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Bidston Observatory, Wilding Way, Birkenhead, Prenton CH43 7RA, UK

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Photos, credit WJI of the Bidston Observatory, view from the roof and the Proudman Building viewed from the Observatory, painted by Sylvia Asquith

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Bidston Observatory, Wilding Way, Birkenhead, Prenton CH43 7RA, UK

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Bidston Observatory, Wilding Way, Birkenhead, Prenton CH43 7RA, UK

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Bidston Observatory, a Grade 2 listed building which was built in 1864 and constructed with blocks of local sandstone from the Helsby formation, faced with rusticated ashlar and topped with a slate roof. It has an elevated position at 200 feet above sea level on the top of Bidston Hill, the northern most point of a sandstone ridge that forms the backbone of the Wirral Peninsula. It has panoramic views in all directions. Its main functions were tide prediction, accurate time keeping, astronomical and meteorological research and seismography.

The Observatory had two domes, the eastern one which housed the transit telescope to observe the passage of stars across the meridian to provide accurate time checks and the western one to observe comets and determine planetary diameters.

Basement and sub-basement cellars were constructed below ground to reduce temperature variation for the testing of chronometers. It also provided an optimal siting for the seismometer being close to bedrock. It served the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board.

Towards the end of the 18th Century, prior to the Observatory, shipping of goods to the port of Liverpool benefited from a flag signalling system on the ridge which was used to give the docks advance warning of ships as far away as Anglesey so that off-loading times could be determined. Post holes can be seen on the ridge. The flags at Bidston Hill continued to be used until the semaphore system was superseded by an electric telegraph which operated from Bidston Lighthouse.

Tidal predictions carried out at Bidston were instrumental in the success of the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy. Arthur Thomas Doodson at the Liverpool Tidal Institute, a world leading authority on tide prediction used two tide-predicting machines; the Kelvin machine and the Roberts-designed machine, built in 1906. In view of the growing marine scientific research programme, the Proudman Building a modern concrete structure was purpose-built by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in 1975. It was demolished in 2013.

Bidston Observatory is currently used as an Artistic Research Centre (BOARC). Heritage tours of the building can be arranged with BOARC.

Sources of Information

Joyce Scoffield, “Bidston Observatory: The Place and the People”, pub. Countyvise Limited, 2006. ISBN 1-901231-68-2

Remembering the Proudman Building (1975-2013), Judith Wolf, July 2022

http://www.bidstonobservatory.org.uk/remembering-the-proudman-building/

Friends of Bidston Hill

http://www.bidstonhill.org.uk

Friends of Bidston Lighthouse

http://www.bidstonlighthouse.org.uk/fobh

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St Bridget's Church, West Kirby, West Kirby, Wirral

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St Bridget's Church, West Kirby, West Kirby, Wirral

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St Bridget's Church, West Kirby, West Kirby, Wirral

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A visit to St Briget's Church is well worth it to view a good example of an Anglo-Norse Hogback Stone which was restored in 1999 by the Merseyside Conservation Centre.  The stone is thought to be grave marker of an important member of the Norse community which dates to the 10th Century AD.

It was discovered during the restoration of the church in 1869.  The stone is sculptured from a hard grey sandstone which may have come from the Ruabon or Cefn area of North Wales.  Close inspection of the carving reveals a depiction of roof shingles which are typical of Norse Buildings.  Other features are a three strand plait decoration and a wheel and bar pattern above the tiles.  Hogback Stones are rare on the Wirral and a greater number have been found in Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Further investigation indicates that the sandstone is possibly a medium to fine grained quartzose sandstone from the Cefn-y-fedw ss formation in the Namurian Stage of the Lower Carboniferous.  This type of sandstone belongs to the Millstone Grit facies and is found in crags and stream sections on Ruabon Mountain west of Wrexham.  It would be good to obtain a field specimen of this sandstone and see if it matches the Hogback Stone.  Hence, an opportunity for future work!

Posted by John Iley 21 January 2023

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6 Mill Rd, Bromborough, Birkenhead, Wirral CH62 2BH, UK

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Faulting and Sedimentary Structures on the Mill Road Cutting

The road cutting on Mill Road in Bromborough (SJ 334 832) shows a good example of a normal fault in the Wilmslow Formation (252 to 247 Ma of age) which is a member of the Sherwood sandstone group of lower Triassic age.  The almost horizontal beds dip an estimated 5 degrees to the NW and have moved downwards to the right of a fault plane and this is easily recognised due to the colour differences in the beds.  Faults of this nature arise through extension in the earth’s crust.  The more easily eroded white layers are laminated siltstones in contact with the more resistant red sandstone.  Whilst the throw of the fault (vertical displacement) is small and of the order centimetres, much greater distances (metres to kilometres) are typical of bigger scale regional faults.  The Wirral has many larger scale normal faults which generally trend in a N to NW direction.  The sandstone shows cross bedding and its grains are predominantly wind blown (aeolian) as opposed to grains transported by water (fluvial). Sandstones of aeolian origin have more rounded sand grains as opposed to angular grains which is indicative of sand grains transported by water. The features of cross bedding are attributed to avalanches of sand as a sand dune migrates.  Interestingly, the beds transition to the Chester Pebble beds further up Mill Road which are predominantly fluvial in origin and are older than the Wilmslow Formation.

