Bidston is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within the geographical county of Cheshire. At the 2001 Census, the population of Bidston was 10,446, consisting of 4,725 males and 5,721 females. By the time of the 2011 Census the electoral ward was called Bidston and St. James (St James is part of Bidston and not a separate locality). This ward includes Beechwood to the south of Bidston and extends into much of Birkenhead to the east, including all of the south side of the Great Float. The total population of this ward at this Census was 15,216 of which 7,117 were males and 8,099 were female. History Bidston has been occupied since the Mesolithic era, evidenced by flints excavated during the 1990s. Neolithic and Roman artefacts have also been discovered in the vicinity of the village. The circular nature of the St Oswald's Church grounds indicate an early origin to the site. Bidston Hill contains a number of ancient rock carvings, including that of a Sun Goddess, thought to have been carved by the Norse-Irish around 1000 AD. The original parish of Bidston comprised Bidston, Moreton, Saughall Massie, Claughton and Birkenhead. Bidston Hall was originally held by the heirs of Hamon de Massey. The hall eventually passed to the Stanley family, after being purchased by John Stanley of Lathom on 24 June 1397. The residential buildings in the village core date from between the 16th and 18th century. Typically, these are former farmhouses, farm buildings and cottages, constructed from local red sandstone. Many are Grade II listed buildings. Early modern The Liverpool to Holyhead semaphore telegraph was set up in 1826, on which Bidston had a signals station. This replaced a flag signalling station dating to 1763, and which itself was replaced in 1861 by an electrical telegraph. Along with the construction of Bidston Lighthouse in 1771, this facilitated shipping to the Port of Liverpool. Bidston Observatory was added in 1866, further enabling shipping movements on the River Mersey. In the 19th century, Bidston underwent industrial expansion. The greatest effect was possibly the drainage of Bidston Moss, during the construction of Birkenhead Docks. By the end of the century, Bidston had also gained significant