Got to the bottom of this if anyone is interested. It's a series of post-medieval mills right through this field. Due to the stones not being on the 17th century maps, and have now mostly disappeared.....i'm 90% sure that's what these stone rows are.
There is no other known pattern like this (or even similar) in England - although I don't like it, I will go with the alignment pattern for the Observatory.
What's the most number of Mills on any other single site you know of? I've only come across two that are within 100 yards of each other, other than when a replacement mill been built.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
Also, if you're interested in archaeology in Wirral, there'll be something announced later this year from Woodchurch/Landican that's going to re-write the history books of the area. Can't give any details away yet but it's front page stuff. Thought I'd get you all guessing!
It's something called a tidal mill, it's not a mill like a wind mill or anything. I've got a reference to a journal article explaining quite a big industry around this area. Don't forget, this part of Wirral would have been under water for much of the year and has only recently been drained.
As soon as I get time, I'll find and scan the article. Also, if you're interested in archaeology in Wirral, there'll be something announced later this year from Woodchurch/Landican that's going to re-write the history books of the area. Can't give any details away yet but it's front page stuff. Thought I'd get you all guessing!
'A tide mill is a specialist type of water mill driven by tidal rise and fall.
A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide begins to fall. When the tide is low enough, the stored water can be released to turn a water wheel.
Tide mills are usually situated in river estuaries, away from the effects of waves but close enough to the sea to have a reasonable tidal range. These mills have existed since the Middle Ages, and some may go back to the Roman period.
A modern version of a tide mill is the electricity generating tidal barrage.'
Bidston on the Wirral. SJ 298909 area tide powered slitting mill -remains extant Trans. Hist Soc. Lancs. And Ches. 1957, 108 (Historical society of Lancashire and Cheshire journal volume 108 published in 1957)
OK - here's one to stretch wikiwirral historians' brains. A few years back I was looking at an old map of Bidston from about 1870. On it I noticed some stones placed quite uniformly in three rows in a field west of Bidston Village. Just checked the old-maps website and they are on the 1899 map but have disappeared by 1912.
Does anyone have any idea what these stones were? Were they part of some megalithic arrangement? And if so this is massive! Its either in Lower Nags Meadow or Rushy Meadow (tithe map 1842). The land is owned by Robert Vyner.
Have a look: Fender Lane is now Bidston Village Rd which ends where the bypass takes over. Would be grateful for any info on this.
The exact spot where the stones stood on your map, is now The corsair public house, and the red line to the left of the map is just about where the Bidston to Neston rail line is, I remember the ore trains trudging along this line at night in the early 70's it kept me awake many nights. The spot on your map where it shows the school, just after the dogs leg in the road was a double tennis court owned by One of the members of the Scaffold group in 1975.
The funny thing is there still getting Stoned in the same place now , but on loopy juice :-)
The exact spot where the stones stood on your map, is now The corsair public house, and the red line to the left of the map is just about where the Bidston to Neston rail line is
The Railway line is on the east (right) of this field and the Corsair is further east still. The Corsair is now well shut and burnt out!
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
The field with the stones is at NGR SJ278900 - see comparison maps.
The tide mills, or tidal mills, were somewhere between SJ292914 (the M53 flyover near Bidston B&Q) and SJ298909 (near to Bidston Recycling Centre). Burdett's map published 1777 shows the two mills (the watermill symbol is a circle or wheel with external spokes).
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