Sources of information:

BGS Publication, Geology of the Liverpool District

BGS Geology Viewer

Rock Around Wirral (2004), Liverpool Geological Society Publication

Posted by John Iley 11/8/22

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Brass Plate near the short section of track in Storeton Woods

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Unfortunately, little remains of the former Storeton Quarries Tramway.  However, there is a short section of track in Storeton Woods with a descriptive brass plate which was installed by ‘The Friends of Storeton Woods’.   It is worth reading the inscription on the brass plate and looking at the original ‘Fish-bellied’ rail section.

The railway which became known as the Storeton Quarries Tramway was built to transport stone from the three quarries at Storeton to the river Mersey at Bromborough Pool.  From there it was taken by barge to Birkenhead and Liverpool to be used in building construction.  Prior to the building of the Tramway, horse drawn wagons were used to transport the stone and it took a journey time of three-weeks to transport the stone over two and a half miles.  In 1828 George Stevenson visited the quarries when he was looking for stone to build the Sankey Viaduct and he may have been instrumental in the building of the Tramway.  Interestingly, Thomas Brassey was managing the quarries at that time and he later became world famous as the builder of many railways, bridges and tunnels worldwide.

The Tramway  started in the North Quarry, then passed the South Quarry and over Rest Hill through Hancock’s Wood and into the sixty-yard tunnel under Mount Road to emerge in Jackie’s Wood Quarry on the east side of Mount Road.  After passing down the steep Bunkers Hill incline the Tramway crossed Bracken Lane, Cross Lane and Church Road near St Andrews’s Church and then onto the quay at Bromborough Pool.  Loaded wagons passed returning empties via a loop at Church Road.  Shire horses provided the power for the return journey up the steep incline. A branch line connected the Tramway with the Birkenhead to Chester railway.  The following link shows the location of the former quarries and Tramway on an historic map (1888-1913) with a more recent map alongside.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15.057566827152908&lat=53.35588&lon=-3.03009&layers=6&right=BingHyb

Journey time was reduced from three weeks to less than thirty minutes by changing from horse drawn wagons to a tramway.  The Tramway operated from 1838 to 1905 and was then abandoned following the introduction of motor vehicles.

An excellent publication ‘The Storeton Tramway’ by R. C. Jermy, 1981 is useful further reading.

Posted by John Iley on 14 Jan 2022

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Source: geoscenic.bgs.co.uk.  Sandstone was worked in benches a few metres in thickness and the stone raised by crane to the surface for dressing

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This pin shows the location of the the former Storeton Sandstone Quarries.  Sandstone, part of the Helsby Sandstone formation on the Storeton Ridge was quarried here from Roman times until the mid 1900s.  The sandstone was used for decorative, memorial and building purposes. There were three quarries ie Storeton North, Storeton South and Jackie's Wood quarry on the east side of Mount Road. Quarrying was stopped at the older North Quarry by the 1890s and by 1905 both the North and South  quarries had ceased production. Peak production in Jackie's Wood quarry was in 1914.  Spoil from the Birkenhead Tunnel excavations was used to fill in the two disused north and south quarries and later the Jackie's Wood quarry was filled in using spoil from the Wallasey Tunnel excavations.

The sandstone is strongly cemented and had to be hand-cut from the beds.  Later, the use of a steam driven cutting machine (Wardwell Channeller) reduced the amount of hand working.  The cutting machine moved on rails and reciprocating chisel ended cutters cut channels into the rock.  The sandstone ranged from yellow soft stone in the upper beds to silvery white and darker brown in the lower beds.  As well as for local use, the quarried sandstone was exported and used to clad parts of the Empire State Building in New York.

Between 1838 and 1905 the stone was transported to Bromborough Pool for off-loading onto barges via the Storeton Tramway, see the Storeton Tramway post.

During the quarrying operations fossil vertebrate tracks were discovered in 1838 in clay layers separating the sandstone beds. The species was named Chirotherium storetenese after the site of discovery.  Examples of these footprints can be seen in the World Museum.

Posted by John Iley 26 Oct 2021

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This photo shows the relatively  massive metre scale bedding in the Helsby sandstone - blocks would have been sutable for a wide range of construction purposes. Note levels of former quarry benches (extraction levels)  - and solid sandstone quarry floor. Extraction had not reached  the maximum extent of the rock resources.
(The floor is also dry - so above the local water table).

