North Docks, Liverpool

[Waterways]

Above: Collingwood Dock is the near dock and Salisbury the far dock. The dock to the left is what remains of Trafalgar dock. To the right of Salisbury Dock Nelson Dock can just be seen. Some commercial activity still goes on in these docks.



Above: Clarence Graving docks. Trafalgar dock is now just a basin for ships to enter the graving docks. The graving docks have not been used since last Xmas.

[Louis]

when this area is eventually regenerated... id hope to see the clock tower restored to its former glory, because its a great piece of architecture

[snappel]

It's mentioned on the World Heritage Bid site somewhere, and is listed, so at some stage it'll be done I'm sure...

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi all

I wrote a poem about this clock as shown below. I have to admit though that when I worked at the docks, for a summer job as a clerk in 1966, I never actually saw the clock because I was working in the southern docks, at Wapping Dock. There seems to be some confusion as to whether the clock has six sides or eight sides, with at least two websites at variance.

The Docker's Clock

Tick tock. The Dockers' Clock
-- with its six clock faces that faced
the points of the compass, the drunken
sailors' rolling gait, their brawling wake
-- plotted my time during the summer hols,
a few quid in a paypacket, my first job,
clocking me in and out as I plotted
the comings and goings of the ships
in and out of the Liverpool docks:
stalwart-named docks like the strong
Assam tea I sipped as I munched
on my greasy Dock Road bacon butties:
King's and Queen's, Wapping, Salthouse,
Albert, Waterloo, Huskisson, Princes,
Nelson, Trafalgar, Wellington. . .

Christopher T. George



The Liverpool Pictorial site on the Jesse Hartley - Victoria Tower 1848, a.k.a. The Dockers' Clock definitely says the clock has eight sides but on the Liverpool monuments site it says six sides. Which is it? Eight sides would more naturally match the points of the compass.

Chris

[Kev]

Hi all

I wrote a poem about this clock

as shown below. I have to admit though that when I worked at the docks, for a summer job as a clerk in 1966, I never actually saw the clock because I was

working in the southern docks, at Wapping Dock. There seems to be some confusion as to whether the clock has six sides or eight sides, with at least two

websites at variance.

The Docker's Clock

Tick tock. The Dockers' Clock
-- with its six clock faces that faced
the points of the

compass, the drunken
sailors' rolling gait, their brawling wake
-- plotted my time during the summer hols,
a few quid in a paypacket, my first job,


clocking me in and out as I plotted
the comings and goings of the ships
in and out of the Liverpool docks:
stalwart-named docks like the strong


Assam tea I sipped as I munched
on my greasy Dock Road bacon butties:
King's and Queen's, Wapping, Salthouse,
Albert, Waterloo, Huskisson,

Princes,
Nelson, Trafalgar, Wellington. . .

Christopher T. George

The

Liverpool Pictorial site on the Jesse Hartley - Victoria Tower 1848, a.k.a. The Dockers' Clock definitely says the clock has eight sides but on

the Liverpool monuments site it says six sides. Which is it? Eight sides would more

naturally match the points of the compass.

Chris

Fantastic poem Chris

[ChrisGeorge]

Thanks, Kev. I also have a poem about the time I worked on the docks on my website,

"Dock Boy" and it will be included in the new Living on Hope Street anthology edited by

Jim Bennett.

Chris

[The Teardrop Explodes]

ahem...The Teardrop Explodes used the docks and specifically the Hartley clock in

their video for Reward in 1980.

As I recall it was basically all shot at nightime with a bonfire, a jeep, lots of acid, and two trumpeters silhoueted

against the night sky atop Hartley's crenellations....

They also shot the video for Colors Fly there.

[scouserdave]

there seems to be some confusion as to whether the clock has six sides or eight

sides, with at least two websites at variance.

The Docker's Clock

Tick tock. The Dockers' Clock
-- with its six clock

faces that faced
the points of the compass, the drunken
sailors' rolling gait, their brawling wake
-- plotted my time during the summer hols,


a few quid in a paypacket, my first job,
clocking me in and out as I plotted
the comings and goings of the ships
in and out of the Liverpool

docks:
stalwart-named docks like the strong
Assam tea I sipped as I munched
on my greasy Dock Road bacon butties:
King's and Queen's,

Wapping, Salthouse,
Albert, Waterloo, Huskisson, Princes,
Nelson, Trafalgar, Wellington. . .

