Waterloo Dock, Liverpool

Waterloo Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Vauxhall and connected to Princes Half Tide Dock to the south. The site of Victoria Dock is located to the north.

Waterloo Dock
West Waterloo dock and warehouse
Location
LocationVauxhall, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Coordinates53.4140°N 3.0022°W / 53.4140; -3.0022
OS gridSJ335912
Details
OwnerThe Peel Group
OperatorMersey Docks and Harbour Company
Opened1834
TypeWet dock
Joins
Area5 acres (2.0 ha), 3,056 sq yd (2,555 m2)[1]
Width at entrance45 ft (14 m)[1]
Quay length737 yd (674 m)[1]

History

The dock was designed by Jesse Hartley and opened in 1834 as Waterloo Dock, named after the Battle of Waterloo.

In 1843 an observatory was built here for astronomical and meteorological observations and to provide accurate time for ships' chronometers.[2] In 1866, when the dock was redeveloped, the observatory was relocated to Bidston Hill on the Wirral Peninsula.[3]

In 1868, Waterloo Dock was split in two separate basins; East Waterloo Dock and West Waterloo Dock.[4]

Initially planned eleven years earlier, the lock entrance from the Mersey was finally opened in 1949. Construction was delayed due to the Second World War.[4]

The dock closed to shipping in 1988. The entrance channel from the river and part of the dock has since been filled.

In 2007, work began on a £20 million extension of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, providing a further 1.4 mi (2.3 km) of navigable waterway and encompassing Princes Half Tide Dock.[5] A new 6.5 m (21 ft)-wide channel from Trafalgar Dock to the northern end of West Waterloo Dock will be excavated as part of the canal route.[6]

The extensive Waterloo Warehouse has since been converted into residential apartments.

References
  1. Baines 1859, Part II, p. 116
  2. Schmidt, Richard E.; Dearden, Paul (2018). "The Liverpool Observatory at Waterloo Dock. Part 1: Origins and Controversy". The Antiquarian Astronomer. Society for the History of Astronomy. 13: 2–22. Bibcode:2019AntAs..13....2S.
  3. "John Hartnup". Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  4. "Trading Places: Waterloo Dock History". Liverpool Museums. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  5. "Liverpool Canal Link: The Scheme". British Waterways. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  6. "Liverpool Canal Link: (Section 2) Central Docks Channel". British Waterways. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2008.

Sources

Further reading
  • McCarron, Ken; Jarvis, Adrian (1992). Give a Dock a Good Name?. Birkenhead: Merseyside Port Folios. pp. 103–105. ISBN 9780951612941. OCLC 27770301.
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