Princes Dock
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Princes Dock is a dock on the River Mersey and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is the most southerly of the docks situated in the northern part of the Liverpool dock system, connected to Princes Half Tide Dock to the north. The dock now resides in the buffer zone to Liverpool's World Heritage Site.
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[edit] History
The dock was built by John Foster, with construction starting in 1810. During the construction, Foster ordered many times more stone than was needed. Allegedly, Foster diverted it to his family's building company. He resigned when this was discovered.
Princes Dock was named after the Prince Regent. It opened on the day of the Prince Regent's coronation as George IV in 1821. Access to the southern half of the dock system was via Georges Basin, Georges Dock and into Canning Dock. In 1899, both Georges Basin and Georges Dock were filled in to create what is now the Pier Head[1].
On 12 June 1895 Liverpool Riverside railway station was opened, situated between Princes Dock and the River Mersey.
An increase in containerisation in the shipping trade resulted, in 1967, in the dock becoming a passenger terminal for ferry services to Belfast with the development of a ro-ro ferry terminal at the south end of the dock.
In 1981, passenger services from Princes Dock ended due to the opening of a new terminal at Victoria Dock. The dock subsequently closed to shipping and was partly filled.[2]
[edit] Redevelopment
Princes Dock now provides three separate blocks of office accommodation alongside the river front. The £24 million Malmaison 128-room hotel opened in 2007 and is the company's first ever 'new build'[3]. It stands alongside the existing Crowne Plaza hotel. The dock also has three apartment blocks and planning permission has been secured for the £130million New World Square. This will incorporate an eight storey, five-star hotel, 385 apartments and space for shops and restaurants[4].
The dock has been divided into two sections spanned by a pedestrian bridge[5] that was designed by the Liverpool John Moores University Centre for Architectural Research and Consultancy Unit (CARCU)[6].
Work also commenced on a £20 million extension of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, providing a further 1.4 miles of navigable waterway[7]. A new lock and fixed bridge will be built at the northern end of Princes Dock. At the south end of the dock, a new canal tunnel will also be constructed which will lead to the Pier Head. The tunnel will be routed beneath St. Nicholas Place and the access road for the new cruise liner facility[8]. The extension will terminate at Canning Dock and is due for completion in December 2008[7].
[edit] Cruise liner terminal
In 2007, a £19 million cruise liner terminal was opened at the dock. The terminal allows for cruise ships such as the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) and Grand Princess to berth[9]. The terminal was officially opened on 21 September 2007 when the QE2 berthed at the terminal[10]. The cruise liner terminal has been developed in conjunction with improvements to the Isle of Man ferry terminal, operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.
[edit] Ships visiting Princes Dock
[edit] Cultural references
Princes Dock is mentioned in the novel Redburn, His First Voyage by Herman Melville (1849):[11]
"In magnitude, cost and durability the docks of Liverpool surpass all others in the world... for miles you may walk along that riverside, passing dock after dock, like a chain of immense fortresses. Prince's Dock, of comparatively recent construction, is perhaps the largest of all and is well known to American sailors from the fact that it is mostly frequented by the American shipping."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Trading Places: A History of Liverpool Docks. Liverpool Museums. Retrieved on 20 March 2008.
- ^ Trading Places: Princes Dock History. Liverpool Museums. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.
- ^ Malmaison, Liverpool. The Guardian. Retrieved on 6 April 2008.
- ^ Major Development Projects / Princes Dock. The Mersey Partnership. Retrieved on 4 April 2008.
- ^ Leeds and Liverpool Canal - Liverpool Canal Link (Page 2). Pennine Waterways. Retrieved on 6 April 2008.
- ^ Walking through hoops. Footbridge at Princes Dock, Liverpool. The Construction Information Service. Retrieved on 6 April 2008.
- ^ a b Liverpool Canal Link: The Scheme. British Waterways. Retrieved on 20 March 2008.
- ^ Liverpool Canal Link: (Section 3) Princes Dock. British Waterways. Retrieved on 20 March 2008.
- ^ Regeneration. BBC website. Retrieved on 6 April 2008.
- ^ QE2 stars in liner terminal opening. Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved on 6 April 2008.
- ^ Picture Gallery: Princes Dock. The Black & White Picture Place. Retrieved on 20 March 2008.
[edit] External links
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