Extensive repairs have begun at Liverpool's historic Albert Dock after years of winter storms and surging tides caused cracks and holes to appear in the sea wall.
Some 18 holes and 14 metres of significant cracks were found in the 180-year-old wall by the Canal and River Trust during its latest annual inspection.
Labourers from Kier construction group, commissioned by the Trust, moved onto the river side of the Tate Modern art gallery this morning (October 19) for a complex eight week maintenance programme spanning 350m.
READ MORE: The rebirth of the Albert Dock
The £288k project, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, involves the installation of new granite blocks, and the removal of debris and old grouting, which will be replaced with new weather-resistant mortar. Some 14m of significant cracks, identified with a drone survey, will be filled in.
Part of the pedestrian walkway will be re-surfaced, coping stone will be re-aligned, and new protective fenders will be attached to the Canning Half Tide Dock entrance.
Workers face challenging conditions as they must race against the clock each day, with only a four hour working window between low tide and high tide in which they must abseil over the dock wall and carry out the necessary repairs.
A special form of quick-drying lime mortar, approved by heritage specialists, is being used to prevent it being washed away when the tide comes back in.
Curtis Udogu, project manager, said: “This is one of the most difficult engineering maintenance jobs I have ever worked on. 6m 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. This part of the docks is a popular pedestrian walkway, so that meant we couldn’t close off the site, erect scaffolding or install large cranes. We have managed to think of a smart way around the constraints and be more flexible about how we deliver the project, so people can still go about their daily business.”
Albert Dock, opened by Prince Albert in 1846, is one of the iconic sights of Liverpool’s famous waterfront.
In 2021, it became one of the first inland marinas in England to be awarded a Blue Flag in recognition of its clean, safe waters.
Bill Froggatt, a heritage adviser from the Canal and River Trust, said: “The docks in Liverpool and internationally important, Liverpool being the location of the first wet dock for purely trading purposes, but one of the most celebrated docks is the Royal Albert Dock, built in the 1840s by Jesse Hartley.
"It was specifically designed to speed up the frequency of ships, so they could unload quickly and the cargo be put into the warehouses around the dock.
"If we had been stood here 200 years ago, we'd be standing in the river. All the docks were reclaimed from the Rivery Mersey and the wall we're repairing now was built as part of the Albert structure, and it essentially protects the docks from the River Mersey.
"The tide comes in every day, constantly battering the stonework, and if all is not maintained constantly that wall would collapse and we would lose these lovely warehouses."
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