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Eroded (Mudflake) Cavities - Helsby Sandstone, Irby Quarry  

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Eroded (Mudflake) Cavities - Helsby Sandstone, Irby Quarry  

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The small cavities in this coarse sandstone result from the preferential erosion (at outcrop) of softer clasts of mudstone. The origianl mud clasts would have been ripped up from the local Triassic flood plain and rapidly deposited with the deposting sand. Mudflakes are characteristic features of fluvial (river) deposits.

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Cross bedding and Joint fracture in Helsby Sandstone: Irby Quarry 

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Cross bedding and Joint fracture in Helsby Sandstone: Irby Quarry 

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The low angle lines dipping to the left are the toes of avalanche surfaces created by an underwater sand dune as it migrated to the north in a fast flowing river back in the Triassic.
The crack on the right by the end of the stick is a 'joint' - most likely formed during uplift in the Tertiary - or after the Ice Age.

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Shot Hole and Blast Damage: Irby Quarry 

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Shot Hole and Blast Damage: Irby Quarry 

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In the latest phase of operations  quarry workers drilled shot holes for explosives and released stone in a series of terraces. Photo shows tube drilled for charge at the base -  and a 'root' like pattern of shattered rock below: blast damage from the explosion

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A geological fault (steeply dipping to the right/ East) crosses the gorge at this point - it brings younger Tarporley Siltsones (on the right of this photo) into contact with much older sandstones of the Wilmslow Fm. The vertical (stratigraphic) displacement ('down throw') is likely more than 120m to the east.
(D. Thompson 1986)
The fault is part of a major fracture system that stretches from Heswall in the south to Moreton shore in the north and defines the margin of a downfaulted block in the north/centre of the Wirral peninsular.
Photo - M. Amlôt

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Thin bedded sandstones form the steps in the siltstones of the Tarporley Siltstone Formation.
Photo - M. Amlôt

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Saughall Massie Rd, Birkenhead, Wirral CH48 1PT, UK

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On the basis of borehole information (which indicates 30m of glacial sediments above bedrock) the subtle ridge from Newton Bridge to Saughall Massey is thought to be a constructional ice contact glacial feature - perhaps a shallow sided morainal bank (Hough 2002).

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Capping sandstone - Bidston Hill - immediately below Lighthouse and Observatory

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Capping sandstone - Bidston Hill - immediately below Lighthouse and Observatory

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This thin cross bedded fluvial  sandstone (at the Base of the Helsby Formation) - it is very resisitant to weathering and forms the crest of the Bidston Escarpment. *(the slopes below are largely comprised of poorly cemented Wilmslow Fm sandstones).

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Likely mark the margins of extensive stone extraction for local buildings.

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The solid sandstone surface likely formed the floor of old quarry workings.
(JimM 2/21)

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Bidston Hall - signs of stone extraction 

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Bidston Hall - signs of stone extraction 

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Cut faces below the stone wall suggest stone extraction in the past.  (A more resistant horizon within the Wilmslow Sst).

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The cliff is unstable - Stand back to see the 3  layers within the glacial deposits. The Upper and Lowere part of the cliff are Till - poorly sorted clay rich with scattered stony clasts: deposits from melting ice.  The middle - pebbly rich - layer  likely represents deposits formed in  fast flowing water in channels below the ice.
(Note Jan 2021 - the path up Tinkers Dell has been affected by landslips and has been temporarily closed.)
(JimM 2/21)

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Linear scratches on the flattened surfaces of boulders were formed when the rock was scraped across hard bedrock at the base of the ice sheet.

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These cliffs are eroding. They are unstable - view them from a distance and do not climb.
Cliffs of glacial till display a wide range of styles of slope failure including rotational slumps, block slides and even toppling. Material is being deposited as debris flows which  extend across the shore.  Instability is enhanced where storm-enhanced erosion removes the toe of slumps and flows.
(JimM 2/21)

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Dangerous Road Cutting. Visit only on Google Street View!

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Dangerous Road Cutting. Visit only on Google Street View!

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BUSY ROAD - narrow pavement. The road cutting cutting at Thurstaston was reputedly cut in the 1880's at the behest of TH Ismay owner of the White Star line to ensure a view of the Dee from his Dawpool property unencumbered by traffic and locals!
The cutting has many sedimentary and tectonic structures - and spans the Upper part of the Wilmslow Sst. The Thursaston Hard - and Soft beds.
Pick marks demonstrate that was cut by hard manual labour.
(JimM Feb 21)

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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

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Former Barker and Briscoe Brickworks  (dangerous - no access) 

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Former Barker and Briscoe Brickworks  (dangerous - no access) 

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Former Brick works can be found in many areas of Wirral.
Glacial till (boulder clay)  was quarried on site. The clay was used for brick making - larger stones were used as road stone.
This one was active for more than 100 years and at it's peak produced 230,000 bricks/week.
Most of the workings have been filled with landfill waste. You can see superb exposures of glacial till safely by observing the Dee cliffs at Thurstaston. (Do not climb!)

