Alexandra Dock, Liverpool facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexandra Dock |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
"Go Pegasus" in Alexandra Dock, seen from across the River Mersey
|
|
| Location | |
| Location | Bootle, Merseyside, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°26′51″N 3°00′43″W / 53.4474°N 3.0120°W |
| OS grid | SJ328849 |
| Details | |
| Owner | Peel Holdings |
| Operator | Mersey Docks and Harbour Company |
| Opened | 1881 |
| Type | Wet dock |
| Joins |
|
| Area | 44 acres (18 ha) |
| Transport links |
|
Alexandra Dock is a busy dock located on the River Mersey in England. It is part of the large Port of Liverpool. You can find it in the northern dock area of Bootle.
Alexandra Dock has a main basin, which is the largest part, close to the river. It also has three smaller branch docks that extend to the east. One of these southern branches has mostly been filled in.
History of Alexandra Dock
This dock was built by an engineer named George Fosbery Lyster. Construction took place between 1874 and 1882. For about a year during its building, it was known as Atlantic Dock.
The dock officially opened in 1881. It was named in honor of Queen Alexandra. Alexandra Dock has three smaller docks branching off it. It is also connected to Hornby Dock to the north and Langton Dock to the south.
What was traded at the dock?
Before Seaforth Dock was built, Alexandra Dock was very important for the grain trade. It had huge buildings called grain silos. These silos could hold 110,000 tons of grain. There was also extra space for another 20,000 tons.
The dock also had special cooling rooms for imported frozen meat. These were provided by the Union Cold Storage Company. When it was built, this cold storage facility was the biggest in Europe. It could hold a massive 2,668,000 cubic feet of goods. This facility was built at the end of No. 3 Branch Dock. This allowed meat to be moved directly from ships in No. 2 Branch Dock.
Rail connections
The dock was served by two railway stations. One was the LNWR Alexandra Dock railway station. The other was the Liverpool Overhead Railway's Alexandra Dock (LOR) railway station.
Current use
Today, the main export from Alexandra Dock is recycled scrap metal.
