Bidston Observatory

By Sarah Griffiths on Feb 2, 09 08:50 AM in 1800-1899

The Liverpool Observatory was established at Waterloo Docks in 1845, but it was relocated to a new building on Bidston Hill in 1866 which overlooks North Wales and Liverpool.

The Mersey Docks and Habour Board were responsible for the establishment of Bidston Observatory and its purpose was to assist ships heading for the port of Liverpool with navigation. It was essential that shipping had access to accurate time measurements and this was achieved through the observation of stars, which allowed the correct calculation of Greenwich Mean Time.

The way in which this information was transmitted to shipping was through the release of a time ball on the observatory roof which triggered a daily signal to Birkenhead. A cannon was then fired from Morpeth Dock at 1pm each day which ensured that mariners could synchronise their chronometers.

In 1867 the observatory began to record metereological data and 30 years later expanded its remit to include seismological research. In order to fulfil all of its different functions, the building housed two telescopes in its distinctive white domes and seismology equipment was installed in its deep cellars.

The Liverpool Tidal Institute was founded in the 1920s to provide accurate tide timetables and this was amalgamated with the Bidston Observatory in 1929. The institution became internationally renowned and played an important part in providing information for operations during the Second World War.

In the 1950s research was expanded to include storm-surge prediction and the institution then became the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in 1987. The original building is now disused as the whole institution was relocated to the University of Liverpool.