Christopher T. George



The Liverpool Pictorial site on the Jesse Hartley - Victoria Tower 1848,

a.k.a. The Dockers' Clock definitely says the clock has eight sides but on the Liverpool

monuments site it says six sides. Which is it? Eight sides would more naturally match the points of the compass.

Chris

What a

fantastic poem Chris! And a good shout about whether it's a 6 sided clock face or 8. Looking at the pics again, it appears 6 sided to me. I've been

mooching around there for so many years taking photos and have never once questioned the description I used from "Buildings of Liverpool". When I read your

post, I gulped and thought I messed up with the quote from the book, but I can confirm that it quotes "eight circular clock faces".

BTW Snappel may be

dissapointed to know that one of the routes of access to get to Victoria Tower has been well and truly scuppered from the North side

[PhilipG]

"Buildings of Liverpool" had so many

mistakes.
Treat yourself to "Liverpool" by Joseph Sharples (2004, Yale University Press).
It's only £9.99 and is one of the "Pevsner Architectural

Guides".
BTW, 6 sides to the Stanley clock tower.

[scouserdave]

"Buildings of Liverpool" had so many mistakes.
Treat yourself to "Liverpool" by Joseph Sharples (2004, Yale

University Press).
It's only £9.99 and is one of the "Pevsner Architectural Guides".
BTW, 6 sides to the Stanley clock tower.

Thanks

Phil.
One of their worst mistakes was including the same chapter twice!
Apart from that, what are their other mistakes? I've missed

them.

Cheers,
Dave

[snappel]

Dave,

you can still get there from the south as far as I know.

[scouserdave]

Dave, you can

still get there from the south as far as I know.

No probs from the south, but I used to drive straight into the docks and park up next to the

Sandon Half Tide Docks where I have a few mates who look after the MV Loach. It was just a quick jump across the dock railings and a spin around to get to

the other side of the gates. They've recently put up a metal sheet to prevent you.

[PhilipG]

Thanks Phil.
One of their worst mistakes was including the same chapter twice!
Apart from

that, what are their other mistakes? I've missed them.

Cheers,
Dave

Oh God, off the top of my head???
I can't find my copy (and

I haven't read it in years), but I made lots of notes.
What annoyed me so much was it said about so many buildings: "The building is Victorian" when

other sources knew the exact dates.
It said the Crane Building was Victorian (It was built 1913-15). It was also designed by W Aubrey Thomas (he of the

Royal Liver Building) which they didn't know.
Check the Lord Street Arcade - does it say that was another W Aubrey Thomas building, and that it opened in

1901?
So many other buildings where the architects (and dates) have always been known weren't credited with the architects (or dates).
OK, perhaps

they aren't all mistakes, but it still shows that the book wasn't researched very well.
The classic mistake was showing a drawing of the 1930s meeting

room which is next to the Ancient Chapel, and identifying it as the Ancient Chapel!

[scouserdave]

Oh God, off the top of my head???
I can't find my copy (and I haven't read it in years), but I made lots of notes.
What annoyed

me so much was it said about so many buildings: "The building is Victorian" when other sources knew the exact dates.
The classic mistake was showing a

drawing of the 1930s meeting room which is next to the Ancient Chapel, and identifying it as the Ancient Chapel!

There's a drawing of

Toxteth Unitarian Chapel in the book which matches up with a photo of "Ancient Chapel of Toxteth" at

http://www.toxteth.net/places/liverp...chapel%201.htm

There's no mention whatsoever in the book, describing it as

"the Ancient Chapel" It would help if you have the book at hand like I have, rather than recalling from your memory.

[PhilipG]

There's a drawing of Toxteth Unitarian Chapel in the book which

matches up with a photo of "Ancient Chapel of Toxteth" at http://www.toxteth.net/places/liverp...chapel%201.htm



There's no mention whatsoever in the book, describing it as "the Ancient Chapel" It would help if you have the book at hand like I have, rather than

recalling from your memory.

Thank you for using a "Disgust" smilie.
I don't know why you have to be so objectionable.
It it

obvious that you don't know the difference between the Meeting Room which was built in the 1930s, and the Ancient Chapel which is next door (and anything uo

to 300 years older).
The photo you link to shows the Meeting Room on the left, and the Ancient Chapel to the right.
The drawing in "Buildings of

Liverpool" (which I don't have to hand, but remember very well), shows the meeting room.
Which is what I said in the first place.