ALBERT DOCK, Jesse Hartley's masterpiece

**Kev** · 09-20-2005

1- The largest group of grade 1 listed buildings in the country. The dock walls are listed too.
2- The worlds first enclosed dock system.
3- The worlds first hydraulic hoists, costing £1000 in old money.
4- The first dock to be opened by a prince consort.
5- The first dock warehouse built entirely from incumbustable materials, cast iron, stone, brick and galvanised iron roofing.

**Louis** · 11-18-2005

the river side of the dock was built on sand, and it rises and falls with the tide!

**Kev** · 11-18-2005

Originally Posted by Louis

the river side of the dock was built on sand, and it rises and falls with the tide!

I never new that Louis! Sheesh - u learn something new everyday

**Lian** · 02-03-2006

it was named after prince albert

only joking (although it was)

it could not provide deep enough water for the new steam ships and trade started to decline during the 1890’s therefore being left idle shortly after until its closure in 1972

**Waterways** · 07-02-2006

Originally Posted by Lian

it was named after prince albert

only joking (although it was)

it could not provide deep enough water for the new steam ships and trade started to decline during the 1890’s therefore being left idle shortly after until its closure in 1972

Not quite. The size and depth of the dock was fine – in fact the dock is quite big with large ships being able to turn in the dock – the south end docks were smaller than the larger north end docks, yet they were still quite big with quite large ships entering them. The odd large ship still enters Albert. Steam ships required more quay space to load and unload for larger cranes to operate. It was designed for sailing ships which could take the cargo right out and into the warehouses. Roof mounted cranes were considered but thought too costly and I think the structures could not hold the weights involved. The warehouses were always used. The cargo was taken from ships in other adjacent docks to the Albert Dock.

Dukes Dock next to Albert had a unique grain warehouse that was near 200 years old when demolished in the early 1960s. The city has done some appalling acts of historical vandalism in its time.

Dukes Dock is now filled in and a concrete stadium and a multi-storey car park being built upon it.

**Urban** · 07-16-2006

Would be nice to see Hartley's other masterpiece the Stanley Dock renovated.

There was talk of tearing the gigantic tobacco warehouse down. That would be absolute madness no other city in the world would do such a thing.

There must be some imaginative company which could take this on and convert it?

**Kev** · 07-16-2006

Originally Posted by Waterways

Dukes Dock next to Albert had a unique grain warehouse that was near 200 years old when demolished in the early 1960s. The city has done some appalling acts of historical vandalism in its time.

Dukes Dock is now filled in and a concrete stadium and a multi-storey car park being built upon it.

I agree

very poor decision to knock this gem down.

I hope they don't knock the Stanley Dock warehouse down, no way !!

**Tony Mo** · 10-20-2006

Originally Posted by Waterways

Dukes Dock is now filled in and a concrete stadium and a multi-storey car park being built upon it.

Duke's Dock was still there this morning when I drove past it.

There was a concrete stadium and mult-storey car park being

built on King's Dock, but we all know that don't we?

**Waterways** · 10-20-2006

Originally Posted by Tony

Mo;22034

Duke's Dock was still there this morning when I drove past it.

You only saw part of Dukes Dock. Dukes Dock originally in the

1700s, was nearly as you see it now. It was extended to have a branch off it in a cross shape - one of the old unique grain warehouse was at the end of one

of the legs and ships loaded/unloaded in the dry. The entrance to the branch can still be seen. Look at the old maps. The branch became the dock. Dukes

Dock was also extended into the Wapping Basin, as it is now. This section unofficially became know as Dukes Passage, as it was was a transit passage to

Dukes Dock proper (the cross shape) and Wapping Basin.

It is fair to say Dukes Dock is filled in and the concrete stadium is being built on it.

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/

There was a concrete stadium and mult-storey car park being built on King's Dock, but we all

know that don't we?

Unfortunately it is. See:
http://www.saveliverpooldocks.co.uk
Go to:
"King Dock - How not to do it",

on the menu.

Below: the grain warehouse at the end of the branch, which actually became the dock where the work took

place.

**snappel** · 10-20-2006

Originally Posted by Urban

Would be nice to see Hartley's other masterpiece the Stanley Dock

renovated.

There was talk of tearing the gigantic tobacco warehouse down. That would be absolute madness no other city in the world would do such a

thing.

Don't forget, it was only the south and north Stanley Dock warehouses that were designed by Hartley - he doesn't take the credit for the

main tobacco warehouse.

There have been proposals for redevelopment of all three warehouses, and there is an illustration somewhere. One of the main

problems with the tobacco warehouse is the fact that the floors are low in height, which would make them unfeasible for most

developments...

[IMG]http://www.forties-design.co.uk/

l2/reports/images/tobacco/Dsc_0166.jpg[/IMG]

If any of those warehouses were ripped down, it would be truly horrendous! I can deal with the

old grain silo getting the chop, but the warehouses are something else, especially the tobacco warehouse.

EDIT: BTW, I mean the grain silo on Stanley

Dock, not the old one on Dukes Dock - that looked really unique...

**Waterways** · 10-20-2006

Originally Posted by snappel

Don't forget, it was only the south and north Stanley Dock warehouses that were designed by Hartley - he doesn't take the credit for

the main tobacco warehouse.

There have been proposals for redevelopment of all three warehouses, and there is an illustration somewhere. One of the

main problems with the tobacco warehouse is the fact that the floors are low in height, which would make them unfeasible for most

developments...

They don't look that low to me.

The whole area is in the WHS zone. The Stanley dock is not owned by Peel or

British waterways.

**Waterways** · 10-20-2006

Originally Posted by snappel

Don't forget, it was only the south and north Stanley Dock warehouses that were designed by Hartley - he doesn't take the credit for

the main tobacco warehouse.

[CENTER]

Spappel, one

thing about your great pics on the forties-design site. At times you don't give an overall picture of the buildings you take pictures of inside. E.g., it

would be nice to have pics of the south warehouse from many angles.

**snappel** · 10-26-2006

Originally Posted by Waterways

E.g., it would be nice to have pics of the south warehouse from many angles.

This is something I'm already conscious of! I

keep trying to find time to get some decent shots of the outside of the warehouses, in particular the south one. Too many places I visit I don't take

enought time to photograph the outside - it's something I'm trying to work on! Oh, and the site is level-two.co.uk, the forties-design bit is somebody

else's hosting, we just can't get the level-two domain name to mask properly yet...

scouserdave · 11-09-2006

JB (Waterways) can probably confirm this, but wasn't there a very serious idea of demolishing the Albert Dock in the 70s and replacing it with an office block and underground car park?!

Snappel, your warehouse pics are brilliant! Thanks

PhilipG · 11-09-2006

It was designed by A. G. Lyster and built c1897 to 1901.
125 ft (38 metres) high.
Constructed of 27 million bricks, it was claimed to be the largest single brick building in the world.
It closed in 1980.
The floors are only 7ft 2in (2.2 metres) high because the 77,000 casks were stored in single tiers to avoid breakage.

Source: "Liverpool", by Joseph Sharples.