When me and chriskay went to the archives there was no evidence to be found of the aerodrome.the only evidence that we have come across is the poster advertising flights from there to blackpool.there is evidence of a private air field close to leasowe road /cross lane... Good hunting
It all makes perfect sense expressed in dollars and cents ,pound shillings and pence
Yes the private airfield was owned by Eric Ward and was on Leasowe road but that was later on and is completely seperate.
Looking at the tithe map of Wallasey from 1851 there is a plot of land suspiciously in the shape of an airfield. It is in the place where we are almost sure the aerodrome would be and which today is Bidston moss between the fender and birkett and within view of st hilarys
The only problem is that the aerodrome doesn't open for another 60-70 years. My only thought is that maybe the area was being used for a similar function before hand ? I have attached a picture which is the tithe map of 1851 and today map side by side.
A couple of articles concerning the Bidston Aerodrome and the relevant ventures have surfaced ....
July 1919 "GREAT NORTHERN AERIAL SYNDICATE, LTD., 25, Lord Street,Liverpool. Capital £10,000 in 5s. shares. Organisers, etc., especially in the business of commercial aviation manufacturers and designers of aircraft, proprietors of schools of aviation, etc. First directors ;C. Sutherland, C. H. Bullen, R. H. Taylor, W. J. Todd, W. E. Cooke, E. G. Noakes, L. E. Stephens"
September 1919 in relation to the Government sell-off of the R-36, R-37, R-39, R-80, Airships "It is expected that the Great Northern Aerial Syndicate, which purposes to establish air service between Liverpool and Australia, and Liverpool and New York will bid for some of these airships. It is estimated that six huge vessels will be necessary to maintain these two services with any degree of regularity. The total financial backing necessary forsuch an undertaking is somewhere in the neighbourhood of £2,500,000"
December 1921 "Great Northern Aerial Syndicate, Ltd. An application in connection with the affairs of the Great Northern Aerial Syndicate, Ltd., which opened an aviation centre near Bidston Station a couple of years ago, came before his Honour Judge Parsons, K.C., at the Birkenhead County Court on December 14. Mr. J. Fraser Harrison, barrister, applied for authority to enable the liquidator of the company (Mr. F. M. W. Wilson, Cook Street, Liverpool) to sue as for a contract debt for the amounts of unpaid calls in arrears, together with interest, for the purpose of paying the general creditors of the company the admitted amounts of their respective debts. The company, it was mentioned, was wound up this year, and the unpaid calls, with interest, amounted to £5,633 10s. 9d. The syndicate was incorporated in 1919 with a nominal capital of £10,000, divided into 40,000 shares of 5s. each. There was a sum of upwards of £4,000 uncalled capital due in respect of the issued shares. Mr. T. G. Heninghem, representing a number of the contributaries, said his clients had no desire to hinder the liquidator. When the resolution to wind up the company was passed his clients thought it was with a view to reconstruction. No money had been received by his clients, and the whole of the expenses had been paid out of capital. The object of the company was to run airships for civil purposes. It had a landing place in Birkenhead, be believed, for nights to America. It was intimated by Mr. Heninghem that some of his clients had paid the first and second, and even the third and fourth calls. He suggested if an order were made empowering the liquidator to sue those who had not so paid there would be no need for further action. The liquidator's application was granted."
Last edited by diggingdeeper; 16th Feb 200911:52pm.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
You talk about land in the shape of an aerodrome on the tithe map of 1851. surley the only things that could fly then where birds. amd i mean the feathered kind
Ships that pass in the night, seldom seen and soon forgoten
Heres a Picture taken from Bidston Station around 1888 look how dense it was fields etc. maybe the aerodrome was around here..
i think this picture is taken from roughly where the footbridge is looking toward tesco site - the lines on the right being the goods yard on the steelworks site.. thus the site in front of the camera is where bidston tip is now. I'm convinced the airfield would have straddled the golf course and nature reserve sites..obviously no m530 to worry about!
The pictures in the Wirral Journal show a number of buildings at the aerodrome.
I am wondering if Bidston Golf Club started in 1913 but at the West Cheshire Golf Course which is where the tip is/was now. This would allow the aerodrome to be based where the Bidston Club House is now, and the golf club possibly moved there later.
All conjecture, but having seen the number of aerodrome buildings, it is now just a relatively simple hunt through the old maps in the library. The chances of the buildings being destroyed straight after the aerodrome closed has got to be minimal.
Did a bit of research on this today and got nowhere, but the following info may be useful.
1911 map has no horse racecourse and no Bidston GolfCourse 1936 map has the horse racecourse and Bidston GolfCourse adjacent, no sign of the group of hangers.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
I came across this info while looking for something else. As a kid growing up in the avenues we often went over to the AF site. It closed about 1960. It was still used as a some sort of training base as there was always staff there. I recall one year going into the base with other kids to watch their sports day. It was a sweltering hot day and we got very sunburnt. The Tesco down there w=is on the site of the steel mill which was on the site of Bidston railway marshalling yard.
The RAF site was before you came to Bidston staion going down the lane to the station. oIt was on the opposite side to the golf course. It is now all marshy fields that can be seen from the flyover over the motorway coming from Moreton on Hoylake road. When it closed we used to go and play around there as there was a shed and a very large and deep concrete tank that had once been full of water. I presume that it was to train pilots on how to get out of a plane when it ditched. Eventually the whole site was cleared of any sign of it being an RAF base and now you wouldn't know it had ever been there.
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