WITH THE growth of trade with the American colonies, and the
spread of the industrial revolution to Lancashire,
Yorkshire and the Midlands, there was an ever-increasing
volume of shipping and demand for berthing space in the
North West. This gave rise to the birth of the Albert
Dock Complex. A Yorkshire engineer named Jesse Hartley
who was appointed Surveyor of Liverpool Docks in 1824
designed the Albert Dock complex. Upon completion in
1846, the docks were opened by Prince Albert, and so
were named the Albert Dock.
The entire Albert Dock complex consisted of a
breathtaking seven acres of docks and associated
warehouses that were used to store tea, silk, tobacco
and spirits from the Far East. By 1900 Liverpool was the
largest port in the World.
With the gradual decline of industry and trade towards
the mid-twentieth century, many of the magnificent
buildings fell into disrepair. This led to a general
decline of the docklands and the surrounding
areas.
In 1952 the complex was listed as the largest collection
of Grade I Listed Buildings in Britain. Something needed
to be done. The degeneration of the Docklands was halted
in the 1980's when the Merseyside Development
Corporation was founded. With inner-city development
projects bringing government support and funding, the
Albert Dock complex was refurbished and transformed into
the tourist attraction it is today. The Albert Dock
Complex now houses the Mersey Maritime Museum, Granada
TV Studios, the northern outpost of the Tate Gallery,
offices, apartments, hotels, pubs, wine bars,
restaurants, shops, and various student and tourist
information centres.
The Albert Dock has hosted many festivals in recent
years including the Tall Ships, the Round The World
Clipper Race, Party at the Pier, firework
displays, various concerts and is used by local
watersports clubs. It has also become a popular venue
for local scuba divers who can be seen on a regular
basis 'going for a quick dip' in Salthouse Dock or Dukes
Dock.
Click
here for more about Liverpool docks 
Photographs
taken
by Patrick Trollope BA(Hons) LBPPA.
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