THE ALBERT DOCK

The prestigious Albert Dock is Liverpool's main tourist attraction for a host of reasons.  It offers a unique blend of culture, cuisine, shopping and entertainment.  Engineer and architect Jesse Hartley designed the 1.25 million square feet complex which is the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in the UK.  Prince Albert officially opened the dock on 30th July 1846.

The Albert Dock accommodated the most advanced sailing vessels of that era, but unfortunately only thrived for around 50 years as it simply couldn't handle the quantity of larger iron and steel steamships.  As a result of this, only 7% of ships docking in Liverpool were sailing ships; and by 1920 there was practically no commercial shipping activity.  The Albert Dock finally closed in 1972 after decades of disuse.

A newly formed Albert Dock Company and the Merseyside Development Corporation signed an agreement in September 1983, enabling the regeneration of the Dock to begin.  The first phase was completed just in time for the arrival of the Tall Ships Race in 1984.  HRH Prince Charles officially re-opened the Albert Dock on 24th May 1988.

Photography by: http://www.colour-splash.com/

On average, about 4 million people visit the Albert Dock each year, visiting the Tate gallery, the Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, Bugworld Experience, Shiverpool Ghost Tours and the Yellow Duckmarine.

General admission is free and open 7 days a week (apart from 25/26 December),  as the complex is mainly undercover the weather shouldn't spoil your day, just make sure you are well wrapped up as it can get quite chilly even in spring/summer.  There are over 25 retail outlets, 2 hotels (Premier Inn and Express by Holiday Inn), plenty of cafes and restaurants to suit every budget and around 30 office units.

The Pier Master's house, the last of four (due to the May blitz of 1941), stands proudly as a reminder of days gone by and should not be overlooked when you come to visit Liverpool.  It is steeped in history and is now decked out like a house from World War 2 with anti-blast tape on the windows, head to toe beds, wartime rations in the kitchen and is now equipped with a vegetable garden, tended by the museum staff and volunteers.  Visitors can get lost in time looking around the rooms and get a sense of the melancholic ambience that must have prevailed in those years.