A few more pics lurking on my computer..

The Alfred Dock originally had three river entrances. In the view can be seen the river wall leading to the northern passage. In the distance is the Seacombe Ferry Landing Stage

Alfred Dock is named after Queen Victoria's second son Prince Alfred Duke of Edinburgh 1844 1900

An early view of the One O'clock gun firing. The gun originally stood stood on the river wall not far from the Seacombe Landing Stage
The One O'clock gun was used by ships captains to set their chronometers for accurate navigation

During the 1920’s the Alfred Dock River entrances and passages to the East Float were reconstructed to allow larger vessels that were coming into service access to the Birkenhead Docks
The Alfred Dock modifications cost the Dock Board's around £1,300,00 The dock covers an area of 8 acres 3276 yds

A busy scene at the entrance to the Alfred Dock. In the river a Blue Funnel vessel waits to enter the Birkenhead Docks. In the distance to the right the Mammoth makes its way down river
The Alfred Dock's Southern entrance was filled in a number of years ago.

The Blue Funnel vessel the Philoctetes entering the northern river passage to the Alfred Dock. On the right a accumulator tower that powered the opening and closing of the dock gates for many years
Philoctetes Built 1920. Scott's S. B. & E. Co., Greenock Broken up 1948

HMS Conway entering Alfred Dock, at Birkenhead. The vessel was constructed entirely of wood. Her sister ships were HMS Rodney and HMS London
HMS Nile launched 28:6:1839; 4,375 Tons: 8-10 inch guns; 82-30 pdr; crew 850 24:7:1876 renamed HMS Conway; 14:4:1953 ran aground Menai Straits Anglesey broke her back

HMS Phaeton entering the passage into the Alfred Dock. The vessel was converted at Birkenhead into a training ship for boys. She was later renamed Indefatigable II, and was moored off Rock Ferry on 15:1:1914
HMS Phaeton launched 27:2:1883; Barquentine rigged; 3600 tons; 10-6 inch guns; 3-3 inch guns; 10 Nordenfelds guns; 4 torpedo tubes; 18 knots

A tug waits with the Blue Funnel vessel the Diomed at the northern entrance to the Alfred Dock, as a gig-boat takes a line to a shore-gang waiting on the river wall
Diomed Built 1922. Workman Clarke, & Co., Belfast Broken up 1952

The tall-ship Pommern leaving the Birkenhead Docks. During the 1920’s and 30s a number of sailing ships made visits to Merseyside with various cargo.
1925 Gustaf Erikson, Mariehamn, Åland. Pommern Ex Mneme Built. 1903 J. Read & Co., Ltd. Glasgow

The tug Poolgarth tows the newly constructed Seacombe landing stage through the Alfred Dock at Birkenhead. This stage was to be used until it was replaced in 2000
In the 1920's and 30's the Seacombe ferry terminal buildings and approaches were rebuilt at a cost of £98,443

A tug assists the Nubian as the vessel leaves the Alfred Dock at Birkenhead. In the distance can be seen the central accumulator tower that powered dock gates and bridges
In June 1920 a coaster crashed into a dock gates causing water to burst out into the Mersey and engulf a number of flats and barges

The Ascania berthed in the Alfred Dock. On the right of the view the Dock Board’s 25 ton Floating Crane Titan waits to enter the East Float
The Dock Board operated five floating cranes, Titian, Samson, Hercules, Atlas and Mammoth

The Ascania barges and small craft fill the southern corner of the Alfred Dock. In the foreground two of the barges built of Ferro concrete with hulls are protected by wooden fenders
Due to a steel shortage during WWII Ferro concrete was used to build barges

The City Of Winnipeg waits in the Alfred Dock to enter the East Float. While alongside the vessel a small gig boat prepares to take a line to a shore-gang waiting on the quayside
City Of Winnipeg Built 1910. . Workman, Clark, Belfast Acquired 1914. Sold 1934

The Blue Funnel vessel Theseus waits in the Alfred Dock. The Blue Funnel vessels began using the Vittoria Dock in 1909. The dock facilities and cargo handling were up-dated in 1966
The Alfred Dock use to have dockside sheds on the north and south sides. The has 511 yds. of quayside

A vessel makes its way from the Alfred Dock into the East Float past a raised Bascule Bridge on Tower Road that links Birkenhead and Seacombe
In January 1929 a new 870 ton Bascule Bridge between Alfred Dock and the East Float was swung into position

The Astyanax waits in the Alfred Dock. A gig boat waits at the head of the southern passage into the East Float. Today the southern passage has been filled in and the bridge removed
Astyanax Built 1906. Scott's S. B. & E. Co., Greenock Sold 1930

