Vittoria Dock is a

dock The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engl ...

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

Wirral Peninsula The Wirral Peninsula (), known locally as the Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide, and is bounded by the Dee Estuary to the west, the Mersey Estuary to the east, and Liverpo ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It was built between 1904 and 1908, from land reclaimed during the construction of the

Great Float The Great Float is a body of water on the Wirral Peninsula, England, formed from the natural tidal inlet, the Wallasey Pool. It is split into two large Dock (maritime), docks, East Float and West Float, both part of the Birkenhead Docks complex ...

History

The dock was designed by Anthony George Lyster. Construction began in 1905, from the land reclaimed during the construction of the

. During its construction on 6 March 1909, a temporary

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

collapsed, killing 14 navvies. This incident is now referred to as the Birkenhead Dock Disaster. The dock was opened in 1909, having warehouses on either side.

The name ''Vittoria''

The dock is named after the

Battle of Vittoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813), a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British, Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese and Spanish Empire, Spanish army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Wellington bro ...

, fought on 21 June 1813. An alternative view is that Vittoria Dock has derived its name as a tribute to the first ship to

circumnavigate Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magellan Exped ...

the globe, Magellan's ''Vittoria''. However, Magellan's ship was named after the church of ''Santa María de la Victoria de Triana'', therefore, this Vittoria naming may be questioned. Vittoria Dock is sometimes incorrectly quoted as 'Victoria Dock', thought in reference to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. However, the wharf was originally known as Victoria, and the plans of 1843 include a Victoria Dock on the site. Although, when acquired by the Liverpool Corporation, the site may have been renamed to avoid confusion with Victoria Dock.

In use

Between 1937 and 1941, HMS ''Conway'', a training ship, was based here. Between the 1920s and 1970s, the Vittoria Wharf terminal was operated by Clan Line Steamers Ltd. The southern quayside was operated by Blue Funnel Line Ltd., which loaded two or three ships each week, destined for the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. The Brocklebank Line, Houston Line and the Scottish Shire Line also used the dock. The dock was extended west in 1960, and fell into disuse as container shipping came into use. When the Warship Preservation Trust closed in February 2006, most of its exhibits, which included the HMS ''Plymouth'' and wooden-hulled

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

HMS ''Bronington'', were later moved to Vittoria Dock for safe storage.

Future

The dock is included in

Peel Group The Peel Group is a British infrastructure and property investment business, based in Greater Manchester, Manchester. In 2022, its Peel Land and Property estate extends to of buildings, and over of land and water. Peel retains minority stakes ...

's £4.5bn

Wirral Waters Wirral Waters is a large scale £4.5bn development currently being built by the Peel Group for Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is the sister programme of the Liverpool Waters project. Since 2012 the two projects have enjoyed ...

redevelopment. The Baseline Study of July 2008 has been endorsed by Wirral Borough Council. In February 2009 the initial stage of the planning application for the first major

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

masterplan/quarter was submitted. The development would be expected to take up to 30 years.

Gallery

Image:Benkid77 Ships, Birkenhead docks 090809.JPG, Various ships berthed at Vittoria Dock. Image:Crane Gantry, Vittoria Dock, Birkenhead (geograph 2961431).jpg, The Robert Smith Steel loading gantry. Image:HMS Plymouth, Vittoria Dock, Birkenhead (geograph 2961430).jpg, laid up at Vittoria Wharf.

History

The name ''Vittoria''

In use

Future

Gallery

References

Sources

External links