Liverpool’s Albert Dock sea wall undergoes vital repairs
Liverpool’s historic Albert Dock sea wall will be more resilient to winter storms and River Mersey tidal surges in future, thanks to a £288,000 repair project.
The waterways and wellbeing charity Canal & River Trust, which cares for the city’s South Docks’ water space and dock structures, is currently working on a complex eight-week maintenance programme along 350 metres of the dock wall, on the river side of the Tate Modern art gallery.
The project involves fitting new matching granite blocks into 18 holes in the 180-year-old wall, as well as clearing off debris and old grouting, and replacing it with new weather-resistant mortar. A drone survey has also identified 14 metres of significant cracks, and these will be repointed, part of the pedestrian walkway will be re-surfaced, coping stones re-aligned, and new protective fenders attached to the Canning Half Tide Dock entrance.
Sorting Norton Grey granite blocks
Twice daily tides and exposed weather conditions have made working conditions very challenging for the contractors on the job. With only a four-hour working window between low tide and high tide, workers have to abseil over the dock wall, with new materials lowered down to them by a temporary winch and basket. A special form of quick-drying lime mortar, approved by heritage specialists, is being used to prevent it from being washed away when the tide comes back in.
“This is one of the most difficult engineering maintenance jobs I have ever worked on,” says Canal & River Trust project manager Curtis Udogu. “Six metre high tides mean that twice a day, the swirling waves of the river rise up to within a metre of the pedestrian footpath, before dropping dramatically away and exposing the mud flats. It is an incredibly exposed site, and sometimes gale force winds make it too dangerous to work. Access has also been a challenge.
Albert Dock, opened by Prince Albert in 1846, is one of the iconic sights of Liverpool’s famous waterfront. Its pioneering bonded warehouses were the brainchild of radical Liverpool dock engineer Jesse Hartley who, in the early 1880s, created a new dock basin for foreign sailing ships to enable the rapid off-loading of valuable cargoes like brandy, tea, cotton, silk, tobacco, sugar and jute.
Project manager Curtis Udogu
Last year Albert Dock and Salthouse Dock became the first inland marinas in England to be awarded the international Blue Flag quality mark status – a recognition of clean, safe water, offering the highest environmental standards for visitors.
The Canal & River Trust is currently setting a national standard for the water points, refuse sites and other boater facilities that it provides across the waterways network.
Phase one of the public consultation will take place until 21 November 2022. Boaters are invited to participate by completing the online consultation survey.