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The former sand dunes on this coastline have been stabilised with massive sea defences which  protect the land from flooding. The massive engineering project presented major problems for engineers + geologists and has created important new coastal habitats. Hazel Clark's (1993) historical review of the sea defences on the N Wirral coast (Northwest Geologist, Number 3 p50-67) is available on the LGS website.

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A series of more resistant red sandstones conveniently provide sites for a seat -(less resistant beds form the sandy slopes) but which intervals are they in the stratigrophic column?

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Virtual walk up Grange Road, West Kirby.

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Virtual walk up Grange Road, West Kirby.

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Explore the geology in the road side cutting on Google Street view (link opens in a separate tab)! Go up the hill and view the rocks on the left. The section starts in the relatively soft Wilmslow Sandstones with large scale aeolian cross bedding and ends near the noticeboard in the coarser fluvial sandstones of the Helsby Formation. There are many sets of fractures (see our poster - available online at the top of the hill (!) for more explanation).

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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

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Dibbinsdale and Brotherton Park. Local Nature Reserve.

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Dibbinsdale and Brotherton Park. Local Nature Reserve.

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These steep sided valleys are incised through a thick layer of glacial till (bouder clay)  and reach Triassic bedrock in places.
It is likely that the valleys were cut by glacial meltwaters during the retreat of the Devensian ice sheet.

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Some of the best exposures of the Triassic Helsby Sandstone Formation can be found in former quarries that are now parks and wildlife havens. Wirral Borough Council have produced a very good account of the heritage and geology of the Breck which can be downloaded from their site using the following link:  https://www.wirral.gov.uk/sites/default/files/all/Leisure%20parks%20and%20events/parks%20and%20open%20spaces/The%20Breck%2C%20Wallasey.pdf

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The best places to see fossils on the Wirral are where rocks have been brought in from other places.
Sea defences and the walls of the marine lake at West Kirby have large blocks of Carboniferous Limestone: most likely from the large quarries on Halkyn Mountain in North Wales.
You can see brachiopod sea shells, corals and crinoids without leaving the safety of the sandy shore. (Please just look - don't attempt to collect material - and don't climb the rocks!)

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The Heswall Dales are a superb Natural Habitat and SSSI.
Geologically: the slopes are  underlain by the (realtively weak)  Triassic Wilmslow Sandstone Formation. Rock exposures are rare. The lower ridge is mapped as the Thurstaston Hard Sandstone Member but the fluvial unit is not so persistent (or hard) as it is further north.
The hill is capped by the Helsby Sandstone which also underlies Upper Heswall.
(Shouldn't there be more on public display boards about the origins of the landscape!!! - a job for us the Friends and the local Council??)
(Posted by JimM 12/20)

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Steepest part of the road where it cuts through the Thurstaston Hard Sandstone Bed.
The Hard bed forms a marked 'break of slope' (step in the path)  across the adjacent common.
Here, unlike Thuurstaston, the plateau at the top of the Hill is made of the Helsby Sandstone Formation (Delamere Sandstone Member)

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The historic centre of the hamlet of Greasby (from 16th to early 20th Centuries) - yellow star - marks  the northern end of subtle ridge in the landscape (a fault-bounded block of porous and permeable Helsby sandstone stretching north from Irby Hill).  The early dwellings were constructed where the aquifer came near to the surface (basement wells)  or where less affluent folk could use the  spring-fed pump (red cross).
(Own research - with local historians)
(Post by JimM 12/20)
Geological Map data BGS © UKRI 2020. © Copyright and Database Right 2020 Ordnance Survey 100025252

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Constructed on sandstone foundations between 1891 and 1901.
http://www.historyofwallasey.co.uk

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Mersey shore near Vale Park, New Brighton.

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Mersey shore near Vale Park, New Brighton.

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The very slippery rocks on the Wirral shore are Triassic sandstones of the Chester Pebble Bed Formation
The same Formation underlies the Mersey - and supports the buildings that line the Liverpool Waterfront.
All 3 tunnels (rail and road) were contructed in solid sandstone but encountered deep eroded channels and fault zones under the river.
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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Birkenhead Priory is one of the oldest buidings in Merseyside. Founded in around 1150 it was built on solid foundations on the banks of the Mersey directly on  the Triassic Chester Pebble Formation.  (The arch in the photo is from St Mary's church built on the site in the early 19th century.)
The docks to the south are constructed on 'made ground' on the much weaker Wilmslow Formation Sandstones.

