Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre

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11–18 September 2021

Saturday 11th Sept 2021

12:00 Tour
13:00 Tour
14:00 By Kids for Kids tour

Sunday 12th Sept 2021

12:00 Tour
13:00 Tour
14:00 By Kids for Kids tour

Saturday 18th Sept 2021

12:00 Tour
13:00 Tour
14:00 Tour

Wirral Heritage Open Day Tours 2021

Now a not-for-profit Artistic Research Centre, Bidston Observatory began its life in Astronomical research. From there, after determining longitude at the site, work at the observatory has passed through many phases of Natural Earth Science research, including Meteorology and Oceanography. In this guided tour, run by the small team, you will hear the history of the building as you pass through many of the rooms – from the domes to the sub basement.

The small team running the Artistic Research Centre will be giving bookable tours during Wirral Heritage Open Days, for up to 25 people per tour. The duration of tour is approximately 45 minutes.

We will be running tours for kids too. Please see here for more details.

Booking is essential.

Please note: this is a guided tour. Accessing the whole building includes some uneven floors and many stairs. Unfortunately there is limited disabled access; however for people who use chairs, or have limited mobility, the ground floor is accessible. All bodies are welcome to join.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an artistic research centre?

In the arts, just like in the sciences, research is conducted in the process of making or experimenting. Practitioners take time, and focus attention on the way that they conduct their practice – however it fits into a discipline, or sits outside many. The process of doing research in the arts varies greatly, and there is no one methodology which applies to all. This artistic research centre is a space where people can come to explore different methods of working, have time for reflection, and get feedback from other practitioners.

What do you mean by self-organising?

The stewards are here to support the building and its resources. The building and its resources are here to support you and your work. While the project is all about trying to make things possible, stewards are already fully occupied with administration and practicalities and can not be expected to support the needs of your personal practice too.

Why is it only possible to stay for a minimum of two nights?

It’s not possible for people to stay for one night only, as this tends to take away from the community’s resources rather than add to it - not to mention the extra laundry costs!

Why is it only possible to stay for a maximum of one month?

In order for this resource to be shared by multiple different groups and individuals, stay is capped at one month. This keeps the space flowing and stops areas becoming territorialised unintentionally. As this is a study site, it is not possible to just live here, though we understand study takes many different forms and doesn’t always appear “productive”.

Why is there a sliding scale?

Many of the decisions we make here at BOARC focus on keeping this resource available for practitioners. The sliding scale helps us to offer a subsidised rate to people who would benefit.

Why is it important to read the values?

through the values carefully and make a decision for themselves about whether they feel aligned. It is not important to share all of these values exactly as they are written, but you should be aware that this is an actively anti-racist, anti-ableist, intersectional feminist site, and there are accountability guidelines in place here for users, stayers, stewards and organisers alike.[Link to values here]