An aerial view of the head of Wallasey Pool in the 1920’s. Bidston Dock was opened in 1933 adjacent to the Penny Bridge. The dock was filled in 2003.
The open land alongside the head of Wallasey Pool covered an area of 134½ acres in 1927

The Zinna alongside the Bidston Iron Ore Berth. Iron ore was off loaded on to railway wagons and transported to John Summers Iron Works at Shotton in North Wales
REA Ltd. The specialists in bulk Handling operated the facilities on the North side of the Bidston Dock

A view looking across the West Float; and in the distance the three raised jibs of the Iron Ore handling facilities on the north side of Bidston Dock. The iron ore cranes have since been demolished
William Cubbin Ltd. Repaired and maintained tugs & barges. Founded 1902 The Yard, The West Float, Wallasey Bridge Road

The Penny Bridge Toll House stood on the Poulton side of the bridge. A wooden bridge had been built across the head of the Wallasey Pool in 1843.
The Penny Bridge took its name from the toll of One Penny, first charged in 1896

In 1926 the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board opened the new Penny swing bridge. This views shows the approach road to the bridge from Poulton
Construction work began on the swing bridge in February 1924

Looking the west across the newly opened Bidston Dock During the Great Depression of 1930-33 many of the Liverpool Steamship companies laid up vessels.
Bidston Dock was opened in 1933 at a cost to the Dock Board of £700,000

In 1947 the Elder Dempster’s Aba was sold to Bawtry SS Co., of Liverpool and renamed the Matrona, seen here lying on her portside in Bidston Dock
Matrona Ex Aba Built 1918. Barclay Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow

In this view of the Matrona the Docks Board have attached frames to the side of the vessel, and have placed winches on the quayside to pull the vessel upright
The Matrona capsized after her ballast of pig-iron was removed

The Matrona being winched upright. The Dock Board later used the same methods to raise the Empress of Canada in Gladstone Dock in 1953
The Matrona was broken up at Barrow-In-Furness in 1948

The Anchor Line vessel Circassia berthed on the south side of the Bidston Dock. The Anchor Line's Glasgow via Liverpool to Bombay service closed in 1966
Circassia Built 1937 Fairfield S. B. & E. Co., Govan

The Duke Street Bridge spans the passage between the East and West Floats. In the distance the Duke Street Wharf, which was used as a coaling berth for ships for many years
The Duke Street passage between the East and West Floats, is 98ft wide and the sill 3in above the Bay Datum

The Dock Master and his family stand outside the dock office. The building stands a short distance to the west of
the Duke Street Bridge
The West Float covers an area of 52 acres 319 yds, and over 2 miles of quayside. 1927

The hydraulically powered Duke Street swing bridge. In the 1930’s the Dock Board replaced a number of the Birkenhead Dock estate swing bridges with the Bascule Bridges
A plaque on the present Duke Street Bridge reads Manufactured And Erected by Sir William Arrol & Co., Ltd., Glasgow 1931

A shunting engine makes its across the Duke Street bridge. There used to be a number of small shunting firms employed around the Birkenhead Docks
Joseph Perrin & Sons Ltd. Started 1891 shunting with the Birkenhead, an 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive The engine shed was close to the Egerton Bridge

A ship takes on coal at the Duke Street wharf. Bunkering coal was a dirty and noisy task for those employed at the wharf and those living in the nearby streets
Coal was brought into the Duke Street Wharf by rail from the mines in North & South Wales

This view shows the original swing bridges that spanned the passages between the East Float and Alfred Dock. To the right stands the central hydraulically tower with its ornate brickwork
The central hydraulically tower was built in 1863 G. F. Lyster was the Dock Engineer from 1861 to 1897

The Birkenhead central Hydraulic Tower and the buildings with its castellations are very similar to buildings, that the dock engineer Jesse Hartley had designed in Liverpool for the Dock Board
The central Hydraulic Tower was damaged during a air-raid on the Port of Liverpool in the early 1940's
Catalogue Number: Birkenhead Docks 34

Last one for tonight....


The Leicestershire alongside Mortar Quay in the East Float. The wharf takes its name from the production of mortar on the site during the construction of the East Float opened in 1860
The Leicestershire Built 1909. Harland & Wolff, Ltd. Belfast Sold 1930

Great pictures. Many thanks Zip.

Cheers, I only have a few thousand more pics :-))

Maybe not all at once Zip, but it would be good to see some more when you have the time. Thanks.

