| Bidston Dock | |
|---|---|
 The iron ore unloading cranes at Bidston Dock in 1964 | |
| Location | |
| Location | Birkenhead, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°24′39″N3°03′26″W / 53.4107°N 3.0573°W |
| OS grid | SJ297909 |
| Details | |
| Owner | Peel Holdings (site) |
| Opened | March 1933 [1] |
| Closed | c. 1997 |
Bidston Dock was a dock at Birkenhead, in England. It was situated to the west of the Great Float, between Bidston and Poulton.
A proposal for the construction of the dock on most of what remained of the tidal inlet of Wallasey Pool was outlined in the 1920s. Consisting of the main basin and four additional branches, only part of the main dock was eventually built. [2]
Bidston dock was opened in March 1933 and originally known as the West Float extension. [1] The dock was first used for laying up ships, such as the Ellerman Lines' City of London and City of York . [3] In 1947 the Greek liner Matrona capsized at her moorings [4] when her ballast was removed during conversion work. Having been refloated in June 1948 by seven locomotives operating on specially built tracks, she was towed to Barrow-In-Furness for scrapping. [5] In 1952 the Bibby Line vessel Somersetshire boarded crew at Bidston Dock prior to service as an emigrant ship to Australia.
The dock was significantly altered in the 1950s to allow the transportation of iron ore bound for Shotton. [6] The dock had a trio of large moveable cranes to unload the iron ore, [7] which were dismantled in the late 1990s. The northern quayside of Bidston Dock was the iron ore berth, which was operated by Rea Ltd. The southern quayside was unallocated. [8] By 1992, the dock was only being used for laying up ships, such as the Isle of Man Steam Packet vessels. [9] Some of the final traffic through the dock involved the transportation of timber. [10] Bidston Dock was subsequently closed and was landfilled by 2003. [11]
The dock was served by the Birkenhead Dock Branch railway line and an iron ore train ran regularly to the John Summers Steelworks in Shotton. Monthly shipments of iron ore arrived at Bidston Dock from 1956. [12] Due to the nature of the train, a high degree of motive power was required. Class 40s and pairs of Class 25 locomotives [13] are known to have operated on this track, during its latter days. In the steam era, the iron ore train was known to have been hauled by Class 9F locomotives. [14] The Class 9F locomotive 92203, later named as Black Prince, worked the final steam-hauled iron ore train in November 1967. [15] [16] [17]
Though the dock itself was filled, the northern quayside, on which the cranes were situated, and the railway sidings are still intact, although disused.
Peel Holdings have expressed an interest to develop the site of the former dock, as part of the Wirral Waters regeneration project. This part of the project would encompass 571,000 square feet (53,000 m2) of leisure facilities and a retail park. [18]
As of 2022, a new £13 million park is being constructed which will link Rock Ferry with Bidston Dock. [19] Known as Dock Branch Park, it will provide a mile–long pedestrian and cycle corridor between the two locations, as well as providing land for 1,000 homes a new venue for Wirral Transport Museum. [20]
Birkenhead is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 88,818.
Bidston is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England.
Waterloo Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Vauxhall and connected to Princes Half Tide Dock to the south. The site of Victoria Dock is located to the north.
The Great Float is a body of water on the Wirral Peninsula, England, formed from the natural tidal inlet, the Wallasey Pool. It is split into two large docks, East Float and West Float, both part of the Birkenhead Docks complex. The docks run approximately 2 miles (3 km) inland from the River Mersey, dividing the towns of Birkenhead and Wallasey. The Great Float consists of 110 acres (45 ha) of water and more than 4 miles (6 km) of quays.
Egerton Dock is a dock at Birkenhead, in England. The dock is situated between East Float and Morpeth Dock, within Birkenhead's dock system.
Morpeth Dock is a dock at Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. The dock is situated between the River Mersey and Egerton Dock.
Alfred Dock is a dock at Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The dock covers an area of 8 acres (32,000 m2) and provides access to the Great Float from the River Mersey.
