Mann Island is a small area in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England. It lies on the waterfront next to 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 ...

between the

Albert Dock Albert Dock may refer to: *Albert Dock, Hull, in Kingston upon Hull, England *Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool, a dock and warehouse system in Liverpool, England *Royal Albert Dock, London The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal ...

to the south and the

Pier Head The Pier Head (properly, George's Pier Head) is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. It was part of the former Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004, but revoked in ...

to the north.

History

Mann Island was formed in the 18th and 19th centuries as part of the Liverpool dock complex. It was a virtual island, with

Georges Dock George's Dock was a dock, on the River Mersey, England, within the Port of Liverpool. It was connected to Canning Dock to the south and George's Basin to the north. History Construction of the dock began in 1762, and was known as North Dock ...

to the north,

Canning Dock Canning Dock on the River Mersey is part of the Port of Liverpool in Northern England. The dock is in the southern dock system, connected to Salthouse Dock to the south and with access to the river via the Canning Half Tide Dock to the west. T ...

to the east and south, and the

to the west. It was connected to the shoreline by a narrow neck of land opposite James Street. It was the site of the Manchester Dock, opening onto the river, and two

graving dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

s, opening into Canning Dock. It was also the location of the Great Western Railway warehouses, and the

Mersey Railway The Mersey Railway was the first part of the passenger railway connecting the communities of Liverpool, Birkenhead, and now the rest of the Wirral Peninsula in England, which lie on opposite banks of the River Mersey, via the Mersey Railway Tun ...

pumping station Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure system ...

, all of which are Grade II listed buildings. Later, in the 20th century, it was the site for the

James Street station Liverpool James Street railway station (commonly shortened to James Street station) is a railway station located in the centre of Liverpool, England, situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. James Street is an underground station ...

of the

Liverpool Overhead Railway The Liverpool Overhead Railway (known locally as the Dockers' Umbrella or Ovee) was an overhead railway in Liverpool which operated along the Liverpool Docks and opened in 1893 with lightweight electric multiple units. The railway had a number ...

. The site ceased to be an "island" in 1899 when the Georges Dock was filled in to provide building land for the

Port of Liverpool Building The Port of Liverpool Building (formerly Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Offices, more commonly known as the Dock Office) is a Grade II* listed building in Liverpool, England. It is located at the Pier Head and, along with the neighbouring Roya ...

, and it became physically joined to the Pier Head. However the name was continued in the roadway which extended into the Pier Head from James Street. During the 20th century, Mann Island served as a tram and bus terminus for routes serving the south of the city, adjoining the Pier Head bus terminus serving the north. Mann Island has been the subject of a number of regeneration schemes, such as the ill-starred

Fourth Grace The Fourth Grace was a planned development to be built on the Liverpool Pier Head, as a part of the Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008 bid. The project name was derived from its location adjacent to the three historic buildings at the ...

project, which was under consideration from 2002 to 2006. When this was cancelled, it was replaced by a three part redevelopment scheme.

Current use

Mann Island has been subject to three redevelopment schemes. The first, occupying the third of the site next to the river, is the

Museum of Liverpool The Museum of Liverpool in Liverpool, England, tells the story of Liverpool and its people, and reflects the city's global significance. It opened 2011 as newest addition to the National Museums Liverpool group replacing the former Museum of ...

, which replaced the

Museum of Liverpool Life The Museum of Liverpool Life was a Museum in Liverpool, England, part of National Museums Liverpool, that focused on the contribution that the people of Liverpool made to national life. It closed in 2005 and was replaced by the Museum of Liver ...

, opening on 19 July 2011. Secondly, the

Liverpool Canal Link The Liverpool Canal Link is an English waterway link that connects the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, at the Liverpool Pier Head, to the city's South Docks. It cost £22m and was opened in March 2009. The new link adds of navigable waterway to ...

, which cuts through Mann Island via a lock system into the

. The third, occupying the shoreside half of the site, are the

Mann Island Buildings The Mann Island Buildings are a group of buildings in Liverpool, England. They comprise three International style (architecture), international style mixed use buildings on Mann Island, which lies on the waterfront between the Port of Liverpool ...

which are three modernist mixed-use private enterprise buildings.

Notes

References

* J Sharples ''Liverpool: a Pevsner Architectural Guide'' (2004) {{ISBN, 0-300-10258-5

External links

Mann Island at Liverpool Big Dig

Liverpool docks

Mann Island Mann Island is a small area in Liverpool, England. It lies on the waterfront next to the River Mersey between the Albert Dock to the south and the Pier Head to the north. History Mann Island was formed in the 18th and 19th centuries as part ...