Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool
Royal Albert Dock | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Liverpool |
Coordinates | 53°24′1.08″N 2°59′33.72″W / 53.4003000°N 2.9927000°W |
Current tenants | The Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Tate Liverpool |
Construction started | 1841 |
Completed | 1846 (official opening), 1847 (structural completion) |
Cost | £782,265 |
Owner | Albert Dock Company Ltd |
Technical details | |
Floor area | 1.29m sq ft (warehouse space), 7.75 acres (dock basin area) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Jesse Hartley, Philip Hardwick |
The Royal Albert Dock[1] is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, it was opened in 1846, and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. As a result, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world.[2] It was known simply as the Albert Dock until 2018, when it was granted a royal charter and had the honorific "Royal" added to its name.
At the time of its construction the dock was considered to be revolutionary in its design because ships were loaded and unloaded directly from or to the warehouses. Two years after it opened it was modified to feature the world's first
During the
Today the Royal Albert Dock is a major tourist attraction in the city and the most visited multi-use attraction in the
History
Grand beginnings and early history
The history of the Albert Dock dates back to 1837, when Jesse Hartley first began the development of plans for a combined
The site chosen for the dock to be built on was an area of land bordered by
The dock complex was officially opened in 1846 by
His reception was most enthusiastic; balconies were erected along the line of procession, and these and the windows of houses were filled with gay and animated parties. There was a most brilliant display of flags, banners & c. [sic]. All business is suspended. There are 200,000 strangers in town, and all the inhabitants are in the streets. All is gaiety and splendour. (The Pictorial Times, 1846).[13]
The Prince was taken on a processional tour through the city, including a visit to the
Again this stage of the procession route was laden with onlookers with The Pictorial Times describing the Prince's entrance into the Albert Dock:From the Cheshire side of the river the Fairy crossed to the Liverpool side, and returned along the line of docks amidst the cheers of assembled thousands and the roar of artillery. The sight was really magnificent, all the ships in the docks were decked out in gayest colours and the river was crowded with boats filled with people. At half-past two the fairy entered the dock, where were assembled two thousand ladies and gentlemen, the elite of the town; they cheered enthusiastically, which his Royal Highness returned, and in order to gratify the crowd sailed round the dock. (The Pictorial Times, 1846).[14]
Despite the official opening taking place in 1846, the construction of the Albert Dock was not fully completed until 1847. In 1848, a new dock office was built and the dock itself was upgraded to feature a
Changing fortunes and role in the Second World War
The enclosed design of the Albert Dock and the direct loading and unloading of goods from warehouses, meant that the complex was more secure than other docks within Liverpool. As a result, it became a popular store for valuable cargoes including brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory, and sugar. Their openness to natural light and well ventilated stores, meant natural goods such as hemp or sugar could be kept fresher longer.[6] The dock came to dominate Liverpool's far eastern trade, with over 90% of the city's silk imports from China coming through it and more generally half of all the far eastern trade income.[16]
Despite the great prosperity the dock afforded the city, within 20 years of its construction the Albert Dock was beginning to struggle.
By the 1920s, virtually all commercial shipping activity had ceased at the dock, although its warehouses did remain in use for the storage of goods transported by barge, road or rail.
Post War history and decline
By the time the Second World War had finished the Albert Dock's future looked bleak. The owners of the dock, the
Despite this recognition, the increasing debts of the MDHB meant that by the 1960s the company was eager to get rid of the Albert Dock. Having considered demolishing the buildings and redeveloping the land,[19] the MDHB soon entered negotiations to sell the land to Oldham Estates, a property developer owned by Harry Hyams.[21] Many plans for the site were developed including one that envisioned the development of a mini city that would provide 10m sq feet of letting space, hotels, restaurants, bars and underground parking in the drained dock basin.[23] With the council reluctant to allow such a grandiose development to occur and with the huge public opposition to it (inspired at least in part by the work of Quentin Hughes), Oldham Estates were forced into scaling-down the plan and so in 1970 returned with a new vision known as "Aquarius City", which had as its centrepiece a 44-storey skyscraper. Once again the plan failed to develop and no sooner had it been announced, than the MDHB's financial problems reached crisis point, Oldham Estates withdrew their deposit and the whole scheme fell through.[21]
