Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Royal Albert Dock
Waterfront of the Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool
General information
Location	Liverpool
Coordinates	53°24′1.08″N 2°59′33.72″W / 53.4003000°N 2.9927000°W / 53.4003000; -2.9927000
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	Jesse Hartley, Philip Hardwick

The Royal Albert Dock is a group of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. It was designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick. The dock opened in 1846. It was the first building in Britain made from cast iron, brick, and stone, without any wood for its main structure. This made it the world's first fireproof warehouse system.

Until 2018, it was called the Albert Dock. Then, it received a special honor called a royal charter. This allowed it to add "Royal" to its name. When it was built, the dock's design was very new. Ships could load and unload goods directly from the warehouses. Two years after opening, it got the world's first hydraulic cranes.

Because it was open yet secure, the dock became a popular place to store valuable goods. These included brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory, and sugar. Even with its advanced design, shipping technology quickly changed. Within 50 years, bigger docks were needed. Still, the Albert Dock remained important for storing cargo.

During World War II, the dock was used by the British Admiralty as a base for ships. The complex was damaged during air raids on Liverpool. This included the May Blitz of 1941. After the war, the owners had money problems. The decline of docking in the city made the dock's future unclear. Many plans were made to reuse the buildings, but none happened. In 1972, the dock finally closed.

It was left empty for almost ten years. Then, in 1981, work began to rebuild it. The Merseyside Development Corporation was set up for this. The Albert Dock officially reopened in 1984. Today, the Royal Albert Dock is a major tourist spot in Liverpool. It is the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom outside London. The dock complex and warehouses are also the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in the UK.

Building the Royal Albert Dock

Early Plans and Construction

The idea for the Albert Dock started in 1837. Jesse Hartley began planning a combined dock and warehouse system. His plans with fellow civil engineer Philip Hardwick were quite new for the time. They imagined ships loading and unloading directly from the warehouses. This idea wasn't completely new, as a similar concept was used in London's St Katharine Docks, which opened in 1828.

Hartley wanted to make sure his design was fireproof. He built a small test structure, filled it with wood and tar, and set it on fire. After testing different designs, he chose a mix of cast iron, brick, sandstone, and granite. The design was submitted in 1839. However, construction didn't start until 1841. This was when Parliament passed the law allowing the dock to be built.

The dock was built on land near Salthouse Dock and Canning Dock. This area had to be cleared first. Many buildings were torn down, and people had to move out. Both Salthouse and Canning docks were drained. This allowed new entrances to the Albert Dock to be built. Hundreds of workers, called "navvies," dug out the dock basin and built a new river wall. The dock basin was finished by February 1845. This allowed the first ships to enter, even though the warehouses were still being built.

Official Opening and Early Upgrades

The dock complex officially opened in 1846. Albert, Prince Consort, who was Queen Victoria's husband, opened it. The dock was named in his honor. This was the first time a member of the Royal Family made a state visit to Liverpool. Many thousands of people came out for the event. Newspapers described the huge celebrations and excitement.

Prince Albert toured the city and visited the Liverpool Town Hall. Then, he took a ferry across the Mersey River to the Albert Dock. The newspaper The Pictorial Times described his arrival: "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."

Even though it officially opened in 1846, the Albert Dock was not fully finished until 1847. In 1848, a new dock office was built. The dock also got a hydraulic cargo handling system, which was the first of its kind. Over the next ten years, more buildings were added. These included houses for the Harbourmaster and a cooperage (a place where barrels are made). Warehouse space was also increased to meet demand.

Changes Over Time and World War II

A Secure Dock for Valuable Goods

The Albert Dock's design, with its enclosed layout and direct loading from warehouses, made it very secure. Because of this, it became a popular place to store valuable goods. These included brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory, and sugar. The warehouses had good natural light and ventilation. This helped keep goods like hemp and sugar fresh for longer. The dock became very important for Liverpool's trade with the Far East. More than 90% of the city's silk imports from China came through it.

Challenges and War Damage

Despite its success, the Albert Dock started to face problems within 20 years. It was built for sailing ships up to 1,000 tonnes. But by the early 1900s, only 7% of ships entering the Port of Liverpool were sailing vessels. The rise of steamships meant the dock was simply not big enough. Its narrow entrances stopped larger ships from entering. The lack of quayside space also became an issue. Steamships could load and unload much faster than sailing ships. The very warehouses that made the dock special now slowed it down.

