Hill Bark (also known as Bidston Court) is a large country house to the south of the hamlet of Frankby, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[1] The authors of the Buildings of England series comment that it is "one of the most notable Victorian essays in half-timbered design anywhere in the country".[2] History The house was originally built in 1891 for the soap manufacturer Robert William Hudson on Bidston Hill, Birkenhead.[3] It was designed by the Liverpool architectural firm of George Enoch Grayson and Edward A. L. Ould (probably by Ould), and was then known as Bidston Court.[2] It was the home of John Laird, Chairman of Laird Brothers Shipbuilders of Birkenhead (later Cammel Laird) until approximately 1910. In 1921 the house was later sold to Sir Ernest Royden, and he arranged for the house to be dismantled and rebuilt on the present site, at Royden Park, between 1928 and 1931.[3] This work was supervised by the architectural firm of Rees and Holt.[2] In 2001 the house was being used as an old people's home,[1] and later in the 2000s it was converted into a hotel.[4]
@@nestahale8510 You got the history of the relocation of the house. This is the original location before it was moved brick by brick. I will check and film it at Royden Park sometime.😊
@@harryrambler sorry I didn’t make it clear that you were at the original position of the estate known as Bidston Court which was later known as Hilbark. Interesting history! Amazing that such a large building was moved brick by brick. A search under ‘Bidston Hill” gives a lot of information about the landowners over the ages , including a Robert Vyner, one of the makers of Crown Jewels, and William Laird of Cammell Lairds shipbuilding.
@@harryrambler I walked around Bidston Hill in my teens in ‘50s and never knew anything about this estate. I enjoy your videos. Thankyou for showing this !
