![Port of Liverpool Building Front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Port_of_Liverpool_Building_Front.jpg)
The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed
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 ...
system that runs from
Brunswick Dock 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 ...
to
Seaforth Dock
Seaforth Dock (also known as the Royal Seaforth Dock) is a purpose-built dock and container terminal, on the River Mersey, England, at Seaforth, to the north of Liverpool. As part of the Port of Liverpool and Liverpool Freeport, it is operated ...
,
Seaforth, on the east side of 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 ...
and the
Birkenhead Docks
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; Historic counties of England, historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the R ...
between
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 ...
and
Wallasey
Wallasey () is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Pe ...
on the west side of the river. The port was extended in 2016 by the building of an in-river container terminal at Seaforth Dock, named
Liverpool2
Liverpool2 is a container terminal extension adjoining the River Mersey in Seaforth, Merseyside. The extension, built by Peel Ports, officially opened on 4 November 2016 and is an expansion of the Seaforth Dock container terminal.
Developmen ...
. The terminal can berth two 14,000 container
Post-Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
ships.
Garston Docks
The Port of Garston, also known as Garston Docks is an enclosed tidal dock system on the River Mersey at Garston, approx 6 miles from Liverpool City centre Liverpool, England. It is operated by Associated British Ports
History
Garston Dock w ...
, which are in the city of Liverpool, are not a part of the Port of Liverpool. The working docks are operated by
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC), formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB), owns and administers the dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England. These include the operation of the enclosed nort ...
, the docks to the south of 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 ...
are operated by the
Canal & River Trust, the successor to former operator
British Waterways
British Waterways, often shortened to BW, was a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom. It served as the navigation authority for the majority of canals and a number of rivers and docks in England, Scotland ...
.
History
Liverpool's first dock was the world's first enclosed commercial dock, the
Old Dock
The Old Dock, originally known as Thomas Steers' dock, was the world's first commercial wet dock.
The dock was built on the River Mersey in Liverpool, England, starting in 1710 and completed in 1716. A natural tidal pool off the River Mersey ...
, built in 1715. The Lyver Pool, a tidal inlet in the narrows of the estuary, which is now largely under the
Liverpool One
Liverpool ONE is a shopping, residential, and leisure complex in Liverpool, England. The project involved the redevelopment of 42 acres (170,000 m2) of land in the city centre. It is a retail-led development anchored by the department store ...
shopping centre, was converted into the enclosed dock. Further docks were added and eventually all were interconnected by lock gates, extending along the Liverpool bank of the River Mersey. From 1830 onwards, most of the building stone was granite from
Kirkmabreck
Kirkmabreck is a civil parish in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the Dumfries and Galloway council area, Scotland.
Situated in the historic Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and centred on the small town of Creetown on the east bank of th ...
near
Creetown
Creetown (, sometimes ) is a small seaside town in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in Galloway in the Dumfries and Galloway council area in south-west Scotland. Its population is about 750 people. It is situated near the head of Wigtown Bay, we ...
, Scotland.
The interconnected dock system was the most advanced port system in the world. The docks enabled ship movements within the dock system 24 hours a day, isolated from the high River Mersey tides. Parts of the system were a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
from 2004 until 2021.
From 1885, the dock system was the hub of a
hydraulic power network
A hydraulic power network is a system of interconnected pipes carrying pressurized liquid used to transmit mechanical power from a power source, like a pump, to hydraulic equipment like lifts or motors. The system is analogous to an electrical gri ...
that stretched beyond the docks.
Most of the smaller south end docks were closed in 1971 with Brunswick Dock remaining until closure in 1975. Many docks have been filled in to create land for buildings: at 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 ...
, an arena at
Kings Dock, commercial estates at
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside.
Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill.
The area w ...
and
Harrington Docks and housing at
Herculaneum Dock
Herculaneum Dock was part of the Port of Liverpool in Liverpool, England. It was at the south end of the Liverpool dock system, on the River Mersey. To the north it was connected to Harrington Dock. The dock was named after the Herculaneum Pott ...
. In the north, some
branch dock
A branch dock is a dock that forms part of a large harbour system of interlinked docks.
Branch docks are terminal branches of a main floating dock. They are ''not'' isolated from the main dock by gates or locks and they share the same water le ...
s have been filled in to create land.
Sandon and
Wellington Dock
Wellington Dock was a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It was situated in the northern dock system in Kirkdale, connected to the Sandon Half Tide Dock to the west.
