Alexandra Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England, and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Bootle. Alexandra Dock consists of a main basin nearest the river wall and three branch docks to the east, with the southern branch mostly filled in.
Alexandra Dock | |
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Location | |
Location | Bootle, Merseyside, United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 53°26′51″N 3°00′43″W / 53.4474°N 3.0120°W |
OS grid | SJ328849 |
Details | |
Owner | Peel Holdings |
Operator | Mersey Docks and Harbour Company |
Opened | 1881 |
Type | Wet dock |
Joins | |
Area | 44 acres (18 ha)[1] |
Transport links |
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The dock was built by George Fosbery Lyster between 1874 and 1882.[1] During its construction, the dock was known as Atlantic Dock for about a year.[2] Opened in 1881 and named in honour of Queen Alexandra,[2] the dock has three branch docks and is connected to Hornby Dock to the north and Langton Dock to the south.[3] Initially, access was through Langton Dock and the problematic Canada Basin.[2]
Prior to the construction of Seaforth Dock, Alexandra Dock was involved in the grain trade.[4] The grain silos had a 110,000 ton capacity, with floor space for a further 20,000 tons.[2] The dock also had refrigeration facilities, which were provided by Union Cold Storage,[4] for imported frozen meat. When built, the cold store was the largest in Europe with a capacity of 2,668,000 cu ft (75,500 m3).[2] The facility was built at the end of No. 3 Branch Dock, and allowed direct transfer to ships in No. 2 Branch Dock.[2]
The dock was served by LNWR Alexandra Dock railway station and the Liverpool Overhead Railway's Alexandra Dock (LOR) railway station.
Latterly, its main export is recycled scrap metal.[5]