Still, the Albert Dock remained a key part of Liverpool's dock system. In 1878, a pump house was built. Most of the cranes were updated to use hydraulic power. In 1899, part of a warehouse was changed to make ice and provide cold storage.

By the 1920s, most commercial shipping had stopped at the dock. However, its warehouses were still used to store goods brought by barge, road, or train. When World War II began in 1939, the British Admiralty took over the Albert Dock. It was used as a base for the British Atlantic fleet, including submarines and small warships. During the war, German bombs hit the dock several times. In 1940, ships in the dock were damaged. More seriously, during the May Blitz of 1941, bombing caused a lot of damage to one of the warehouses. By the end of the war, about 15% of the dock's storage space was unusable.

Post-War Decline and Rebirth

Financial Troubles and Closure

After World War II, the Albert Dock's future looked bad. The owners, the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB), were in financial trouble. They decided not to repair the war damage. At the same time, new shipping methods like containerisation meant Liverpool's entire dock system struggled. Newer, stronger ports appeared elsewhere in the UK.

Despite these problems, the dock's architectural and technological importance was recognized. In 1952, the Albert Dock was given Grade I listed building status. This meant it was a very important historical building. But the MDHB's debts grew. By the 1960s, they wanted to sell the Albert Dock. They thought about tearing down the buildings and rebuilding. Many plans were made, including one for a "mini-city" with hotels, restaurants, and underground parking. However, these plans faced public opposition and failed.

With the MDHB almost bankrupt, they decided to close and sell the entire south docks system. The warehouses were emptied. In 1972, the Albert Dock finally closed. The gates that separated the docks from the River Mersey were opened. This allowed the tides to bring in sewage and silt, clogging up the docks. The decline of the Albert Dock showed the economic problems Liverpool faced after the war.

New Hope and Regeneration

Throughout the early 1970s, plans for the Albert Dock continued to appear. Some were quite extreme, like using the dock basin as a landfill site. One serious idea was for Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University) to move there. The government even offered £3 million, but this plan also failed.

The creation of Merseyside County Council (MCC) in 1974 brought new hope. The MCC made the dock's development a high priority. They eventually took over the south docks in 1979. However, arguments between the dock owners, the city council, and the MCC continued to stop any progress. The government, led by Margaret Thatcher, decided the city couldn't handle the regeneration alone. In 1981, the Merseyside Development Corporation (MDC) was set up. Its job was to regenerate Liverpool's south docks, including the Albert Dock.

The MDC and the Dock's Revival

The MDC's goal was to use public money to improve the area. This would then attract private companies to invest. The MDC's first plan was to restore buildings that could be saved and tear down the rest. They also planned to clean the dock system, removing up to 40 feet of silt. Two main projects were chosen: the International Garden Festival and the Albert Dock's regeneration.

In 1982, the MDC began talking with a London developer called Arrowcroft. Arrowcroft's chairman, Leonard Eppel, was very impressed by the buildings. In September 1983, a deal was signed. The Albert Dock Company was created to start the regeneration.

One of the first tasks was to restore the dock system, which had fallen apart. Dirty silt was removed, dock gates were replaced, and bridges were fixed. The dock walls were repaired. Tarmac Construction was hired to renovate the huge warehouses and fix war damage. Surveys showed that the brickwork and foundations were in very good condition. This proved how well Hartley had designed the buildings, as they were still strong after almost 150 years.

The redevelopment happened quickly. The renovated Edward Pavilion was ready for the 1984 Tall Ships' Races. This event was a huge success, bringing over a million visitors to Liverpool. About 160,000 people visited the Albert Dock. The same year, the dock traffic office was renovated and leased to Granada Television.

Encouraged by this success, Arrowcroft continued renovating the dock. They worked on the Britannia and Atlantic pavilions. The Atlantic Pavilion needed major repairs due to war damage. In 1986, the Merseyside Maritime Museum moved into the Albert Dock. Work also began on the largest warehouse, the Colonnades. Shops were created on the ground floor, offices on the mezzanine, and apartments on the upper floors. The first apartments sold very quickly.

