HISTORY: THE OLD DOCKS

Welcome to the first commercial, enclosed wet dock in the world. A wet dock holds water at a level for a boat to float on. And this one kickstarted the industrial revolution. Luckily, you can still discover the history of the old dock through a tour hosted by National Museums Liverpool. Tour guides Steph and Gary took us on a journey from the Maritime Museum, across the strand and 40 ft underground to the remains of the Old Dock.

Designed by canal engineer Thomas Steers the dock was built and began to welcome ships in 1715. It was built at the mouth of the pool, a stream which Liverpool got its name from, and originally held 100 ships.

It became revolutionary, ships could now load and unload their cargo at all states of tide. Cutting their time down from two weeks to just a few days. This attracted attention from all over the world and people started realising the practicality of new docks.

If you’re not looking you might miss the entrance to the tour, situated between chavasse park and bills restaurant in Liverpool One. The walls were actually rediscovered during the construction of Liverpool One.

The original Dock closed in 1826 when ships started becoming too big for this small dock. Then other docks took over like the ones your see today, for example, the famous albert dock.

The Old Dock is also a part of Liverpool’s heritage trail and you can peer down onto the wall from a gap in the pavings next to John Lewis.

After it closed, the site was used for a huge custom house but it was demolished after sustaining bomb damage during WWII. When you go down to see the walls, you are told about the rich history of Liverpool’s trade, archaeological finds and its ties to the transatlantic slave trade. Starting on the colonades on the Albert Dock, the guides take you to the entrance and once you get inside you can immerse yourself into the findings and atmosphere. As you’re going down the steps there are holes in the wall showcasing everything excavated right under your feet in Liverpool One.

The wall rises more that 20 feet from the bed of the pool. The bricks are made out of clay so have needed constant repairs since construction.

When the old dock was functioning, its dockmaster was William Hutchinson for more than 34 years. He kept a daily tidal record to compare with the published tide tables to check their accuracy. Now, two centuries on, they’re used to study sea level rises caused by climate change.

If you are a fan of maritime history you should definitely do this tour. They’re family friendly, its a safe and monitored trip and the guides make it fun. Every friday and wednesday, and every other Saturday and Thursday tickets are available. Abigail Ford