The iconic waterfront of Liverpool is home to a set of impressive brick warehouses that were once at the heart of world trade. For good or ill, it cemented this city's maritime status and its role in the British Empire.
The Royal Albert Dock is now Liverpool's most visited attraction, and its collection of museums, shops, restaurants, and bars is a popular destination for tourists from around the world.
One of the reasons the Albert Dock is so popular is its striking red-brick construction and timeless warehouse aesthetic. In this post, we're going to look at its history and construction, as well as what makes it such an inspirational and impressive brick building.
Need inspiration?A LOT of bricks
The Albert Dock opened in 1846 after construction that cost the equivalent of £41 million today. With 40% of global trade passing through Liverpool's docks by the beginning of the 19th century, we imagine it was a sound investment.
Ships would make use of hydraulic cranes and haul heavy cargo across the flagstones of the quayside. The design of the warehouses was such that the speed with which they could unload their cargo and turn around was cut in half.
The warehouse complex, which comprises five warehouse blocks surrounding a dock, originally provided 120,000 m2 of warehouse space and was built from more than 23 million bricks. That's a lot - but not as many as the 27 million bricks used to build the lesser-known Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse down the river (which is actually the world's largest brick warehouse).
Although in the century following the Albert Dock's construction, many warehouses would be built with brick, on completion, it was the first of its kind in the world.
And that brings us to why they used the building material that we all know and love...
The warehouse complex, which comprises five warehouse blocks was built from more than 23 million bricks
A new kind of warehouse
The building materials chosen to build the Albert Dock were brick, cast iron, granite, and sandstone.
Brick was used, rather than timber, as the primary building material because it was more fireproof. With the sheer amount of valuable cargo passing through these warehouses, they needed to make sure it wasn't going to go up in flames.
As a result, it was the world's first non-combustible warehouse complex. Of course, there are other materials involved, the most prominent of which is the cast iron columns which line the quay.
There are also the granite foundations, the sandstone bedrock and the use of timber piles driven into the silty sand of the Mersey bank - a vital component to keep the whole structure in place.
A bumpy journey
Eventually the ships got too big for the dock and started using newer, bigger docks further along the river, meaning it had less use.
During World War II, the dock space was suddenly in demand when it was used to house small warships, submarines, landing crafts and more.
However, this did lead to it becoming a target and it suffered heavy damage from German bombs during the blitz.
Post war it was awarded Grade I-listed status and is now the largest single collection of Grade I-listed buildings in the UK. Unfortunately, this status wasn't enough for it to avoid abandonment after years of not being in use.
Heavy silting occurred in the dock itself and all went silent when it was closed in 1972, until...
New beginnings
In the 80's a redevelopment project began to regenerate Liverpool's waterfront and docks.
The opening of the Merseyside Maritime Museum in 1986, chronicling the city's maritime history, was the beginning of a huge upturn for the docks.
More museums would move into the old warehouse buildings over the years, including the Tate Liverpool gallery, the International Slavery Museum and The Beatles Story.
It's now full of restaurants, shops and bars and is the most visited multi-use tourist attraction in the UK, outside of London.
In 2018 it was given the royal seal of approval (hence the new name!) and it was once listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It's so Insta-worthy!
So why is it so popular? Well, other than being full of great tourist attractions, we reckon it's because it's marvellous to look at. And a lot of that is down to the bricks.
The mix of red brick, red cast iron pillars and water full of boats is an Instagram dream. The picturesque location is the subject of many a post online.
The relatively simple brick construction could be seen as monotonous and uninspiring but thanks to a number of subtle-but-powerful features it manages to stay interesting.
These include: the cornerstones at the end of each wing, the arches on the quay side that go from one pillar to the next, hooks, rigging attachments and other nautical features, and the old wall mounted cranes from the cargo hauling days.
All this gives it its unique character.
The warehouse aesthetic
The Royal Albert Dock's restaurants and living quarters provide a lot of inspiration for décor of all kinds.
The old warehouse aesthetic has grown in popularity over the last couple of decades. Lots of businesses occupy renovated warehouse spaces with exposed brick walls, and they are also a popular apartment style in big cities.
Indeed, there are apartments available in the Royal Albert Dock. But you don't have to go looking for a fancy apartment in a big city to get this aesthetic.
Even if you don't live in an old warehouse-style building, you can apply the exposed brick warehouse look in your home.
We're here for you
If you're inspired by the Georgian townhouse style but can't decide which bricks to use, our free Brick Selection service could be just what you need; if you want to use bricks that blend seamlessly with the rest of your home, our Brick Matching service could be right up your street; or if you'd prefer to browse bricks for yourself, we have more than 3,800 products to choose from in our Brick Library!
Our expert Brick Advisors are standing by to help you figure out how many bricks you need for your project, then source them and find you the best price - we'll even arrange delivery too!