Very interesting set of images Zipper - thanks for posting

thanks for posting,Zipper,great to see how busy it was.

Wow!.

I`ll alternate the locations as I`m sure we would all get bored with the same one. Tonight Egremont Ferry.

Alfred dock was partially empty today. Sorry about pictures, only had my phone on me.

Most interesting! I wonder if they are draining it prior to infilling? That would enable Peel-Vomit Holdings to make MORE money ! I hope they remember to take the tug out first.

Might just be inspecting, there are quite a few blocks popped out the wall around the spoil area. Its been like this for a few days, there are some ships further up the dock system which presumably can't get out. I'm curious about the tug unless they are using its pumps to empty further - I don't know how far a low tide would empty the dock.

The Wirral Waters scheme doesn't show any infilling of the Alfred Dock, ridiculously it will be our only proper general sea-going dock left on the Wirral which at one time had one of the largest docks in Europe.

And that's what happens when you let idiots like John Prescott stand on the back of wagons and vowing not to let containerisation into Merseyside docks and then blindly follow him into oblivion. Mind you he's ok now.

I can't understand the council going along with infilling docks left right and centre. The surrounds of docks are classed as prime development areas and we seem to be minimising the amount of dockland???

I wonder if it's because his hometown is Hull and a dock rival?

He was a seamans union official and worked in the Liverpool offices, that's where he got his phone call and that's where he did all his gobbing off from at that time. It's Felixstowe which said they'd take on the containers and it's now thriving by the way.

Not defending John Prescott as it wasn't the right decision at the time, however, as things have worked out ... Felixstowe handles the largest number of containers in the UK, but Liverpool handles 25% more tonnage than Felixstowe these days.

My husbands job took him there in 1987 after the Merchant Fleet started to collapse. We spent 12 yrs in Felixstowe and watched the docks develop and expand.

This article from 2013 reports on 70 million container from Felixstowe docks. Amazing. To coin a phrase from one of the dockers down there "we work hard and then play hard" .... with a sense of pride , I would add.

http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/91628/uk-port-of-felixstowe-passes-70m-teu-milestone/

Can you put your links up please DD, so we can read them ?

I used 2013 final figures as 2014 not been finalised as yet (although the 3-monthly reports are available). If you really want to dig through the zipped multiple excel spreadsheets they are HERE (the basic tonnage per port data is in port0301.xls)

Here's the order biggest to smallest (with a few rounded figures added).

Grimsby & Immingham (63mt)
London (43mt)
Milford Haven (41mt)
Tees and Hartlepool (38mt)
Southampton (36mt)
Liverpool (31mt)
Forth (26mt)
Felixstowe (26mt)
Dover (25mt)
Belfast (17mt)
Clyde (15mt)
Hull (11mt)
Bristol (11mt)
Rivers Hull and Humber (10mt)
Port Talbot (8mt)
Medway (8mt)
Tyne (8mt)
Manchester (7mt)
Sullom Voe (6mt)
Glensanda1 (6mt)
Aberdeen (4mt)
Heysham (4mt)
Harwich (4mt)
Portsmouth (4mt)
Cromarty Firth (3mt)
Holyhead (3mt)
Warrenpoint (3mt)
Newport (2mt)
Larne (2mt)
Cairnryan (2mt)

All the rest (35mt)

Liverpool has gone up one position since 2009.

Thought I would update these figures for 2014. Liverpool has retained its same ranking, same proportion (6.2%) and roughly the same tonnage as 2013.

Grimsby & Immingham (59mt)
London (44mt)
Tees and Hartlepool (40mt)
Southampton (37mt)
Milford Haven (34mt)
Liverpool (31mt)
Felixstowe (28mt)
Dover (28mt)
Forth (25mt)
Belfast (17mt)
Clyde (16mt)
Bristol (11mt)
Hull (11mt)
Rivers Hull and Humber (10mt)
Port Talbot (9mt)
Medway (8mt)
Sullom Voe (7mt)
Manchester (7mt)
Tyne (7mt)
Glensanda1 (6mt)
Heysham (4mt)
Aberdeen (4mt)
Harwich (4mt)
Portsmouth (4mt)
Holyhead (4mt)
Warrenpoint (3mt)
Newport (3mt)
Larne (2mt)
Cairnryan (2mt)
Plymouth (2mt)

Yep, a load of scrap metal doesn't half weight a lot. When's the last time you saw vessels anchored up and queuing to get into the locks and loads of dockers going to and from the dock gates to get to work? I talk as I see not as I read. Last time I was down Harwich there were loads of container vessels donking in and out of Felixstowe.