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When Harold Hopps painted this view in 1903 Greasby was a small hamlet centred on a few properties on the  gentle hill ahead of him.
Our interpretation of the modern geological map suggests that the historical centre developed where the groundwater table in the fault bounded Helsby Sandstones comes close to the surface. The pump marks the spot where a natural spring feeds a small constructed water reservoir.
(Image from ArtUK - Original in Williamson Gallery
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/pump-lane-greasby-wirral-1903-67776)
Post - JimM 12/20

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The former quarries on Irby Hill have a long history. Maps from 100 years ago show several smaller quarries which must have been merged into the large amphitheatre seen today by operations in 20th Century.
The massive Triassic sandstones are part of the Helsby Formation - their homogeneity and thick beds would have made them excellent building stone.
Note - the quarries do not flood - they must be perched above the local water table (see Greasby pin to the north) .
(Post by Jim M 12/20)

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The coastal path, beside the golf course, between West Kirby and Red Rocks gives views toward Hilbre Island. Sediment is accumulating along this shore. Intertidal sand flats are giving way to vegetated saltmarshes which provide new habitats for birds.  (The Royal Liverpool Golf Course lies on stabilised Holocene dune sands).
Sediment accumulation in several parts of the Dee estuary may be resulting from reduced tidal scour following 'reclamation' further down the estuary. (Moore et al. 2009)
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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The coastal sand dunes are cut off from a supply of new beach sand by modern sea defences and the carpark. The dune complex along this shoreline  likely  accumulated wind blown beach sand for much of the last 10 thousand years.
Dunes have been stabilised by marram and other grasses but are being eroded by footpaths etc.

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Lower Triassic Sandstone Feature at Thurstaston 

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Lower Triassic Sandstone Feature at Thurstaston 

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An unnamed and hitherto poorly documented body of moderately well-cemented cross bedded sandstones within the Wilmslow Formation form a mappable landscape feature in the lower slopes of the Thurstaston escarpent.  (See public boards)
Interesting sedimentary structures including scour deepening and reactivation surfaces.
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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Sharp drops in the escarpment path - mark the sites of small historic quarry operations. 

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Sharp drops in the escarpment path - mark the sites of small historic quarry operations. 

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The Thurstaston Hard Sandstone bed was locally quarried in a series of small quarry workings.
Post by JimM 12/20

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The sharp escarpment edge at Thurstaston is due to capping of the softer sands of the lower part of the Wilmslow Formation by a thin bed of well- cemented red sandstone. the Thurstaston Hard Sandstone is a cross-bedded fluvial (river) sand whereas the underlying thin or flaggy Wilmslow were likely wind blown deposits.
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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'Rib and Furrow' - Thurstaston Escarpment

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'Rib and Furrow' - Thurstaston Escarpment

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These curved lines in the sandstone in the path represent the eroded tops of sheets of sand which formed as separate 'avalanche events' on the face of large curved barchan dunes. The curvature tells us that back in the Triassic the sand-depositing current was flowing to the northwest.

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White quartz-rich seam cut through the red Triassic sandstones.
The white bands mark a tectonic fault zone and are  described as 'granulation seams' - (with pulverised and cemented grains) in a 2015 paper by Liverpool University geologists.
The red sandstone is the Thurstaston Hard Sandstone Bed of the Wilmslow Formation).

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Familiar to generations of local school children.
About 20 years ago there was intense debate between glacial experts who attributed the gulleys to sub-glacial eroson and a Professor of Geology who attributed the features to children climbing (2 papers and discussion-and-reply!).
Decide for youself - and check out historic photographs of the rocks.
Geologically: Thor's Rock displays large scale aeolian cross bedding - and is mapped as the Thurstaston (soft) Sandstone Member - the Uppermost part of the Wilmslow Sandstone Formation.
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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The mill sits directly on the Triassic Helsby Sandstone Formation. It  was built in 1791 to replace an earlier wooden contruction.
It is sited on the edge of a natural escarpment. The steep slopes to the west are essentially a fault 'scarp which has likely  retreated from its original position (E. of the Woodchuch Fault) by a combination of glacial scour and more recent erosion.
The shallow slope towards Birkenhead and more locally Tam O' Shanter farm parallels the gentle regional tectonic dip of the strata.

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Have you wondered why Tranmere's ground was so muddy and poorly drained last season.
Check out the local Bedrock and superficial geology map to seek answers! You need to think about the topography too!
Map available on British Geological Survey web portal - Need help?
Then join us to learn more!
(Posted by JimM 12/20)

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British Geological Survey (BGS) | large image viewer | IIPMooViewer 2.0

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BGS is a world-leading geoscience centre for survey and monitoring. A viewer for its large scanned and born-digital imagery is provided here.