History
The dock was designed by Jesse ...
s have been filled in and are now the location of a sewage works. Most of
Hornby Dock
Hornby Dock was a dock located on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It was situated in the northern dock system in Bootle. It connected to Gladstone Dock to the north and Alexandra Dock to the south and encompassed a ...
was filled in to allow
Gladstone Dock
Gladstone Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Bootle. The dock is connected to Seaforth Dock to the north and what remains of Hornby Dock to the south. P ...
's coal terminal to expand.
The largest dock on the dock network,
Seaforth Dock
Seaforth Dock (also known as the Royal Seaforth Dock) is a purpose-built dock and container terminal, on the River Mersey, England, at Seaforth, to the north of Liverpool. As part of the Port of Liverpool and Liverpool Freeport, it is operated ...
, was opened in 1972 and deals with grain and containers, accommodating what were the largest containers ships at that time.
Both
White Star Line
The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
and
Cunard Line
Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
were based at the port. It was also the home port of many great ships, including
RMS ''Baltic'''',''
RMS ''Olympic'',
RMS ''Mauretania'''',
RMS Aquitania
RMS ''Aquitania'' was a British ocean liner of the Cunard Line in service from 1914 to 1950. She was designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. She was launched on 21 April 1913 and sailed on her mai ...
'' and the ill-starred ''
Tayleur'',
MV ''Derbyshire'',
HMHS ''Britannic'',
RMS ''Lusitania'', and the
RMS ''Titanic''.
In 1972,
Canadian Pacific
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
unit
CP Ships
CP Ships was a large Canadian shipping company established in the 19th century. From the late 1880s until after World War II, the company was Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships. Many immigrants travelled on CP ships f ...
was the last transatlantic line to operate from Liverpool.
In 2004 UNESCO announced
Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City
Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City is a former UNESCO designated World Heritage Site in Liverpool, England, that comprised six locations in the city centre including the Pier Head, Albert Dock and William Brown Street, and many of the city's mos ...
.
Port statistics
![Liverpool docks 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Liverpool_docks_2018.jpg)
In 2020 Liverpool was the United Kingdom's fourth largest port by tonnage of freight, handling 31.1 million tonnes.
Marina
Liverpool Marina is in
Coburg Dock
Coburg Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, in England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the southern dock system, connected to Queens Dock to the north, Brunswick Dock to the south.
History
The Union Half Tide Basin and B ...
and has 340 berths.
Cruise terminal
![RMS Queen Mary 2, Liverpool (geograph 4556001)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/RMS_Queen_Mary_2%2C_Liverpool_%28geograph_4556001%29.jpg)
Cruise ships once sailed from
Langton Dock
Langton Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Bootle, connected to Alexandra Dock to the north and Brocklebank Dock to the south. Langton Dock locks provid ...
, part of the enclosed north docks system. Departures and arrivals were subject to tides. Cruise ships returned to Liverpool's
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 ...
in 2008, berthing at a newly constructed
cruise terminal
A passenger terminal is a structure in a port which services passengers boarding and leaving water vessels such as ferries, cruise ships and ocean liners. Depending on the types of vessels serviced by the terminal, it may be named (for example) ...
, enabling departures and arrivals at any time. Until 2012, any cruises beginning in Liverpool still departed from
Langton Dock
Langton Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Bootle, connected to Alexandra Dock to the north and Brocklebank Dock to the south. Langton Dock locks provid ...
but, since 2012, the terminal has been used as the start and end of voyages, and not merely a stop-off point. This led to a dispute with
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
due to the large public subsidy provided for the new terminal, which
Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards.
The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor ...
has agreed to repay.
Ships which have called at Liverpool Cruise Terminal include ''
Queen Elizabeth 2
''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner converted into a floating hotel. Originally built for the Cunard Line, the ship, named as the second ship named ''Queen Elizabeth'', was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic ...
'' (QE2), ''
Grand Princess
''Grand Princess'' is a cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises. It was built in 1998 by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone, Italy, with yard number 5956, at a cost of approximately US$450 million. She was the largest and mos ...
'', ''
Caribbean Princess
MS ''Caribbean Princess'' is a modified owned and operated by Princess Cruises, with a capacity of over 3,600 passengers, the largest carrying capacity in the Princess fleet until June 2013 when the new , another Princess ship superseded its rec ...
'' and
RMS ''Queen Mary 2''. A number of large
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
vessels, such as
HMS ''Illustrious'' and
HMS ''Ark Royal'', have also visited the terminal.