With the MDHB on the verge of bankruptcy a decision was taken to shut down and sell off the whole of the south docks system. The warehouses were emptied and in 1972 the Albert Dock finally closed down. The Brunswick Dock gates, which separated the South Docks system from the River Mersey, were opened allowing tidal movements in and the process of the clogging up the docks with sewage polluted silt began.[24][25] In many senses just as the Albert Dock's development had symbolised the prosperity in the Liverpool at the time of its construction, its subsequent decline after the Second World War symbolised the collapse of the local economy as a whole.[26]
Throughout the early 1970s plans continued to emerge for the redevelopment of the Albert Dock site and the whole of the south docks system in general. Many of these plans were quite extreme including
The creation of Merseyside County Council (MCC) in 1974 brought new hope that the Albert Dock could be redeveloped, with the MCC placing a high priority on its development. They soon entered negotiations with the MDHC and in 1979 eventually negotiated a deal to take over the running of the south docks.[28] Despite this seeming step forward political wrangling between the MDHC (the dock owners), Liverpool City Council (the local planning authority) and Merseyside County Council (the group now responsible for redeveloping the docks) continued to hinder any development plans.[27] Fed up with the infighting the newly elected Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher decided that the city was incapable of handling regeneration initiatives itself and under the guidance of the 'Minister for Merseyside' Michael Heseltine, set up the Merseyside Development Corporation in 1981 to take over the responsibility of regenerating and redeveloping Liverpool's south docks.[26][29]
The MDC and regeneration of the Albert Dock
The creation of the
In 1982 the MDC entered into negotiations with London-based developers Arrowcroft in order to secure much needed private sector investment. On a visit to the site, Arrowcroft's chairman Leonard Eppel spoke of how the buildings "talked to him" and upon his return to London set about persuading the company's board to take on the project.[30] In September 1983 a deal was signed between Arrowcroft plc and the MDC leading to the creation of the Albert Dock Company, which could now start the process of regenerating the Albert Dock.[31]
One of the first priorities of the regeneration was the restoration of the dock system, which had deteriorated rapidly since the Brunswick Dock gates had been left open. Contaminated silt was removed from the dock basin, dock gates were replaced & bridges restored, whilst the dock walls were repaired.[32] The Albert Dock company appointed Tarmac Construction to renovate the dock's vast warehouses and repair war time bomb damage.[33] Structural surveys carried out by the MDC found the brickwork and foundations to be in very good condition and it was considered a testament to the strict build quality of Hartley's design that a building almost 150 years old was still in such good condition.[32]
Development within the Albert Dock was rapid and the newly renovated Edward Pavilion (formerly north east stack) was ready in time for the 1984
Spurred by the success of the tall ships race and the International Garden Festival, Arrowcroft pushed on with the Albert Dock's renovation. With the Edward Pavilion refurbishment a success soon the company started on the Britannia and Atlantic pavilions (formerly the south and south east stacks), the latter of which required major structural repairs because of bomb damage it received during World War II. In 1986 the
The Albert Dock was officially re-opened in 1988 by
In 1988,
Throughout the 1990s development continued including a new hotel and the conversion of vacant space for use by larger companies such as
In anticipation of the dock's 175th anniversary in 2021, the owners of the dock applied for a royal charter. At an event at Tate Liverpool on 6 June 2018 the royal charter was handed over. The dock became formally known as Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, to avoid confusion with the Royal Albert Dock in London.[1][42]
Structural design and construction
When it was constructed the Royal Albert Dock was considered a state of the art docking system.[16] Built almost entirely from cast iron, stone and brick, the Albert Dock was designed to be fireproof, and on completion was the world's first non-combustible warehouse system. It provided 1,290,000 square feet (120,000 m2) of warehouse space and its dock basin had a water area of 7.75 acres (3.14 ha). In its construction over 23 million bricks were used and 47,000 tonnes of mortar.[2] In total it cost £782,265 (approximately £41m today),[6] whilst today its estimated to be worth £230 million.[43]
The building's design complements many existing construction techniques with, what were considered at the time, radical solutions. The warehouses are supported by large
The advanced design stretches far beyond what can be seen from the ground. The structures are free from wood, but their foundations contain 13,729 piles of timber, which would stretch for 48 miles (77 km) in length if laid end to end. Such heavily supportive foundations were needed because the construction land was reclaimed from the River Mersey to build on. Given the 'quicksand' nature of the Mersey's tidal silt the piles were needed to provide maximum stability. The resultant effect of the dock being constructed where it was is that the north and west stacks (now Merseyside Maritime Museum and Colonnades) rise and fall with every tide.[8]
One of the most notable features of the Albert Dock are the huge cast iron columns that line the quayside.
