Princes Dock

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 is now in the buffer zone to Liverpool's World Heritage Site.

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 [citeweb|url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nof/docks/access/theme10.html#geo|title=Trading Places: A History of Liverpool Docks|work=Liverpool Museums|accessdate=20 March|accessyear=2008] .

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.citeweb|url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nof/docks/access/dock_history6.html | title=Trading Places: Princes Dock History|work=Liverpool Museums|accessdate=7 January|accessyear=2008]

Redevelopment

Much of Princes Dock's wharfage and warehouse space has been replaced by:
*Three blocks of office accommodation along the river front.
*The £24 million Malmaison 128-room hotel. It opened in 2007 and is its owning company's first ever 'new build' [citeweb | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/mar/06/liverpool.hotels.uk | work = The Guardian | title = Malmaison, Liverpool | accessdate = 6 April | accessyear = 2008] . It stands alongside the existing Crowne Plaza hotel.
*Three apartment blocks (UK: blocks of flats).
*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 [citeweb | url = http://www.investmerseyside.com/displaypage.asp?page_key=18&table=majorprojects | title = Major Development Projects / Princes Dock | work = The Mersey Partnership | accessdate = 4 April | accessyear = 2008] .

The dock has been divided into two sections spanned by a pedestrian bridge [citeweb | url=http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/liverpool-link02.htm | title=Leeds and Liverpool Canal - Liverpool Canal Link (Page 2) | work=Pennine Waterways | accessdate=6 April|accessyear=2008] that was designed by the Liverpool John Moores University Centre for Architectural Research and Consultancy Unit (CARCU) [citeweb | url = http://www.ihsti.com/cis/Doc.aspx?AuthCode=&DocNum=256679 | title = Walking through hoops. Footbridge at Princes Dock, Liverpool | work = The Construction Information Service | accessdate = 6 April | accessyear = 2008] .

Work also commenced on a £20 million extension of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, providing a further 1.4 miles of navigable waterwayciteweb|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/liverpoolcanallink/scheme/index.php | title=Liverpool Canal Link: The Scheme|work=British Waterways|accessdate=20 March|accessyear=2008] . 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 [citeweb|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/liverpoolcanallink/scheme/section3.php | title=Liverpool Canal Link: (Section 3) Princes Dock|work=British Waterways|accessdate=20 March|accessyear=2008] . The extension will terminate at Canning Dock and is due for completion in December 2008 ] .

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 [citeweb | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2005/05/16/paradise_st_liner_development_feature.shtml | title = Regeneration | work = BBC website | accessdate = 6 April | accessyear = 2008] . The terminal was officially opened on 21 September 2007 when the QE2 berthed at the terminal [citeweb | url = http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/09/18/qe2-stars-in-liner-terminal-opening-64375-19806064/ | title = QE2 stars in liner terminal opening | work = Liverpool Daily Post | accessdate = 6 April | accessyear = 2008] . 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.

hips visiting Princes Dock

Cultural references

Princes Dock is mentioned in the novel "Redburn, His First Voyage" by Herman Melville (1849): [citeweb|url=http://www.bwpics.co.uk/gallery/princes.html|title=Picture Gallery: Princes Dock|work=The Black & White Picture Place|accessdate=20 March|accessyear=2008]

"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."

It is also mentioned in the novel 'Les Aventures du Capitaine Hatteras au Pole Nord'

ee also

* Liverpool Canal Link

References

External links

* [http://www.liverpool2007.org.uk/docks/docks2.htm Liverpool North Docks map]
* [http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=334250&Y=390750&width=700&height=400&gride=333750&gridn=390750&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=pc&pc=&zm=0&scale=5000&left.x=7&left.y=150 Princes Dock aerial photo]