Historic Liverpool: 33 fantastic photos of Liverpool’s iconic ships and docks throughout history

Liverpool’s iconic docks have a rich and long history, with its first ever commercial wet dock opening in 1715, known as Thomas Steer’s Dock or the Old Dock. Over the next two centuries, more than 50 docks were built across Liverpool, stretching from Seaforth to Dingle.

Possibly Liverpool’s most famous dock, the Albert Dock, opened in 1845, covering around seven and a half acres. The first dock to be designed with warehouses, the Albert Dock allowed valuable cargo to be stored and then transported to the Salthouse Dock.

However, by the 1860s, the dock began to decline and by 1920 there were almost no commercial ships sailing into the dock. It was eventually abandoned in the 1970s.

The regeneration of the Albert Dock began in the early 1980s and after extensive repairs, it was officially reopened in 1988 by the Prince of Wales. Now, filled with museums, shops and cafes, it is one of Liverpool’s most popular tourist destinations and is truly iconic to our city.

Here at LiverpoolWorld, we have put together a gallery of Liverpool’s iconic docks and ships throughout history, dating all the way back to the 1800s.