Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL) was the name of the full site on which Bidston Observatory stands, enclosed by the boundary wall, including the Observatory building, the Proudman Building (built in 1975), the lighthouse and part of the Lighthouse Cottages, as well as the car park and courtyard. POL (1987-2010) was an autonomous oceanographic institute, owned and run by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and became part of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in 2010. Previously it was known as the Institute for Coastal Oceanography and Tides (ICOT, 1969-1973) and then the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (IOS), Bidston (1973-1987).
POL moved to the Liverpool University campus in 2004, based at 6 Brownlow Street, Liverpool, UK. The Bidston Hill site was then put up for sale and sold in 2013, after demolition of the Proudman Building. The present owners of BOARC purchased most of the site in 2016. The lighthouse and Lighthouse Cottages are now privately owned (http://www.bidstonlighthouse.org.uk/).
More on POL here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proudman_Oceanographic_Laboratory
