Why I love The Royal Albert Dock - A Brief History

I am so lucky to have had the historic site of the Royal Albert Dock as my workplace for many years. Even now I spend most days there as its second nature to me. I basically got the dock ‘bug’ from an incredibly early age. My dad would take me on little history tours when I was a kid and we would often venture to the docks. I was fascinated with the story of the dock system and the area’s history, and it was this that whet my appetite to become a tour guide! I also had the pleasure of listening to stories from my Uncle Tom and Eric about their time working as dockers so the whole thing really stuck with me. I’d like to think they would be proud, and probably quite amused, watching over to see me bringing literally hundreds of visitors to the docks each year.

I started working on the site back in 1997 when I started working for The Beatles Story. This award-winning Beatles attraction was opened in 1990 as the world’s first only permanent exhibition dedicated to the Fab Four. I worked there for just over 21 years and boy did I have fun with both building my career, but also working within the stunning location. It’s also rumoured to have a life of its own! Some of the best times I remember were hearing about the famous ghost stories that often reared their heads from both The Beatles Story premises and within the wider dock area. I’ve heard that they’re not harmful though, maybe this could be an altogether different tour (note to oneself).

I would love to know the thoughts of the original architect Jessie Hartley if he were to take a walk around his Grade I listed site today. When it was officially opened in 1846 by Prince Consort it was totally unique as a dock system. It was the world’s first non-combustible dock and the first ever to have hydraulic cranes, which were added within just a couple of years. This, as you can imagine, rapidly speeded up the process of loading and unloading. Back then, thousands of people worked on the docks daily and it kind of had its own community. The Albert Dock really did put Liverpool on the map globally. 

When the dock was opened it became very busy until around the 1860s, when very quickly the cargo ships became too big to fit into the dock itself, so they would dock elsewhere within the 7 miles of dock system that Liverpool offered. The dock rapidly became unused and the only time it became of any use was during the second World War when it was used by many small warships, submarines, landing crafts and merchant ships, but apart from that the dock basically shut at this time! 

Today, although very different, the dock has its own sense of community again, comprised of all the current tenants and attractions, many of whom have been on site since it re-opened in the early 80s. Life was pumped back into the structure during the early 80s when the government decided to send an MP to take charge and help the city to transform itself. The government’s environment minister Michael Heseltine had been given the job to regenerate the area, and he became quickly became captivated by the city, its architecture, and its people.

His first big project was creation of the Garden Festival Site which was in the south of the city. It was opened in 1984 by The Queen and coincided with the visit of the Tall Ships event on the River Mersey. As you can imagine it was a sight to behold, I was only eleven, so the sight of such beautiful ships parading up and down the river was just fab! I remember we visited the Garden Festival twice, as it was so big on a site of 230 acres. The festival was a major success and boosted tourism considerably, and so Michael Heseltine’s next major project was hatched. He scented an opportunity on a grand scale – which is where the Albert Dock comes in. The Merseyside Development Corporation was set up in the early 80s to regenerate the dock. And it’s just as well, as I have later found out that there were other plans to bulldoze the whole site and make it into a carpark!

It was not until 1986 that the first of the major tourist attractions made an appearance – the Merseyside Maritime Museum. If you’ve never been you need to, it’s amazing with 5 floors full of the history of Liverpool’s maritime trade. It is also home to the award-winning International Slavery Museum and lots more. This was the first phase of the project and it carried on into 1988 when HRH Prince Charles visited to open both the fully refurbished dock as well as Tate Liverpool. This Tate was unique as it was the first Tate Modern build outside of London – a fact we are still very proud of despite other Tate Moderns appearing across the country. The Albert Dock soon also gained TV backdrops, including ITV’s new daytime show ‘This Morning’ which started to broadcast from the dock, putting Liverpool on TV’s across the nation. Everyone remembers that weather map! 

In 1990, The Beatles Story opened its doors to become the third major attraction encouraging both domestic and international visitors to the historical city site. The dock later received the status of UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004 and was awarded the accolade as a mercantile maritime city. It just got better and better for the Albert Dock, as it started to attract around 6 million visitors per year, new tenants began showing interest in floor space in this fabulous location. I have the pleasure on most days of walking around the site on daily walks talking about the history of the dock and recommending many of the cafés, restaurants and unique independent shops, all of whom have their own unique dock stories to tell.

For five years now I have had the pleasure of working alongside The Albert Dock Foundation, which uses the assets in and around the dock for the benefit of children and young children in education. I get such as buzz working with Betty and the team, watching the children enjoy themselves whilst learning so much is really heart-warming. Some of the children have never visited the docks before so for them to learn all about the history and just see the place for themselves is an extremely rewarding experience. You know they are enjoying themselves just by the number of constant questions they ask!

And now to 2020… It’s fair to say it hasn’t started the way we expected. On my daily walks it’s so difficult to see the many shops and attractions temporarily closed due to the pandemic, I just hope that none of them are forced to close on a more permanent basis. I can guarantee that when we get the green light I’ll be heading to the area, to show my support to the many independent businesses housed within it.

I will also have a very exciting new project to announce soon, which features the Royal Albert Dock. So hopefully I will be able to share details about that soon, but in the meantime, if there’s anything I can help with, or if you have any questions then please feel free to contact me. All of the information listed above is included in my usual city walking tours so please ask away! I hope to see you all soon! ❤️