Liverpool, Ferries and Ferry Crossings

Welcome to the Liverpool (UK) section of FerryCrossings.org, the site for information about major UK and continental ports and the ferries between them. Our site includes an introduction to a number of ports and feature pages about the various crossing ways, lanes and routes and companies operating between them to help you plan your journey and discover interesting travel destinations along the way. You can even compare prices and save money on your ferry tickets with ads from selected major booking sites and ferry lines.

Port of Liverpool and Mersey Docks

Liverpool doesn't have a long and aunthenticated history reaching back into the far mists of time. It doesn't even get a mention in the Domesday Book of 1086, although nearby hamlets, now part of Urban Liverpool, are mentioned. The first known reference to Liverpool is from 1207 when King John needed a convenient port, independent of Chester's baronial influence and interference, from which to send troops to Ireland. The tiny hamlet of Liverpool was selected and received Letters Patent in 1207 enabling it to gain the status of borough. King John actively encouraged the settlement of newcomers by having the new town laid out along seven newly planned roads and offering tax concessions as an inducement. The new port had been born. When Civil War gripped the country, in the mid 1600s, Liverpool found itself the scene of armed conflict. Parliamentarian forces took the town in 1643, setting up defensive gun emplacements and fortifications. In 1644 the town fell into Prince Rupert's monarchist hands but it was re-taken by Parliamentarians only months later. In 1651 there was a Royalist attempt to take the town by attacking from the sea but it failed and the town remained in Parliamentarian hands. In the 17th century Liverpool benefited as Chester's River Dee silted up and access to the waterfront became increasingly difficult. At this time Liverpool was still a small port, habitation being mainly along the original seven streets, and with a population of around 1500. However, a ship named the 'Antelope', financed by a Liverpool consortium of businessmen, returned from a trip to Barbados, in 1667, with a cargo of sugar. Liverpool's part in transatlantic trade had been kick-started. The port's growth in trade was accompanied by a corresponding growth in the town's population and in the next 40 years it grew fourfold, to 6000. Liverpool traders had, however, become part of the infamous slave trade, the first known ship involved being the 'Liverpool Merchant' in 1699. In 1715 a new, enclosed dock, the first of several, was created. Less than one hundred years later, in 1801 the population of Liverpool had reached over 77000 and Liverpool was responsible for 80% of the British slave trade and almost half of the European slave trade. The triangle of commodities included manufactured goods to Africa; slaves from Africa to the Americas; sugar, cotton and rum back to Liverpool. Liverpool's MP at this time was William Roscoe and he was instrumental in the successful abolition of the infamous trade in 1807.

Through the years of the 19th century Liverpool continued to grow and prosper, becoming the second most important port in Britain, importing raw cotton, food and other raw materials and exporting manufactured goods and coal. At the same time passenger ships from the Mersey Docks transported their passengers, many of them emigrants, to all corners of the world. The consequent demand for labour on the docks ensured that Liverpool became the most densely populated and overcrowded town in Britain, with a mortality rate to match. Many Irish immigrants, fleeing from starvation and deprivation in their own country, landed in Liverpool, stayed and swelled the desperate numbers of poverty stricken labourers. It was the mid 19th century before serious measures were demanded, and started to be put in place, to combat the massive social problems of poor sanitation, health and welfare.

In 1903 construction work on the on the Anglican Cathedral began. It would take 70 years to complete but is now one of Liverpool's proudest claims to fame. It is one of the world's largest cathedrals, being larger than St Paul's in London. In 1933 construction of an even larger, Catholic cathedral was started but when plans foundered only the crypt had been completed. However, the modern and controversial Catholic Cathedral, that we know today, was completed in 1967. During the late 19th and early 20th century the city opened the prestigious buildings, for example the Liver Building and the Cunard Building, the Lever Art Gallery, the concert hall and library with which we are familiar today.

In the Second World War Liverpool suffered badly from German bombing raids, second only, in severity, to London but despite this the port remained functional keeping supply lifelines open. In many ways the present port of Liverpool is a mere shadow of the past energetic city of the 18th and 19th centuries. Much of the shipping trade had left the city for the container docks of other ports, the passengers liners had gone, and the Liverpool docks were left without a purpose. Liverpool struggled to maintain momentum as her fortunes declined. The decades that followed the Second World War were probably the lowest point for Liverpool with social unrest, high unemployment and low expectations. However, Liverpool might have been hit hard but the city was determined to fight to regain the respect and prosperity it had once enjoyed.

The city determined not only to preserve and acclaim its heritage but move into the 21st century with a new and vigorous outlook. The once abandoned docks have become the centre of a cultural revival with galleries, museums, shops, bars, restaurants and, of course, visiting boats and ships of all sizes and ages. The port sees visits from the Tall Ships, stately sailing ships of a by-gone age, restored or replica ships like the Grand Turk and many others. In the city centre is the World Museum Liverpool with galleries housing exhbitions on world-wide cultures, Liverpool as an international port, natural history and a new aquarium. Not far from the museum is the Walker Art Gallery exhibiting art and sculpture from the Middle Ages to the present. Down on the Docks the Albert Dock is home to the prestigious Tale Liverpool Art Gallery and nearby is the Merseyside Maritime Museum, whose collections reflect Liverpool's maritime importance throughout the ages. Not many people are unaware that four of Liverpool's famous sons were the 'Beatles' and, also at the Albert Dock, you'll find a museum dedicated to the 'Liverpool Sound', the 'Merseybeat' and their own rise to fame and worldwide influence.

Liverpool's efforts and determination were rewarded when the city was awarded the status of European Capital of Culture for 2008 which resulted in much re-development, improvement and innovative schemes being carried out. Liverpool's waterfront, with its many listed buildings, has been a World Heritage Site for several years, reflecting the city's status as an important commercial port at the time of Britain's greatest world importance. The city also opened a new shopping Mall, Liverpool One, which makes the city one of the main shopping centres for the region. Here you'll find shops of every description selling merchandise to suit every tase and pocket. When you need some respite from the retail experience there is a leisure terrace, with views down to the waterfront, and restaurants and bars where you can find great food and drinks. Of course, alongside all this, we shouldn't forget that Liverpool still functions as a busy port, and it is from here that you will find ferries carrying passengers and vehicles to Dublin, Belfast and the Isle of Man.