Albert Dock today
As well as being the number one tourist attraction in Liverpool,[48] the Albert Dock is also the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom outside London, with in excess of four million visitors per year.[4] Amongst the many attractions at the Albert Dock are the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Beatles Story and the Tate Liverpool. There are also two hotels within the Albert Dock: a Holiday Inn and Premier Inn both located in the Britannia Pavilion.[49] All the five warehouses around the dock, referred to as A, B, C, D and E, are Grade I listed buildings.[50][51][52][53] Also listed Grade I is the former dock traffic office.[54] Other buildings around the dock are listed Grade II; they are the former hydraulic pumping station,[55] and the swing bridge leading from the dock towards the Pierhead.[56]
In the aftermath of the dock's regeneration in the 1980s a policy had been adopted to try to attract retailers into the newly created premises within. However, after many years of struggling to compete with other major shopping areas in the city, the Albert Dock Company Ltd announced in 2007 a shift into attracting more bars and restaurants.[57] As of 2008, bars and restaurants resident in the Albert Dock include Maray, Panam Bar & Restaurant, Revolution Bar, and Whats Cooking?[58]
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Merseyside
- Pier Head
- Port of Liverpool
- Merseyside Development Corporation
- Architecture of Liverpool
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Liverpool's Albert Dock gets royal title". BBC News. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ a b c Jones 2004, p. 83
- ^ a b Jones 2004, p. 46
- ^ a b "Albert Dock: The Present Day". Albert Dock Company Ltd. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- ^ Carter, Helen (7 March 2003). "Glory of Greece, grandeur of Rome ... and docks of Liverpool". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Construction, heyday and decline of the Albert Dock". National Museums Liverpool. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 18
- ^ a b c Jones 2004, p. 20
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 19
- ^ a b "Albert Dock History". Albert Dock Company Ltd. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 23
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 12
- ^ a b Jones 2004, p. 13
- ^ a b Jones 2004, p. 14
- ^ "Historic Facts 1824 - 1854". Albert Dock Company Ltd. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
- ^ a b c Jones 2004, p. 24
- ^ Chrimes 1991, p. 76: "arguably out-of-date before they were built"
- ^ a b c "Historic Facts 1860–1970". Albert Dock Company Ltd. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
- ^ a b c Jones 2004, p. 47
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 28
- ^ a b c Jones 2004, p. 29
- ^ Belchem 2006, Chpt. Milne, G. J. "Maritime Liverpool"
- ^ "City's Reputation Will Depend Upon Waterfront Plan". Liverpool Echo. 30 May 1966.
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 48
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 30
- ^ a b Belchem 2006, Chpt. Murden, John "City of Change and Challenge: Liverpool Since 1945"
- ^ a b Jones 2004, p. 31
- ^ "Historic Facts Historic Facts 1972 - 2002". Albert Dock Company Ltd. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
- ^ a b Jones 2004, p. 32
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 33
- ^ a b "Creating a museum". National Museums Liverpool. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
- ^ a b Jones 2004, p. 34
- ^ Ritchie 1999, p. 99
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 35
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 36
- ^ a b c Jones 2004, p. 37
- ^ "Royal Family Tree". Britroyals.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 49
- ^ "About Tate Liverpool". Tate. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Warwick, Dave. "Fred Talbot". Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ Hodgson, Neil (14 June 2002). "Telewest jobs announcement". icLiverpool. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ Houghton, Alistair (6 June 2018). "New Royal name for the Albert Dock". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 38
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 22
- ^ "Albert Dock Warehouses". Liverpool World Heritage. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
- ^ a b Jones 2004, p. 21
- ^ a b Hughes 1999, p. 57
- ^ "Albert Dock". VisitLiverpool.com. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- ^ Jones 2004, p. 82
- ^ Historic England. "Warehouse A, Albert Dock (1205175)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Warehouses B and C, Albert Dock (1068409)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Warehouse D, Albert Dock (1280847)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Warehouse E, Albert Dock (1068410)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Dock Traffic Office, Albert Dock (1356264)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Hydraulic Pumping Station to East of Canning Half-Tide Dock (1280849)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Swingbridge, Albert Dock (1356265)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Gleeson, Bill (6 August 2007). "Albert Dock primed for 'colossal tourism'". Liverpool Daily Post. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- ^ "Albert Dock: Food and Drink". Albert Dock Company Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
General bibliography
- Belchem, John, ed. (2006). Liverpool 800: Character, Culture, History: Culture, Character and History. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. OCLC 76062349.
- Chrimes, Mike (1991). Civil Engineering 1839–1889. Alan Sutton Publishing. OCLC 24752037.
- Hughes, Quentin (1999). Liverpool: City of Architecture. OCLC 44852585.
- Jones, Ron (2004). The Albert Dock, Liverpool. RJ Associates Ltd. OCLC 58828387.
- Ritchie, Berry (1999). The Story of Tarmac. James & James (Publishers) Ltd. OCLC 51737319.
Further reading
- Moss, Linda; Stammers, Michael (1980). Foster, Richard (ed.). Liverpool's South Docks. Vol. Part 1. Mann Island–Wapping Basin. Merseyside County Museums. pp. 49–57. OCLC 9918913.