Albert Dock

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A panoramic view

Albert Dock

The Albert Dock in Liverpool, England, was opened in 1846 by its namesake, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Based on plans submitted in 1839 by the architect Jesse Hartley for a combined dock and warehouse system, shipping entered the dock from either Canning Half Tide Dock to the North or Salthouse Dock to the east.

The Albert Dock was built entirely of cast iron, brick, and stone, with no structural wood; it was the first building in the UK to be built in such a manner. It was also the first fire-proof warehousing system in the world. In 1848 it was upgraded to feature the world's first hydraulic warehouse hoist system. The five Grade I buildings make the Albert Dock complex the largest set of Grade 1 Listed Buildings in the UK.

The dock closed to shipping in 1972 and suffered from dereliction for a period until it was redeveloped in the early 1980s by the Merseyside Development Corporation; this work included rebuilding a top corner of a warehouse which had been knocked off by a WWII bomb. The buildings now contain a variety of bars, restaurants and museums, and office space.

It is used as a ship dock once a year for the Liverpool Tall Ships festival.

Trivia

The floating weather map of the British Isles

For many years the ITV television show This Morning, hosted by Richard and Judy, was broadcast from studios in the dockside buildings. The dock water was used as the location for the weather forecast: presenter Fred Talbot used a floating map of the British Isles to describe the outlook.

The Albert Dock is home to the Telewest National Service Centre, taking hundreds of thousands of calls from Telewest Customers reporting faults.

The Albert Dock inspired the remodelling of Buenos Aires's own dock, Puerto Madero.

See also

• Tate Liverpool
• Pier Head

External links

• [Liverpool World Heritage: The Albert Dock Conservation Area]
• [Multimap: Aerial Photograph]
• [Albert Dock: Homepage]
• [Merseyworld: The Albert Dock]
• [Liverpool Museums: Albert Dock History]
• [Mersey Gateway: Albert Dock]
• [BBC: Webcam]
• [Old Map]

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