The Port of Liverpool is a borough of Merseyside County, lying a few miles from the Irish Sea along the north shore of the Mersey estuary. In 2004, UNESCO designated the docks and some of the historic city center as a World Heritage site.
Port History
In 1207 AD, King John granted a charter to build a town there. Though growth was slow in the medieval period, it grew fast with trade with the Americas and West Indies and became the second major port in England. It profited from the slave trade.
The first dock was built in 1714, and four other docks appeared by the end of the century, when the Port of Liverpool surpassed London in available dock space. In 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was opened, providing easy access to England’s industrial centers. Further growth resulted from immigration from the countryside and from Ireland. Growth continued, and the Port of Liverpool was the center of 7 miles of docks by the early 1900s when 40% of the world’s trade passed through its docks.
After World War II, the Port of Liverpool’s importance deteriorated, reflecting the economic decline of both its industries and trade. During the War, the Port of Liverpool was a prime target of German bombing. At least 2500 people were killed and many buildings were destroyed.
Investment in the Port of Liverpool has been slow, and unemployment at the docks has further lessened its importance to England’s economy. Population in the Port of Liverpool peaked in 1931 when over 855 thousand people lived there. By 1961, it had just over 610 thousand residents and, by 2001, that number had decreased to almost 440 thousand.
Even so, the Port of Liverpool has much influence over the surrounding metropolitan area, and the transport, communication, distribution, and shipping industries are still important. One of Liverpool’s greatest claims to fame is its contribution to 20th Century pop culture and music, as the Beatles came from there.
Recently, the Port of Liverpool has experienced recovery and even faster growth than the rest of England. At the beginning of this Century, the Port of Liverpool was working hard on revival, and the European Union recognized it as a European Capital of Culture for the 2008 calendar year.
Port Commerce
The Port of Liverpool and Berkenhead Docks are managed by the Mersey Docks and Harbor Company. In 2007, Peel Holdings announced plans to redevelop the city’s northern docks. Where the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal were once fierce rivals, Peel Holdings combined them and called them Peels Port. Peels Port is England’s second largest port group today, handling over 40 million tons of cargo and 15 thousand ships every year.
By combining the deep-sea Port of Liverpool and general facilities at the Manchester Ship Canal, Peels Port now provides an all-water route for international trade. Today, the Port of Liverpool is England’s leader in container traffic with North America, and it serves over 100 non-EU ports worldwide.
It’s England’s main gateway for importing animal feed and grain and exporting recycled metal and freight. The Port of Liverpool contains 1200 acres of operating docks, handling timber and forest products and about 11 million tons of crude oil, 3 million tons of coal, and almost 1 million tons of edible fats and oils. Other goods through the port include granite, chemicals, metals, cocoa, granite, steel, copper, and aluminum.
Cruising and Travel
The Port of Liverpool is visited by almost 750 thousand people using Irish Sea ferry services. It also welcomes an increasing number of cruise ships and passengers, with growth from three sailings in 1992 to more than 30 in 2008.
In 2007, a new cruise terminal was opened, allowing the largest ships to call at Liverpool’s Pier Head, the World Heritage site. The new terminal is a short walk from the World Heritage city center. You can download a calendar of cruises calling on the Port of Liverpool.
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