Egerton Dock is a
dock
A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...
at
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
, in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The dock is situated between
East Float and
Morpeth Dock
Morpeth Dock is a dock at Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. The dock is situated between the River Mersey and Egerton Dock.
History
Built between 1844 and 1847, it is named after Lord Morpeth, the 7th Earl of Carlisle, who was the First ...
, within Birkenhead's dock system.
History
The dock was the second named as Egerton Dock along the Mersey, the first being the forerunner to
Harrington Dock
Harrington Dock was a dock on the River Mersey and part of the Port of Liverpool. Situated in the southern dock system, it was connected to Toxteth Dock to the north and Herculaneum Dock to the south.
History
The first dock on the site was kno ...
. Named after Sir
Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton
Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, 10th Baronet FRS (13 November 1806 – 5 April 1881) was an English palaeontologist and Conservative politician from the Egerton family. He sat in the House of Commons variously between 1830 and his death in 1 ...
who laid the foundation stone in October 1844, the dock was completed in 1847. This was just prior to a suspension of the dock scheme, due to a financial crisis affecting the Birkenhead Dock Company.
The dock was originally accessible to shipping from the
East Float and via the
Morpeth Dock
Morpeth Dock is a dock at Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. The dock is situated between the River Mersey and Egerton Dock.
History
Built between 1844 and 1847, it is named after Lord Morpeth, the 7th Earl of Carlisle, who was the First ...
entrance from the
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...
. Both these passages have since been filled in, making both docks effectively
landlocked
A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 4 landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest ...
.
For the majority of its use, it served the
LNWR
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lond ...
and
CLC CLC may refer to:
Religion
* Christian Life Centre, a number of individual and networked Pentecostal churches in Australia
* Christian Life Community, an international association of lay Christians
* Church of the Lutheran Confession, an American ...
goods stations which adjoined the dock.
The LNWR had a warehouse, on the southern quayside, much used for storing
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
s.
The dock was partially filled in 1991,
removing access from East Float.
Egerton Bridge
![Egerton Bridge (2) - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Egerton_Bridge_%282%29_-_geograph.org.uk_-_291333.jpg)
Egerton Bridge is situated between Egerton Dock and Morpeth Dock and is a working example of a
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
. It was built between 1928 and 1931, as one of four similar bascule bridges in the Merseyside docks, replacing an earlier
swing bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...
. The bridge and the machine house were completely restored in 1993 and opened to the public in 1995.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town in Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Wirral, Merseyside, England. Its central area contains 150 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, six are listed a ...
References
Sources
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External links
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{{Birkenhead docks
Birkenhead docks
Maritime Transport in Merseyside