Harland & Wolff in Liverpool

I'm sure most people have heard of the huge Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast that built Titanic, but I didn't realise they had much of a presence in Liverpool until I decided to explore a few dead-end roads along the docks.

I was amazed to find that the storage warehouse visible from the dock road was once a Harland & Wolff foundry. What a fantastic looking building! Unfortunately I couldn't get inside, and I doubt there'd be anything 'original' in there worth seeing anyway, but I'm glad this historic building has been kept.

Does anybody know any more about what Harland & Wolff did in Liverpool? Did they own/use any substantial areas of the dock estates? As far as I'm aware they did repairs and maintenance, but I can't find much else out.

http://tk41.powweb.com/photos/nliverpool1/Dsc_0099.jpg

http://tk41.powweb.com/photos/nliverpool1/Dsc_0097.jpg

http://tk41.powweb.com/photos/nliverpool1/Dsc_0096.jpg

http://tk41.powweb.com/photos/nliverpool1/Dsc_0095.jpg

What a lovely building!
(And great photos).
Where exactly is it?

It's on Strand Road, Bootle.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snappel

It's on Strand Road, Bootle.

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Thanks, Snappel.

Snap I think it was an engineering works which manufactured spare and replacement parts for the refits.


But don't quote me on that :D

My Grand dad and his brother worked for them as Engine fitters from 1898 to 1940,s they used to do refits.
It suffered bomb damage during the war.
Dave

There's still plenty of interesting old buildings along that area. I seem to remember taking a snap of a bricked-up entrance to an "Engine Works' building...I'll check shortly.

Yes, the engine works is interesting. I think once railway rails might have come out of that big doorway to move the engines down to the docks. Nice that the building has survived.

Further along I noticed that the White Star Cafe building near the Freeport entrance has Harland & Wolff across the top.

Here's a few buildings, near to the scrapyard conveyor that goes over the 'dock road'. This section is little a bit South of the Bootle boundary.
Dock Road...large building?
Engine Works...side view
Mersyside Food Products Ltd, Stewart Thomson & Sons (Plant Hire) Ltd, Engine Works
If these are in the wrong thread, just shift 'em.

I am not sure whether this is the correct forum, but I thought members may be interested to hear of a disturbing discovery I made at the weekend. I was visiting an architectural salvage yard in Northern Ireland, when I came across a gunmetal memorial plaque with some 60-80 names of young men from H&W Liverpool, who died during the First World War. I was saddened that the boys commemorated on this plaque are not receiving the respect owed to them. My husband & I decided to purchase the plaque and find some way of restoring some dignity to the young men who died. Unfortunately, the price of in excess of £7,000 was far outside our budget. One can only hope that those named on the plaque are suitably commemorated elsewhere, via their regiment, but it seems somewhat dishonourable that this plaque, and thereby the deaths of so many young men, is now destined to be a money-making exercise.
If anyone knows of any suitable organistation that may have the funds to purchase this commemorative plaque, or has any clever ideas as to how to secure its rightful restoration to Liverpool, I would love to hear.
Sandra Williams

The relationship with Liverpool
see below
>The successful completion of three vessels for J. Bibby & Sons & Company of Liverpool - "VENETIAN", "SICILIAN", and "SYRIAN", which are still listed as Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on the present company's orderbook - brought further orders, and by 1861 Harland found it necessary to take in a partner to assist in the management of the business. He chose his 27 year old assistant Gustav Wilhelm Wolff.

Wolff, who had been educated in Hamburg and Liverpool, was also an engineer, and the combination of these two young and able men led to a whole spate of new ideas in shipbuilding.

Harland increased the length of his ships without increasing their beam - his competitors in Liverpool called them "coffins" - to give greater carrying capacity without any decrease in speed. He replaced the wooden upper deck with one of iron, thus effectively making the hull a box girder of immensely increased strength.
More here >http://www.die-titanic.de/harland_&_wolff.htm
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White Star Line
>For the princely sum of £1000, Ismay rescued from bankruptcy the ailing White Star Line which had plied the Australian trade routes. He made it (1869) part of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., based in Liverpool.

>Ismay's big ideas needed even bigger financing if Cunard was to be challenged. Enter Gustav Schwabe, a Liverpool financier.

Ismay had immediate plans for a big ship, which he would name after his company: the 'Oceanic'. But Schwabe too had his own ideas, as to who should build it.

Schwabe not only supported Ismay but also, to support a nephew of his, resolved to connect the fortunes of the two men. The nephew was Gustav Wolff- the Wolff of Harland &Wolff (H&W) Belfast shipyards, in the north of Ireland.

So, there you have some of the connections between harland &Wolff, and Liverpool and white star
kat:)
More here> http://library.thinkquest.org/12687/titanic/star.html