and I'd never heard of a Claughton in Lancs. Thanks everyone for the bits of info. I'm sure there must be a lot more out there, especially as Sir William Jackson was such an important person in Birkenhead. JoannaM