Tower Quay, East Float, Birkenhead 1910.

The top of the tower is still in place

Don't think so!

Thanks for sharing.

The decorative top part of the tower got blatted in the war by Mr Hitler's heavier-than-air machines !!

fantastic picture

great picture do you have any more?

asked pablo22 anymore pics,had a look round the net,and found the geoff topp postcard collection very good.

Photo of it being sorted after the bombing.

The top part is still there, maybe it was loosened and had to be taken off.

Mmmmm. I sit corrected. I was told by a guy on the docks moons ago that it was "hit by a bomb". Obviously he was only partly right ! Yes Bert, the nearby blast would have worried the top part a bit and no doubt they truncated it to make it safe.

A few tons of masonry crashing down on your swede would have spoiled the weekend !

Impressive from a distance, in the 1890s.

Sorry Parkgater, I just got sent it with a couple of others.

You can still see the repaired brick work on the building

View of birkenhead and Wallasey docks

The Great Float hydraulic tower and engine house was completed in 1863. It provided power for opening dock gates and operating the swing/bascule bridges. Apparently, it was modelled on the Piazza Della Signoria in Florence, Italy. [See pic below...]

Shame it was so badly damaged in World War II and so crudely rebuilt afterwards. There were plans to convert it into a hotel at one point.

Do any of you remember the big ore cranes at Bidston Dock. Filling that in was a crime in my eyes. I would have liked these cranes to have been left there as they did in Salford Quays

They unloaded the iron ore for onward transportation to John Summers in Shotton by train.

I once knew a (female) ladies hairdresser who's father was an operator of one of those!

the bigest crime was the method used to fill in Bidston dock. Not back filled with hard core of any kind what so ever, just sub soil types of waste.

In the early '60's when I attended the Tech Grammar,Mosslands or whatever it's called these days,we had a tour to Bidston Dock, including rides in the cab of the gantrey cranes off loading iron ore.Impressive!It seemed a long way down.There was no issue of safety equipment ,real world then,one hand for yourself and the other for the ship,common sense really.

Ha, can you imagine that these days. H&S guys would freak...

Nice pic well done.Pablo.

I remember those cranes

Do you know, I think the tower (of Tower Road fame) looks better without the fancy bits on top.

Another one of Tower Quay from a postcard - about 1910?

Great picture Billy. Thanks for sharing.

Great photo Billy