Victoria Dock, Liverpool

Victoria Dock
Gateway to Victoria Dock
Location
LocationLiverpool, United Kingdom
Coordinates53°24′56″N 3°00′05″W / 53.4155°N 3.0014°W / 53.4155; -3.0014
OS gridSJ334914
Details
Opened1836
Closed1988[1]
TypeWet dock
Area5 acres (2.0 ha), 3,559 sq yd (2,976 m2) (in 1859)[2]
Width at entrance40 ft (12 m) (in 1859)[2]
Quay length755 yd (690 m) (in 1859)[2]

Victoria Dock was a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. Situated in the northern dock system, it was connected to Trafalgar Dock to the north and West Waterloo Dock to the south.

History

The dock was designed by Jesse Hartley and opened in 1836,[3] on the same day as Trafalgar Dock.[1] The dock was named after Princess Victoria, the heir apparent to William IV, and was one of the last opened specifically for sailing ships.[1] Victoria Dock originally had its own river entrance, which was closed in 1846.[1]

Between 1844 and 1921, the Ordnance Datum for the British Isles was taken from the level of the Victoria Dock.[4] The dock was altered in 1848.[5] By 1858, the largest share of the dock's trade was with America.[6] The dock was unmodernised until 1929.[1]

In 1972 the body of the dock was filled in as part of the construction of a ferry terminal for the B&I Line. The remainder of the dock was closed in 1988.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f McCarron & Jarvis 1992, pp. 94–96
  2. ^ a b c Baines 1859, Part II, p. 116
  3. ^ "History of Liverpool Docks". Old Mersey Times. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  4. ^ Datum height differences, Ordnance Survey, retrieved 7 April 2008
  5. ^ "Liverpool: The docks". British History Online. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  6. ^ Baines 1859, Part II, p. 94

Sources

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