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These ripple structures in the contemporary beach sands were formed in sgallow water as the tide retreated. They formed by oscillatory  (back and forth) flow as the wind blew across the surface of the water.
By studying contemporary structures like these geologists are able to interpret  similar structures in very ancient environments.
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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At low tide you can follow the exposures of Triassic sandstones for quite a distance across the beach.
The cross bedded sandstones display consistant direction of palaeo-current flow to the northwest (see next pins) - the top surfaces are marked by rib-and-furrow  structures marking the truncated tops of sand avalanche layers.
Be careful: these rocks can be very slippery and the tide comes in fast!
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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Very Coarse Sandstones with quartz and other pebbles. 

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Very Coarse Sandstones with quartz and other pebbles. 

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Deposits of a fast flowing river system that extended from mountains in contemporary Brittany, France to arid plains well north of Ireland. These Triassic sandstones were traditionally mapped as the Chester Pebble Beds (near the base of the sequence) - but subsequently thec Geological Survey has assigned them to the much younger Helsby Sandstone Formation.

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At low tide you can find exposures way across the beach - at high tide they are under water!

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First year Geology students from the University of Liverpool study the Triassic cross bedded sandstones at Red Rocks.

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Around Neston, geological Faults bring Carboniferous Coal Measures  near to the surface.  The Neston coalfield is and extension of the Flintshire deposits and mines extend under the Dee estuary. Coal was mined from 1759m and exported for over 150 years.
Anthony Annakin-Smith's book published in 2019 gives a fascinating account of the social and industrial history.
Borehole record from BGS - accessed from the Geology of Britain Viewer. Note the wonderful old names for the different strata .
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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Page 4 | Borehole SJ27NE2 | Borehole Logs

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The glacial till  (formerly 'boulder clay') at Thurstaston  contains boulders and other large clasts of a lot of different rock types. This material was transported from Scotland and Northern England by the last ice sheet - It was dumped with the finer grained clay as the ice melted. The rocks on the beach  include granite from Ailsa Craig and the southern Uplands in Scotland together with volcanic rocks and limestones from the Lake District.
Be careful though - there are also  bricks form buildings that have collapsed from the eroding cliffs and large blocks thought to have been brought in as balast by ships when the Dee was  busy trading centre).
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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Glacial deposits in cliffs. Thurstaston Beach

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Glacial deposits in cliffs. Thurstaston Beach

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The thick sequences of glacial deposits in the Thurstaston sea cliffs attract many field trips including those by local Societies and Universities. Slater 1929 and Glasser et at 2001 describe 3 layers in the cliffs. Sands and gravels (deposited by glacial outwash streams) lie between upper an lower layers of clay and boulder rich 'deformation till'  (formerly boulder clay) which formed below the last ice sheet. The cliffs are unstable - look but do not climb!
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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A 210m deep water-supply borehole was drilled at Arrowe Park between October and December 1986. The hole encountered glacial 'drift', then 140m of  the Waterstones and penetrated the top 75m of the underlying Triassic sandstones . Is it still in use.
(Publically available borehole records can be accessed through the BGS web-based  'Geology of Britain viewer'
(http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html) .
Post by JimM 12/20.

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Page 2 | Borehole SJ28NE131 | Borehole Logs

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Synsedimentary deformation structures. Triassic sandstones. Neston Rail Cutting 

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Synsedimentary deformation structures. Triassic sandstones. Neston Rail Cutting 

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The construction of this cutting in 1866 produced a superb set of exposures through the Chester Pebble Bed Formation displaying a wide range of geological features. The strange structures in the photo were produced by fluidisation of the sandstone layers and rapid water escape; perhaps triggered by an earthquake.
Note pick marks to the right - the cutting was cut by hard manual labour.
A local leaflet on the geology is out of print - Members of the LGS are planning a new one.
(Posted by JimM 12/20)

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Thin Bedded Sandstones of the Tarporley Siltstone Formation Formation exposed in Arrowe Brook 

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Thin Bedded Sandstones of the Tarporley Siltstone Formation Formation exposed in Arrowe Brook 

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These thin flaggy sandstones, (formerly called the 'Waterstones') underly a banket of glacial deposits on the local countryside.  They are only accessible when there is little water flowing in the brook. They were deposited on mudlflats and shallow subaqueous environments. In other places they display wave produced ripple marks and pseudomorphs of evaporite minerals.

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Click on the link to GeoHub Liverpool and download the poster (pdf) by Maggie and Peter Williams.

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This is a basic guide to the rocks on Hilbre: an island off the north west coast of Wirral.

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This poster has been produced to demonstrate the geology visible immediately next to the noticeboard at the site.
(Poster JimM and MAml 1 20)

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Large blocks of gabbro with later 2 phase pegmatititic veins  (from where? ? ) have been used in this piece of street architecture.

