Salisbury Dock

Salisbury 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 is connected to Nelson Dock to the north, Trafalgar Dock to the south and inland to Collingwood Dock.

Salisbury Dock
Victoria Tower, from the landward side, looking across the dock
Location
LocationVauxhall, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Coordinates53.4215°N 3.0038°W / 53.4215; -3.0038
OS gridSJ333921
Details
OwnerThe Peel Group[1]
OperatorMersey Docks and Harbour Company
Opened1848
Type
Joins
Area3 acres (1.2 ha), 2,146 sq yd (1,794 m2)[2]
Width at entrance60 ft (18 m)[3]
Quay length460 yd (420 m)[3]

History

Designed by Jesse Hartley, the dock opened in 1848. Its purpose was as a half tide dock,[4] connected directly to the river via two lock entrances. These provided access between the Mersey and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.[5] By the mid twentieth century, the dock was the principal hub for coastal and barge traffic in Liverpool.[4]

Victoria Tower

The hexagonal Victoria Tower, consisting of six clock faces, is located between the now disused lock entrances.[5] The tower was based on an 1846 design by Philip Hardwick and built by Jesse Hartley in 1847-8[6] using irregular shaped granite blocks. The tower is inscribed with the date of its construction: '1848'. South of the former river entrance is the former Dock Master's Office, also built by Hartley in 1848 using masonry in the Cyclopean style.[6][7] The tower's bell provided tidal and weather warnings to shipping. Although Grade II listed,[8] the buildings are now disused and derelict.

Regeneration

Salisbury Dock is part of the Stanley Dock Conservation Area[9] and is on the route of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal extension to the Pier Head.[10] In 2007, the Peel Group, owners of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, unveiled the £5.5 billion 'Liverpool Waters' regeneration programme. The project includes the restoration of Victoria Tower and the construction of two skyscrapers near the historic building.[11]

References
  1. "Liverpool Canal Link Skipper's Guide 2016" (PDF). Canal & River Trust. p. 3. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  2. Baines 1859, Part II, p. 88
  3. Baines 1859, Part II, p. 116
  4. Trading Places: A History of Liverpool Docks (Salisbury Dock), Liverpool Museums, archived from the original on 28 October 2008, retrieved 12 April 2008
  5. Pollard & Pevsner 2006, p. 279
  6. Ritchie-Noakes 1980, p. 12
  7. "Area 3. The Stanley Dock Conservation Area". Liverpool World Heritage. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007.
  8. Stanley Dock Conservation Area, Liverpool World Heritage, archived from the original on 19 July 2008, retrieved 12 April 2008
  9. Liverpool Canal Link: The Scheme, British Waterways, archived from the original on 25 July 2008, retrieved 20 March 2008
  10. Peel unveil £5.5 billion investment plans, Peel Group, 6 March 2007, archived from the original on 9 October 2007, retrieved 12 April 2008

Sources

Further reading
  • McCarron, Ken; Jarvis, Adrian (1992). Give a Dock a Good Name?. Birkenhead: Merseyside Port Folios. pp. 78–79. ISBN 9780951612941. OCLC 27770301.
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