The Albert Dock officially reopened in 1988. The Prince of Wales, who is a great-great-great-grandson of Albert, Prince Consort, attended the event. This opening also marked the start of the new Tate Liverpool art gallery. It was called the 'Tate of the north' and was the only one outside London at the time. Having a Tate gallery in Liverpool was a big win for the city.

In 1988, ITV's new morning TV show, This Morning, started broadcasting from the Albert Dock. The weather presenter, Fred Talbot, used a floating map of the British Isles for his forecasts. Two years later, in 1990, The Beatles Story museum opened. It is the only Beatles-themed visitor attraction in Britain.

Development continued through the 1990s, including a new hotel. In 2003, the last undeveloped space was used when a new Premier Lodge hotel opened. In 2018, the dock was granted a royal charter. It became known as Royal Albert Dock Liverpool to avoid confusion with the Royal Albert Dock in London.

How the Dock Was Built

The Royal Albert Dock was considered a state of the art docking system when it was built. It was made almost entirely from cast iron, stone, and brick. This made it fireproof, and it was the world's first non-combustible warehouse system. It had 1,290,000 square feet of warehouse space. The dock basin had a water area of 7.75 acres.

Over 23 million bricks and 47,000 tonnes of mortar were used in its construction. It cost £782,265 (about £41 million today). Today, it is estimated to be worth £230 million.

The building's design combined old and new building techniques. The warehouses are supported by large load-bearing walls. These walls are 3 feet thick at the bottom and 19 inches thick on the fourth level. One of the most advanced features was the use of stressed skin roofing. This was very rare at the time. Huge iron trusses are connected with rivetted and galvanised wrought iron plates. This creates a shape like an upside-down boat hull, which supports the roof. The floors inside the warehouses are held up by large iron columns. The spaces between them were very flexible, allowing new windows or stairs to be added without harming the building.

The advanced design goes beyond what you can see. While the structures are wood-free, their foundations contain 13,729 timber piles. If laid end to end, these piles would stretch for 48 miles. These strong foundations were needed because the land was reclaimed from the River Mersey. The river's tidal silt was like quicksand, so the piles provided maximum stability. Because of where it was built, the north and west warehouses actually rise and fall with every tide.

A notable feature of the Albert Dock are the huge cast iron columns along the quayside. They are 15 feet high and almost 13 feet around. They are based on the Greek Doric style of architecture. Hartley chose cast iron because it was cheaper than granite at the time. However, so much granite was needed for the dock walls that the dock owners had to open their own mine in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. The high quality of the materials and the dock's large size show how wealthy Liverpool was at the time. The building's style is described as cyclopean classicism.

Royal Albert Dock Today

The Royal Albert Dock is Liverpool's top tourist attraction. It is also the most visited multi-use attraction in the United Kingdom outside London. It gets over four million visitors each year.

Some of the many attractions at the Albert Dock include the Merseyside Maritime Museum, The Beatles Story, and the Tate Liverpool. There are also two hotels: a Holiday Inn and Premier Inn. All five warehouses around the dock (known as A, B, C, D, and E) are Grade I listed buildings. The former dock traffic office is also Grade I listed. Other buildings around the dock are Grade II listed. These include the former hydraulic pumping station and the swing bridge leading to the Pierhead.

After the dock was rebuilt in the 1980s, there was a plan to attract shops. However, after many years of struggling against other shopping areas, the Albert Dock Company Ltd decided to focus on attracting more bars and restaurants in 2007. As of 2008, bars and restaurants at the Albert Dock include Maray, Panam Bar & Restaurant, Revolution Bar, and Whats Cooking?

Images for kids

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  The Albert Dock's design allowed ships to lay up and be loaded and unloaded directly from the large warehouses

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  Jesse Hartley

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  British Empire Dockyards and Ports, 1909

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  Dock office in 1976.

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  The Albert Dock viewed from the River Mersey in 1979.

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  Silted up dock before proposed demolition 1982.

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  The former Dock Office was for many years the home of Granada Television in Liverpool.

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  The floating weather map of the British Isles, from ITV's This Morning

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  Aerial view of the Royal Albert Dock from the Liver Building.

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  Huge cast iron columns line the Albert Dock's quayside helping to support the building above

See also

In Spanish: Royal Albert Dock para niños