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Helsby Sandstone Fm . Coarse Grained and Cross Bedded   

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Helsby Sandstone Fm . Coarse Grained and Cross Bedded   

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These fluvial (river) deposits have thin rectangular 'holes' marking where clasts of river mud have been removed by later erosion at outcrop.

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Grange Hill, West Kirby, Wirral CH48, UK

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The memorial of white granite with large feldspar phenocrysts, sits above the walls of a former quarry in the Helsby Sandstone Formation above West Kirby.

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Temporary exposure likely of Glacial Till -   in drainage work for new houses ....

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Portland St, New Brighton, Wallasey CH45 2PA, UK

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The rocky cliffs painted a century and more ago (see adjacent pins)  have evolved into steep gardens today.
View from Portland St, New Brighton
(Posted by JimM 12/20)

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Mulitcoloured exposures of Wilmslow Sandstone 

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Mulitcoloured exposures of Wilmslow Sandstone 

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White, Red and Yellow. The colour of the local Triassic sandstones is due to the variable presence of iron minerals coating the quartz sand grains. Red - iron oxide (haematite), Yellow - iron hydroxide  (limonite), White - no iron - it  has been leached away in groundwaters.. ..
(Post by JimM 12/20)

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Red & Yellow Noses  as painted by Harold Hopps  in 1902 (Williamson Gallery)

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Red & Yellow Noses  as painted by Harold Hopps  in 1902 (Williamson Gallery)

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Compare with photo in adjacent pinshowing Red Noses today.
(Art from Art UK https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/red-and-yellow-noses-new-brighton-wirral-67845/search/keyword:hopps/page/5) (Posted by Jim M 12/20)

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Marine Promenade, New Brighton, Wallasey CH45 2JT, UK

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New Brighton shoreline since the start of the 20th century.  

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New Brighton shoreline since the start of the 20th century.  

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New Brighton shoreline has changed dramatically over the last 120 years.
Click on the image above  to open a link to this contribution to the CITIZAN Coastal Archaeology project.

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23/03/2020 | Chris Kolonko

Archaeology isn't just about finding things and digging holes. A key component of archaeology is reading and understanding clues in the landscape to identify signs of human activity. This is known as 'Landscape Archaeology' and coastal landscapes are a prime location for us to investigate.

Although the coastline is ever-changing due to natural forces, such as coastal erosion, accretion, rising sea levels and storm events, human activity leaves its mark and continues to change the coastal environment to this day.

The use of documentary sources, such as old maps and aerial photographs are key to landscape archaeology. These resources are often used in conjunction with interpretation during field surveys to build up a detailed and accurate timeline of change.

Team North's work in the Liverpool Bay Discovery Programme area has seen us focus on reading the landscape and recording changes to the urban coastal landscapes of the Mersey.

New Brighton, on the Northern corner of the Wirral peninsula, is a great place to do some landscape archaeology!

New Brighton developed from a coastal backwater to a thriving and popular coastal resort during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This development can be traced within the landscape if you know where to look.
Early New Brighton
Much of the land that now makes up the coast edge and promenade of New Brighton has been reclaimed from the sea over the last 100 or so years. The original foreshore was around 150m further inland than it is today.

You can see the extent of the early foreshore in this Ordnance Survey Map from 1882.

Some of the earliest evidence of human activity in the area comes from a lithics working site discovered on Red Noses. Excavation of the site yielded Mesolithic to Bronze Age debitage material, giving us a glimpse into the area's prehistoric past. The area would have been very different 10,000 years ago, with forest and low lying marshy ground. The River Mersey was much smaller back then and not the large expanse of water we see today. The submerged forest that survives at Formby, to the north, would have originally extended across the front of New Brighton and as far south as Flintshire in Wales.

More recently, just over 100 years ago, New Brighton sat on clay and sandstone cliffs on the edge of the intertidal zone of the River Mersey. Human intervention, in the form of land reclamation and promenade construction, has taken place in stages between the late 1800s and 1930s. This has led to the earlier foreshore and cliff face being preserved within the present landscape.
The 19th century: Victorian Leisure and the Landscape
New Brighton started to develop from an isolated settlement on the banks of the Mersey into a resort for the local landed gentry during the 1800s. James Atherton kicked off this development in 1832.

Having observed this section of the Wirral from his house in Everton, he decided to buy a stretch of land and begin developing what was then a relatively small village. His intention was to turn this New Brighton (based on Brighton in the South) into a resort for the local rich.

Atherton's proposal involved creating a street plan for the new town, along with a beach front, pier and church. The gridded street plan devised by Atherton can still be seen on modern aerial photographs and maps. Opulent villas were also constructed along the cliff line to house the well-off target-audience of Atherton's plan.

The late Victorian period saw the development of many coastal towns into resorts where people could take in the coastal air and perambulate along the promenade. New Brighton was no different, developing from an exclusive resort for the local elite, into a booming and popular tourist resort for all people; many seeking time away from the industrial towns and cities of Lancashire and nearby Liverpool. Several of Atherton's villas, mentioned earlier, were converted into cheap boarding houses to support the booming tourist trade.

