All About Liverpool’s North Docks: Then and Now
Anyone who has ever been to Liverpool will no doubt have spent at least some time at the Albert Docks.
The area of the city on the waterfront is perhaps the most obvious place to visit, thanks in no small part to the likes of The Beatles Museum, the Tate Gallery and the fact that it used to be where the This Morning studios were located, complete with the floating map of the United Kingdom in the middle.
What a lot of people might not realise is that the North Docks also used to be an important part of the city and one day may be again.
What the North Docks Were in the Past
Between 1830 and 1929, the North Docks were an important part of Liverpool’s dock network, housing the Tobacco Warehouse, amongst other things. It was also where any new arrivals from Ireland came through, arriving into the city after making the relatively short trip by boat from the Emerald Isle.
As a result, a strong Irish community was founded there, with both Irish clubs and pubs opening, as well as countless Irish businesses thriving in the North Docks area. For a community not necessarily welcome elsewhere, it was an important location.
The North Docks Goods Railway Station served the area, situated between Blackstone Street and Walter Street before expanding beyond those areas. It was the terminus of the North Docks branch of railway, which connected onto the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board network, having two high-level coal branches at both Bramley-Moore and Wellington Docks.
There was a 20-ton crane installed at the site by 1894, indicating just how important it had become to the Liverpool Docks in general, welcoming about 250 wagonloads of Irish livestock a day.
What it Will be in the Future
As Liverpool’s docks became less and less important on a global scale, the North Docks fell the way of the others on the waterfront. Much like the Albert Docks underwent regeneration to become what we know of today, so too are the North Docks undergoing a similar transformation.
The Liverpool Waters project promises to make the area a ‘world-class destination’ for the likes of sport, leisure and tourism, with Everton’s new stadium sitting at the heart of that. It is also aimed at people hoping to get fit via the likes of running or cycling, as well as paddle boarding and swimming.
Recently at Liverpool Waters.
Sunny afternoons are what we live for in the colder months, especially around Princes Dock.
Experience the vibe for yourself ↓ pic.twitter.com/2zMZU2Exy6
— Liverpool Waters (@Lpool_Waters) February 7, 2025
It isn’t the only thing planned for the area, however. In the September of 2022 it was revealed that a large public park, called ‘Central Park‘ by the owners of the land, would make up a large part of the area. Liverpool Waters will create five neighbourhoods, with the Central Docks being the largest and incorporating the North Docks area.
The only real question is how long it will take for the North Docks to be redeveloped as Peel, the owners, are hoping. So far there hasn’t been as much movement as hoped, but that is likely to change.