Vittoria Dock is a dock in Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. It was built between 1904 and 1908, from land reclaimed during the construction of the Great Float.
The Wallasey Dock, was a dock at Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. The dock was accessed via East Float to the west, until Wallasey Dock was filled at the turn of the millennium.
The Wirral Railway was a railway network in the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula, England. Its route was from Birkenhead Park in the east of the Wirral to West Kirby in the west. A branch off this line at Bidston went north to Secombe and New Brighton. It was incorporated in 1863 as the Hoylake Railway, running from Hoylake to Birkenhead Docks. After changes of name and of ownership, it was purchased by the Wirral Railway Company Limited in 1884. The network was extended to West Kirby, New Brighton, and Seacombe, and to Birkenhead Park station where it joined the Mersey Railway, enabling through trains through the Mersey Railway Tunnel to Liverpool. In the 1923 grouping the Wirral company became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which electrified the line in 1938, allowing passenger services to be integrated with the Liverpool urban system. Most of the Wirral Railway network is still in use today as part of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail rail network.
Wallasey is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, it is at the mouth of the River Mersey, on the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2011 Census, the population was 60,284.
The Wirral Peninsula, known locally as The Wirral, is an area in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about 15 miles (24 km) long and 7 miles (11 km) wide and is bounded by the River Dee to the west, the River Mersey to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north.
Bidston railway station is a railway station that serves the village of Bidston, Merseyside, England. The station is situated at the junction of the West Kirby branch of the Wirral line, which is part of the Merseyrail network, and serves as the northern terminal for the Borderlands line from Wrexham Central, operated by Transport for Wales.
Upton railway station serves the village of Upton and the Noctorum area of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The station is situated on the Borderlands line. Transport for Wales operates the station and all trains serving it.
Heswall railway station is a railway station on the eastern edge of the town of Heswall on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It is on the Borderlands Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Transport for Wales. In 2008 the station was refurbished. The station was previously known as Heswall Hills, as there was previously another station serving Heswall, on the Birkenhead Railway's branch line from West Kirby to Hooton, that is now a footpath known as the Wirral Way.
Wallasey Pool was a natural tidal inlet of water that separated the towns of Wallasey and Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Originally flowing directly into the River Mersey, it was converted into the sophisticated Birkenhead Dock system from the 1820s onwards by land reclamation, with the main portion of the pool becoming known as the Great Float. In 1933, with the exception of a small lake, the head of Wallasey Pool at Poulton was converted into Bidston Dock. By 2003, this dock had been filled in.
Birkenhead Dock Branch is a disused railway line running from the South junction of Rock Ferry, to the site of the former Bidston Dock on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The branch is approximately 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) in length. Although called a branch, the line was accessible from both ends, from Bidston East junction and from Rock Ferry railway station. The former Mollington Street Rail Depot was branched into the line. A section of the line runs through Haymarket Tunnel and a low-level cutting through the centre of Birkenhead; visible from the road flyovers. The former Canning Street North signal box has now been demolished following fire damage, and the rails across the level crossing there have been removed due to the provision of cycle lanes on the roadway. The non-standard gates remain on the east side, but a fence has been erected on the other side despite the railway being officially out of use, rather than closed. Level crossings are also located at Duke Street and Wallasey Bridge Road. The railway lines are still partially intact.
Wirral Tramway is a heritage tramway opened in 1995 by the Wirral Borough Council and Hamilton Quarter partnership and was operated by Blackpool Transport Services until 2005 when the council took over the licence to run the tramway.
The Wirral Street Car is a proposed tramway from Bidston Dock to Woodside Ferry Terminal to provide transport links for the Wirral Waters development. The line will use pre-existing rolling stock as well as incorporating both the disused Birkenhead Dock Branch and the Wirral Tramway that already operates as a heritage service from the Wirral Transport Museum to Woodside Ferry Terminal.
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