A boat moored in the Albert Dock Liverpool.

The Albert Dock was built by Jesse Hartley on the western side of Salthouse Dock in 1845. The Albert Dock was at the cutting edge of technology of the day, it included warehouses and hydraulic machinery that could be utilised when unloading.

The warehouses around the dock were bonded, which meant that import tax did not have to be paid when goods were unloaded, but only became payable when goods were taken from the warehouses. This meant that traders could buy seasonal crops such as hemp, cotton and sugar, store them in the warehouses and slowly release them onto the market over the course of the year.

As navel technology progressed and the sailing ships were replaced with larger steamships, the Albert Dock went into decline, its entrance was too narrow for these larger vessels to enter. By 1920 commercial shipping had all but ceased to use the Albert Dock, its warehouses were only used for the storage of goods that had been transported from other parts of the country over land.

The Second World War did provide a brief reprieve for the dock as it became the base for the escort vessels in the Battle of the Atlantic, sadly this was the last genuine use for the dock and it was eventually abandoned in 1972.

The dock lay in disrepair until it’s resurrection in the 1980’s. In 1984 the first phase of the dock’s regeneration was completed and over time the dock has evolved into the vibrant centre of tourism that it is today, featuring many attractions including The Merseyside Maritime Museum, The Tate Gallery and many interesting shops and cafes.

Ref: LIV001

Date: 22 September 2007

Location: The Albert Dock, Liverpool

Photographer: © Simon Sait

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