Maritime Liverpool History

Another day in Liverpool. We took the train from Maghull station into the city centre. What should have been a 21 minute journey turned into over an hour as the result of an incident between a passenger and a small child in a school group. This happened right at the other end of the train from where we were sitting so we really do not know much about what happened. However, our train was then terminated at Sandhills and we had to change onto another train for the final part of the journey into Liverpool Central. At least we were in no hurry.

We immediately headed down to the Waterfront to visit the Maritime Museum which forms another part of the Albert Dock complex, close to the Tate.

Along the way we passed the former gates to the Liverpool Seamans Home which was on the site now occupied by John Lewis. By the time we arrived at the museum, coffee in the cafe was a priority.

We began our 'proper' visit by looking in the gallery about the migrant trade which for a time was one of Liverpool's main sources of income. Especially in the time of famines in Ireland, large numbers left fro America or Australia in search of a better life. Some children were even sent on their own, sadly ending up in conditions almost as bad as those they left behind.

There was a re-creation of the below deck living quarters of one such ship Shackamaxon - the journey to America could take almost a month - but, although we could see how cramped and bare it was, it lacked the sense of over-crowding and smell resulting from a large number of people packed into a small space. Gourmet dining was not on offer!

This gallery also contains a series of displays about smuggling, especially more modern attempts to bring banned items into the country, either to avoid duty or because they are illegal in this country. The lengths to which such criminals will go is almost unbelievable and it is some wonder that so many are actually detected. It was claimed that a very large proportion of cigarettes smoked in this country have been obtained illegally!

By the time we had finished looking at these displays it was time for lunch. Back to the cafe for quite satisfactory baguettes. This also gave us a chance to think about the afternoon and we discovered that the Old Dock Experience, which we thought had stopped running at the end of June, was in fact still available and the afternoon tour was at 2:30. This replaced the Mersey Ferry as the next stop on our itinerary!

There was time, however, to visit another couple of galleries. On the top floor the one time slaving trade was recorded, along with some of the many consequences. It is salutary to note how many large foundations were funded from that trade including an Oxford College.

Of course, the museum has to feature the Titanic and two separate displays have been created. We visited The Other Story, giving some of the background. Cunard, an up and coming newer company, had stolen a march on the premier passenger line, White Star, who had previously dominated in carrying passengers both to America and elsewhere across the world. They needed to catch up and ordered three new super fast liners which included the Titanic, built to all the prevailing standards, technical and regulatory as well as seeking to outdo Cunard in terms of the provisions for the luxury class - third class was altogether different!

Perhaps one of the striking aspects of this gallery was the range of newspaper articles and the extent to which apparently authoritative information on front pages was completely wrong. One had it that the captain shot himself on the bridge and another reported that no-one was lost at sea. Of course, we have to remember that although radio telegraphy was beginning to revolutionise ship-to-shore communication, it was still in its infancy. hen as now, the lack of hard information does not stop a popular newspaper from printing endless headlines!

Time now to head for the main desk to join the Old Dock Experience tour, leaving at 2:30 but, to our surprise, we ended up with a personal tour with both an excellent, amusing and informative guide and also an assistant! The guide was really committed to his subject.

After a brief introduction we walked across to Liverpool One, with a short stop to explain the meaning of the outdoor feature we included in our pictures last week. The fountains commemorate a William Hutchinson who for several decades kept accurate records of the tides at Liverpool and for long after they were still regarded as the best source of information. The varying heights of each water jet are proportional to his recorded tide level over one month.

The entrance to the Old Dock site is down through a multi storey care park. When the site, owned by the Duke of Westminster, was being developed he insisted that the archaeological remains were protected and that a sample should be made available for the public to visit free of charge. hence this tour (which likewise was free).

Our guide explained that this was the first commercial wet dock in the world and, because it meant that goods could be transshipped very much faster than in a tidal dock, Liverpool quickly developed from a minor estuarial village into one of the most successful ports of all time.

Unusually, and perhaps because of the designer's military background, the dock walls were constructed from bricks and lime mortar. At the same time, a large area of shoreline was reclaimed in order to provide a large flat open area alongside the ships. When it first opened, it was capable of holding a hundred ships of the day.

Just could not resist . . .

By the time we had finished this visit we headed to the ferry terminal but realised that we were an hour too late for the scenic tours - at rush hours the ferries revert to being an important commuter link with the Wirral.

We had a short look around the Piermaster's House which has been set out to show life in the 1940's.

By now the sun at emerged and we sat for a while enjoying a tasty ice cream outside the restored Dock Office building (once the home of Granada television), before returning to Liverpool Central and, this time, an uneventful ride back to Maghull.