The world's first dry dock! (SEE IT SOON)
VISITORS to the new PARADISE shopping area will be able to glimpse the remains of the city's first dry dock from an underground viewing platform.
The unique tourist attraction will let visitors see what is left of the 18th century dock, which vanished under new buildings almost 200 years ago.
Excavators unearthed the dock remains two metres below Canning Place in 2004 as part of the redevelopment of Chavasse Park.
Developer Grosvenor wants to keep the archaeological gem on show for future generations.
Visitors will first enter an interpretation centre, where they can find out about the old dock, built in 1715 to help Liverpool expand.
They will then descend a flight of stairs into a "vault" to view the wall itself.
Jamie Quartermaine, senior archaeologist working on the project, said: "If anything allowed Liverpool to develop, it was this dock. It can't be brushed under the carpet.
"The remarkable thing about Liverpool is that very little archaeological work has been done before in the city centre.
"We're finding evidence of medieval Liverpool, but also modern history, such as the remains of warehouses destroyed during World War II."
The old dock was built to deal with trade coming into the Pool, the natural inlet from which the city takes its name.
But it only operated for 85 years before becoming too small to accommodate Liverpool's growing maritime traffic.
