Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Bidston Hill Underground Tunnels Part 1

hmm but were? must be in the wooded area in the top of that map.

was that the bit called the 'rods'?. (were i parked my car)

Yeah, I would think it would be somewhere in the rods, but the Brow Rd exit can't be near either of the two entrances we found, see this map:

just clicked the hybrid button and it shows that the gravel road that runs up to the house is also part of Brow Road so it could be just off that.

are the pic's that ste posted from inside the the tunnles?

Yes, well from inside the entrance anyway.

If you look back a few pages, there are a few more too.

There's hardly any info on the net about these tunnels, I am surpised that both the Bidston Preservation society and Friends of Bidston Hill websites make not even a mention of them...

It's almost as though they never existed; I suppose thats what the council want though.

Here is a map of the tunnels:

just look where those entrances are
bow road is a mystery, but i'm sure we have found the emergency escape shaft

There is a N-E-S-W On the map

just a quick overlay to check the main entrance is in the right place?

If I have the entrance in the right place then I can work out the scale from that shaft we found on the hill

Map positioned North
Aspect ratio preserved.
Covering 2 points Entrance and possible shaft ??

You can play this out a million ways

Anyone got any dimensions of the tunnels ??

Project Background

It was at the Birkenhead Town Council meeting on the 11th of September 1940, that it was suggested that two large civillian air raid shelters could be built uner rock outcrops in Tranmere and Bidston.

Bidston Timeline

- May 1941: Mr Kooyker, a mining engineer, employed for a period of four weeks to work on preperation for the Bidston Tunnel and this period extended by a further four weeks into June.

- December 1941: Excavation of the entrances and the construction of the magazince commenced.

- January 1942: Total excavated No.1 entrance 132ft & No.2 entrance 75ft. 45 men employed in this tunnel.

- February 1942: Total excavated 722ft. 60 men employed on this tunnel.

- March 1942: Total excavated 1292ft. 64 men employed here.

- April 1942: Total excavated 2051ft. 57 men employed on this tunnel. Decision that lining not necessary throughout the tunnel, but essential in certain places, and flooring to be provided throughout. Sand excavated from the tunnels to be stored on site of Rhododendron Gardens then sold for building purposes.

- June 1942: Total excavated 2882ft. Considerable difficulty met with faults in the rock. 62 men employed on this tunnel.

- July 1942: Progress hindered by roofing problems with an arched roof in places being considered. Estimated cost increased o £15.8.0 per head.

- August 1942: Decision to introduce an arched roof section in certain places to reduce the amount of structural lining. Estimated cost now £46,672 with an estimated 2,213 bunks and 793 seats. Cost now £15.11.0 per head with difference between original of £13.5.0 per head to be drfrayed by the Corporation. 42 men employed here.

- October 1942: The whole of the arch trimming complete; a number of bunks installed. 41 men employed here.

- January 1943: A report said that due to the unreliable nature of the rock, which was not apparent until it had been exposed to the air for considerable period and having to arch the roof throughout, the cos was now estimated at £51,000. To increase the maximum number by 700 could be achieved by adding an additional tier to the three-tier bunks at a cost of £1.00 each. It is noted that the quality of the unskilled labour available at Bidston is markedly inferior to that at Tranmere.

- March 1943: The excavation of Bidston was relatively cheaper than that of Tranmere due to the softness of the rock and hence reduced labour costs; lesser volume of explosives required; Bidston soil was tipped close to the entrance whereas at Tranmere, 25,000 tons have to be loaded and transported off site.

- June 1943: Final bill for the Bidston Deep Shelter settled at £48,000 of which £6,510 was the liability of the Birkenhead Corporation.

- March 1944: Official number of bunks erected stands at 1,596 (from the intended total of 2,136).

- April 1944: Since the completion of the Bidston Deep Shelter, approx 950 tons of surplus sand sold to M/s Tilston & Roberts at 1/- per ton - 19,000 tons remaining.

- May 1945: Request from Robertson & Buckley & Co to use the shelter as a storage area for raw materials.

Credits

Extract taken from the following book:

Title: Wirral On The Home Front 1939-45
Author: Ian Boumphrey
ISBN: 1-899241-24-8
Price: £11.95
Order: http://www.yesterdayswirral.co.uk/

That emergency shaft and fan room exit
looks like it could be on that house ?? (Almost dead centre of picture)

Not 1,2,3 its on the back edge of the map.

i think yours is way off scale mark?

good work , only thing is that the picture is not to scale.

it will deffo help us tho if we make it inside. I would like to think we can get inside and map the inside out correctly to scale

ive never done something like this before so im kind of buzzing at the mo.