Rail connections
![Liverpool RJD 42](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Liverpool_RJD_42.jpg)
At one point the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company freight railway totalled of rail track, with connections to many other railways. A section of freight rail line ran under the
Liverpool Overhead passenger railway, with trains constantly crossing the Dock Road from the docks into the freight terminals. Today, only the
Canada Dock branch line is used to serve the docks, using diesel locomotives.
The first rail link to the docks was the construction of the 1830
Park Lane railway goods station
Park Lane was the world's first goods terminus on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway serving the south end Liverpool Docks. The station was opened in 1830. Its initial name was Wapping Station. The goods station was accessed from Edge Hill r ...
opposite the Queen's Dock in the south of the city. The terminal was accessed via the
Wapping Tunnel
Wapping or Edge Hill Tunnel in Liverpool, England, is a tunnel route from the Edge Hill junction in the east of the city to the Liverpool south end docks formerly used by trains on the Liverpool-Manchester line railway. The tunnel alignm ...
from Edge Hill rail junction in the east of the city. The station was demolished in 1972. The tunnel is still intact.
Until 1971,
Liverpool Riverside railway station served the liner terminal at the Pier Head. Today, for passengers disembarking from the new
cruise terminal
A passenger terminal is a structure in a port which services passengers boarding and leaving water vessels such as ferries, cruise ships and ocean liners. Depending on the types of vessels serviced by the terminal, it may be named (for example) ...
, city centre circular buses call at the terminal directly, while
Moorfields
Moorfields was an open space, partly in the City of London, lying adjacent to – and outside – its northern wall, near the eponymous Moorgate. It was known for its marshy conditions, the result of the defensive wall acting like a dam, i ...
and
James Street are the nearest
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and Wirral Line, which are dedicated electri ...
stations.
On the opposite side of the river, the
Birkenhead Dock Branch
Birkenhead Dock Branch is a disused railway line running from the South junction of Rock Ferry, to the site of the former Bidston Dock on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The branch is approximately in length. Although called a branch, the l ...
served the docks between 1847 and 1993. This route remains intact, albeit disused.
Quotes about Liverpool docks
Image gallery
File:Dkbkpl26.jpg
File:Dkbkpl27.jpg
File:Dkbkpl28.jpg
File:Dkbkpl29.jpg
File:Dkbkpl30.jpg
File:Queens Dock, Liverpool.jpg
File:Wapping Dock buildings 1.jpg
File:Canning Half Tide Dock.jpg
File:Ship in Canning Half Tiide Dock.jpg
File:Albert Dock3.JPG
File:Boat in Victoria Dock.jpg
File:Princes dock, Liverpool.jpg
File:Clarence Graving Dock's Enterance .jpg
File:Dock Clock Tower.jpg
File:Nelson Dock sign.jpg
File:Wellington Dock sign.jpg
File:Waterloo dock gates.jpg
File:Liverpool - Wellington Dock and the Tall Ships - geograph.org.uk - 472478.jpg
File:Bramley Dock Dock sign.jpg
File:Sandon Dock sign.jpg
File:Sandon Dock gates 2019-2.jpg
File:Collingwood Dock sign.jpg
File:HornbyDock.jpg
File:Stanley Dock sign.jpg
File:Stanley Dock 2.jpg
File:Dock in Port of Liverpool 2.jpg
File:North Docks Clock.jpg
File:GladstoneLock.jpg
File:GladstoneDocks-June2009.jpg
File:Balmoral (cruise ship).jpg,
See also
*
Isle of Man Steam Packet
An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms.
Isle may refer to:
Geography
* I ...
*
List of Liverpool Docks
Table of docks (past and present) in the Port of Liverpool, Liverpool, England.
The table can be sorted on each of its columns by clicking the small box in the header. The sequence runs from North (N01) to South (S19).
(Using references:
...
*
Twelve Quays
*
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 ...
*
Architecture of Liverpool
The architecture of Liverpool is rooted in the city's development into a major port of the British Empire.Hughes (1999), p10 It encompasses a variety of architectural styles of the past 300 years, while next to nothing remains of its medieval ...
References
External links
Port of Liverpool Official Website UKHO nautical charts of Liverpool Docks and approaches via Queens and Crosby Channels'Liverpool: The docks', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 41-43. Date accessed: 16 November 2009.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Of Liverpool
Transport in Liverpool
Peel Ports
Mersey docks
Economy of Liverpool