Observatory's weddings bid

Landmark seeking to host ceremonies

- By EDWARD BARNES

A MERSEYSIDE landmark building could soon be hosting weddings as its owners wait for the green light from Wirral Council.

The Bidston Observatory’s owners said “economic realities” meant they needed to generate more income.

The observatory, on Wilding Way at the top of Bidston Hill, offers views over Wirral as well as across the Mersey to Liverpool. The area around it is one of the more popular walking spots in Wirral but, for much of the year, the observatory is not open to the public.

Built in 1866 to designs by architect George Fosbery Lyster, Bidston Observatory was initially run by John Hartnupp, an astronomer and director of the Liverpool Observatory, who was the first person to calculate the longitude of Liverpool.