New Brighton's Northern promenade developed towards the end of the 19th century. The riverfront from Egremont to New Brighton, sometimes known as the 'sea front without a sea view', was developed around 1897. Eventually the riverfront promenades between New Brighton, Egremont and Seacombe were joined to create the longest promenade in the UK.

The development of the eastern extent of foreshore in 1899 can be seen in this Ordnance Survey Map. The area around The Palace has been developed significantly since the earlier 1882 map was published.

Regressive mapping of the riverfront area shows the later promenade gradually spreading from east to west. This promenade sealed the riverfront, slipways and cliffs to the east of New Brighton.

By 1911, yet another promenade had been constructed in front of what is now the Floral Pavilion Theatre. This extended further onto the foreshore and sealed the circa 1897 promenade. The addition of four ornate cast-iron shelters located on rounded promontories provided somewhere to shelter and sit while taking in the sea air.
Art Deco Development
The rapid development of the New Brighton beachfront calmed for the next two decades until the rise of the Art Deco style.

Construction of New Brighton's final prom commenced from 1931. This massive undertaking would include the construction of an open air swimming baths (which was set to become the largest of its type in Europe), a marine lake and a range of Art Deco style shelters and pavilions.

Construction of the promenade we see today was completed in 1939, with the Second World War bringing a halt to further expansion. This is probably the reason why the road stops so abruptly on the prom's western extent around Harrison Drive. It had taken three years to build, with a cost of £531,000 (£34 million today).

The construction of the new New Brighton promenade also provided a practical sea defence and a barrier to the frequent besanding that plagued the area.
Landscape Clues
While walking along the promenade of New Brighton, it is possible to pick out clues and features in the landscape that highlight the development of the local beachfront.

It is also possible to map these phases. By doing so we can see how much of the current landscape of New Brighton has been reclaimed from the sea. Mapping also helps us get an understanding of the chronology of this development.

As mentioned before, the earliest phase of land reclamation sealed the New Brighton sandstone cliffs and foreshore. The cliffs known as Red Noses and Yellow Noses are still prominent in the landscape; representing the earliest visible phase. This line of cliffs can still be followed from west to east as you walk along the prom. The land to the south of Ian Fraser Walk has all been reclaimed.

The 1930s Art Deco shelters and pavilion on King's Parade act as a visual indicator of the final period of land reclamation in the early 20th century.

The final period of promenade construction in the 1930s is clearly highlighted in this OS map from 1967.

The villas that sit on the cliff line above Pilot's Way are a clue to the early development of New Brighton under Atherton. These are the villas built for the local elite which still sit on Atherton's early street plan.

The point where King's Parade intersects Pilots Way marks the northern extent of the foreshore circa 1898; with Pilots Way following the line of the foreshore to the west. The now land-locked Lifeboat House and Marine Park provide tangible links to the 1890s foreshore.

Note the location of Marine Park in this OS map from 1899.

As you reach the Marine Lake there are two clear phases of promenade visible. The earliest phase, dating to around 1911, is represented by the three ornate shelters and the rounded promontories. This feature marks the coast edge in the early 20th century. The Marine Lake was constructed in front of the earlier prom; sealing it in the landscape. If you look close enough you'll also be able to see the different materials and construction techniques used to build both examples.

As you can see, it is possible to trace the development of New Brighton. There are many more coastal landscape clues in and around New Brighton which will come to light in the upcoming Low Tide Trail.

Want to read more? Find out about CITiZAN volunteer Tijana's detective work surrounding the wartime graffiti at Richborough Port

Sources
Historyofwallasey.co.uk. 2020. History Of Wallasey | The Seafront Without A Sea View. [online] Available at: <http://www.historyofwallasey.co.uk/wallasey/the_seafront_without_a_sea_view/> [Accessed 20 March 2020]

Historyofwallasey.co.uk. 2020. Wallasey People | James Atherton. [online] Available at: <http://www.historyofwallasey.co.uk/wallasey/James_Atherton/index.html> [Accessed 20 March 2020].

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     coastal landscape clues: new brighton

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CITiZAN - Blogs - Coastal Landscape Clues: New Brighton

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23/03/2020 | Chris Kolonko Archaeology isn't just about finding things and digging holes. A key component of archaeology is reading and understanding clues in the landscape to identify signs of human activity. This is known as 'Landscape Archaeology' and coastal landscapes are a prime location for us to investigate.

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Wilmslow Sandstone.
Tabular Cross bedding - with 'assymptotic toes'.
Only the top section of the cliffs painted by Harold Hopps in 1902 remain exposed (see adjacent pin)
(Posted by - JimM 12/20)