Around the world The Mersey Docklands are famous for their history, however some people may wonder where their names actually come from.
The Pier Head, Royal Albert Dock and Stanley Dock conservation area were part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site from 2004, before Liverpool was stripped of the status in July last year. It previously placed the docks in the same company as The Great Wall of China and The Taj Mahal when it comes to world-famous attractions.
However, there are more than just three docklands, in fact there are 43 named in total. They take their titles from sources such as royalty, famous battles, earls, dukes and barons but also from local MPs, dignitaries and even factories.
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Some of the docks have also graced the literary works of some of the most acclaimed writers to have ever lived. Moby Dick author, Herman Melville, wrote in his novel Redburn, His First Voyage in 1849: “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."
A good place to start is The Old Dock, formerly The Thomas Steers Dock – the world’s first commercial wet dock which opened in 1709. Thomas Steer is thought to have been born in 1672 in Kent and died in 1750. He was England’s first major civil engineer.
The foundation stone of Liverpool’s maritime history, The Old Dock was discovered during excavations in 2001 after being buried since 1826. It has been carefully preserved under the Liverpool ONE complex and for the first time in centuries the bed of the Pool – the creek that gave Liverpool its name – can be seen.
From The Old Dock to the last dock opened in Seaforth in 1972, their names act as historical marking points to nearly 300 years of British history. Two of the most famous battles in British history are recognised with Trafalgar Dock opened in 1836, and Waterloo which opened in 1834.
In Nelson and Wellington Docks we have the two famous military commanders, Lord Horatio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, who led the English forces to victory in those conflicts. The lesser-known Baron Cuthbert Collingwood, who was an admiral of the Royal Navy and notable partner to Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, gives his name to the Collingwood Dock in Vauxhall.
Perhaps Liverpool’s most well-known dock, the Royal Albert Dock, takes its name from Albert, Prince Consort and husband of Queen Victoria who officially opened it in 1846. Prince Albert’s ancestral name, Saxe-Coburg, is immortalised in Coburg Dock which was renamed in the prince’s honour in 1840.
Queen Victoria is honoured with Victoria Dock, however, it was given its name in 1836 to acknowledge the 15-year-old Princess Victoria, the heir apparent to William IV. Victoria would go on to become queen the following year in 1837. William IV, also has his legacy noted with Clarence Dock (opened in 1830) after his previous title William, Duke of Clarence which he had before his coronation in the same year.
Princes Dock, opened in 1821, was named after another who would be king, the Prince Regent who went on to become George IV. George IV remains one of English history’s most maligned and satirised royal figures, noted in The Times newspaper as a man who would always prefer "a girl and a bottle to politics and a sermon".
Some of the docks, however, are named after close ties to the industries and communities that are fundamental to Liverpool’s identity. Salthouse Dock, opened in 1753, was originally known as the South Dock but later the name changed due to them being situated near to John Blackburne’s Saltworks.
Another more provincial title was given to the Herculaneum Dock (opened 1866) – Liverpool’s most southern dock – named after the Herculaneum Pottery Company that had previously occupied the site. The South Ferry Basin (opened 1823) was known locally as the Cocklehole after the poor cockle fishers and oystercatchers who would moor their boats there for repair.
The area between the Tobacco and South Warehouses on Stanley Dock was known by Dockers as “Pneumonia Alley” because it was almost always in shade and acted as a wind tunnel.
It could be argued that the nicknames given to the docks by locals and dock workers are as much a part of their connection to Scousers as their official titles. A comprehensive list of the docks, dates, and where their names came from can be found below.
| Name of dock | Year opened | Sequence | Named after |
| Seaforth Dock | 1971 | North01 | Location of Seaforth, Old Norse sæ-fjord, meaning "sea inlet" |
| Gladstone Dock | 1927 | N02 | Robert Gladstone, a merchant from Liverpool |
| Hornby Dock | 1884 | N03 | Thomas Dyson Hornby, Chairman of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board |
| Alexandra Dock | 1881 | N04 | Queen Alexandra of Denmark |
| Langton Dock | 1881 | N05 | William Langton, former Chairman of the Bank of Liverpool |
| Brocklebank Dock | 1862 | N06 | Ralph Brocklebank, Chairman of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board |
| Carrier Dock | 1862 | N07 | Intended use by river goods carriers |
| Canada Dock | 1859 | N08 | Canada Dock dealt in timber with the main source of the trade from Canada |
| Huskisson Dock | 1852 | N09 | Former MP and Treasurer of the Navy, William Huskisson. |
| Sandon Dock | 1851 | N10 | Lord Sandon, who became the Earl of Harrowby |
| Sandon Half Tide Dock | 1851 | N11 | Lord Sandon, who became the Earl of Harrowby |
| Wellington Dock | 1851 | N12 | The Duke of Wellington |
| Bramley-Moore Dock | 1848 | N13 | John Bramley-Moore, Chairman of the dock committee |
| Nelson Dock | 1848 | N14 | Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson |
| Salisbury Dock | 1848 | N15 | Likely the 2nd Marquess of Salisbury |
| Collingwood Dock | 1848 | N16 | Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood |
| Stanley Dock | 1848 | N17 | The Earl of Derby whom previously owned the land |
| Clarence Dock | 1830 | N18 | William, Duke of Clarence, who became William IV |
| Trafalgar Dock | 1836 | N19 | The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) |
| Victoria Dock | 1836 | N20 | Princess Victoria who became Queen Victoria |
| West Waterloo Dock | 1834 | N21 | The Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) |
| East Waterloo Dock | 1834 | N22 | The Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) |
| Prince's Half-Tide Dock | 1810 | N23 | The Prince Regent who became George IV |
| Prince's Dock | 1821 | N24 | The Prince Regent who became George IV |
| George's Basin | 1771 | South01 | King George III |
| George's Dock | 1771 | S02 | King George III |
| Manchester Dock | 1785 | S03 | Took cargo via the Mersey and canals to the Manchester region. |
| Canning Dock | 1737 | S04 | Liverpool MP George Canning |
| Old Dock | 1715 | S05 | Originally the Thomas Steers' Dock |
| Canning Half Tide Dock | 1737 | S06 | Liverpool MP George Canning |
| Albert Dock | 1846 | S07 | Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria |
| Salthouse Dock | 1753 | S08 | John Blackburne's saltworks |
| Duke's Dock | 1773 | S09 | Duke of Bridgewater |
| King's Dock | 1785 | S10 | King George III |
| Wapping Dock | 1852 | S11 | Named after the road it runs alongside |
| Queen's Dock | 1785 | S12 | Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III |
| Coburg Dock | 1840 | S13 | In honour of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| South Ferry Basin | 1823 | S14 | Ferry service to New Ferry on the Wirral Peninsula |
| Brunswick Half Tide Dock | 1832 | S15 | New Brunswick province on the east coast of Canada |
| Brunswick Dock | 1832 | S16 | New Brunswick province on the east coast of Canada |
| Toxteth Dock | 1888 | S17 | Location which was built on the ancient township of Toxteth Park |
| Harrington Dock | 1844 | S18 | District of Harrington, which was named in honour of the daughter of the 2nd Earl of Harrington |
| Herculaneum Dock | 1866 | S19 | Herculaneum Pottery Company that had previously occupied the site |
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