Bidston HAA Gunsite - 4th Jun 2009 6:22pm
I spotted that this supposedly destroyed gunsite still exists so went along to photograph it today.
The site is heavily overgrown at the moment with nettles, brambles, thistles, gorse, hawthorn and even some grass. The nettles are 4 feet deep in places, there are rushes indicating boggy areas and loads of mole hills hidden beneath the grass - not a very friendly place at the moment, took me a number of attempts to find a route to the gunsite, despite being able to see it from Fender Lane.
I'll do a few posts
First (this one) - maps and building bases
Second - western Gunsite
Third - building between gunsites
Fourth - Eastern gunsite.
The gunsite was numbered "mersey J/H31" and was recorded as disused in 1942, I suspect that it got partly destroyed by a bomb! The Defence of Britain database thinks the site is "Destroyed", however, as you will see, although not perfect, there is a lot of the structure still there.
The perimeter walls of both gunsites are pretty intact, though not visible (see the Puddington HAA site thread for a picture of what they look like)
This is an unusual gundite because it only has two guns, there is no record what size guns where here, but I guess 3.5 inch (mixing decimal and inches is purely to get a response from Pinz!)
The first aerial is 1972 before Fender Lane is built, most of the additional buildings are visible on it. The path starts from School Lane, and is now cut in half by Fender Lane. The southern half of the gunsite path is exactly where the footpath leads from School Lane to Fender Lane today. The two gunsites are at the top left of the site, the building between the two gun placements is almost invisible but is connected to one of the small white blobs.
Second aerial show 1997, after Fender Lane is built, the building between gunsites is visble, but the gunsites look almost gone, this is because they were very overgrown.
The site is heavily overgrown at the moment with nettles, brambles, thistles, gorse, hawthorn and even some grass. The nettles are 4 feet deep in places, there are rushes indicating boggy areas and loads of mole hills hidden beneath the grass - not a very friendly place at the moment, took me a number of attempts to find a route to the gunsite, despite being able to see it from Fender Lane.
I'll do a few posts
First (this one) - maps and building bases
Second - western Gunsite
Third - building between gunsites
Fourth - Eastern gunsite.
The gunsite was numbered "mersey J/H31" and was recorded as disused in 1942, I suspect that it got partly destroyed by a bomb! The Defence of Britain database thinks the site is "Destroyed", however, as you will see, although not perfect, there is a lot of the structure still there.
The perimeter walls of both gunsites are pretty intact, though not visible (see the Puddington HAA site thread for a picture of what they look like)
This is an unusual gundite because it only has two guns, there is no record what size guns where here, but I guess 3.5 inch (mixing decimal and inches is purely to get a response from Pinz!)
The first aerial is 1972 before Fender Lane is built, most of the additional buildings are visible on it. The path starts from School Lane, and is now cut in half by Fender Lane. The southern half of the gunsite path is exactly where the footpath leads from School Lane to Fender Lane today. The two gunsites are at the top left of the site, the building between the two gun placements is almost invisible but is connected to one of the small white blobs.
Second aerial show 1997, after Fender Lane is built, the building between gunsites is visble, but the gunsites look almost gone, this is because they were very overgrown.
Description: Bidston HAA Gunsite 1972
Description: Bidston HAA Gunsite 1997
Description: Western Gun Placement viewed from Fender Lane - with a bit of zoom
Description: Eastern Gun Placement viewed from Fender Lane
Description: The building bases just by Fender Lane