Canning Dock on 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 ...

is part of the

Port of Liverpool The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed Dock (maritime), dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, Merseyside, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Great Float, Birkenhead Docks between ...

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

. The

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 ...

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 Canning Half Tide Dock on the River Mersey, in Liverpool, England, is a Half Tide Dock, half tide dock and is part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the southern dock system, connected to Canning Dock to the east and Royal Albert Dock, ...

to the west. The Canning Graving Docks are accessed from the dock.

History

Canning Dock was opened in 1737 as the Dry Dock, a protected tidal basin providing an entrance to

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 ...

. Having been subsequently enclosed as a wet dock three years earlier, in 1832 it was officially named after the Liverpool MP

George Canning George Canning (11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as Foreign Secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the Unit ...

. To the east is the site of

, built in 1709, which was the world's first enclosed commercial dock. Canning Dock would have initially served ships involved in the trans Atlantic

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Access to the northern half of the dock system was via

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 ...

George's Basin The George's Basin was a dock on the River Mersey, England, within the Port of Liverpool. The basin surface covered and was surrounded by George's Dock to the south, Prince's Dock to the north and the Mersey to the west. Used as a berth for co ...

and into Prince's Dock. In 1899, Georges Basin and George's Dock were filled in and the site is now the Pier Head. Along with 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 ...

and others in the immediate vicinity, Canning Dock was abandoned as a commercial shipping facility in 1972 due to the rising cost of

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

and falling traffic.

Graving docks

Canning Half-tide Dock, Liverpool - geograph

Adjoining the dock basin are two dry graving dock built by Henry Berry between 1765 and 1769. They were lengthened and deepened by Jesse Hartley in the 1840s. In the 1980s the graving docks became part of the

Merseyside Maritime Museum The Merseyside Maritime Museum is a museum based in the city of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is part of National Museums Liverpool and an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. It opened for a trial season in 198 ...

and home to two of the museums ships, the pilot cutter ''Edmund Gardner'' and the schooner ''De Wadden''.

Redevelopment

Canning Dock was restored from 1983 providing access to the Canning Graving Docks, which are part of the Merseyside Maritime Museum. By March 2009 work was completed on a £22 million extension of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, providing a further of navigable waterway. From Princes Dock, the extension passes the Pier Head and terminates at Canning Dock. The extension includes a small canal basin at

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 ...

near Pier Head, and a new lock providing access to Canning Dock.

References

Sources

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External links