The Mersey Docks & Harbour Board was created in 1858, becoming a limited company in 1972. There followed a programme of investment in the facilities to be completed and the building of a new dock and terminals at Seaforth, Liverpool and Birkenhead. The carriage of goods in containers changed the way cargo was carried and the type and design of ships using ports around the world. By 2000 new facilities were being developed for the grain and timber trades. The scrap-metal trade took over man...

In 1873 a company was formed to construct the first railway across Canada. It soon branched out into shipping, chartering ships from the Cunard Line for service between Vancouver, Yokohama, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In 1889 Canadian Pacific would be awarded the mail contract for the service across the Pacific and, by 1903, they would purchase Elder Dempster & Company and begin sailing from Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal.They obtained control of the Atlantic, rail a...

The first tugs were built at the beginning of the nineteenth century as a result of the development of enclosed docks and the increase in size and power of sea-going vessels. Tugs were needed to assist ships to their berths and to navigate larger vessels into narrow waterways and tight docking areas. Tugs can tow or push vessels and need to be highly manoeuvrable and powerful. It is thought that the first tugboat was the Charlotte Dundas, which was powered by a Watt engine and was employed...

The Holland America Line was founded in 1873 and operated a fleet of passenger and cargo vessels from the Netherlands to the east and west coasts of America. The company later acquired the stock of the Europa-Canada Line and in 1964 became involved with the Swedish America Line, Axel Johnson and Wallenius Rederiana to form the Atlantic Container Line. In 1988 the company was purchased by the Carnival Cruise Line and the name was retained, continuing the history of this line. The company cu...

Before the development of canals, railways or metalled roads, the quickest and most effective means of transporting goods from one point to another in Britain was by the use of coastal shipping, shallow-draught boats travelling between the ports of the British Isles. With the development and improvement of the canals, railways and especially the road network, however, coastal shipping in the UK has decreased dramatically. In this book, maritime author Ian Collard takes a look at the histor...

Overshadowing the port of Chester, Liverpool grew in size from the 1800s on sugar and slavery. Expanding over the following two centuries, the port has grown to take over part of the other side of the Mersey, with docks at Birkenhead, Ellesmere Port and Wallasey, as well as along the coast from Liverpool. Ian Collard brings together a superb selection of images of shipping on the river from the 1860s to the present day, looking at how the ports on either side of the river have developed an...

In this book, Ian Collard uses his collection of rare and previously unpublished images to tell the story of the Irish sea ports located on the River Mersey and River Dee. The history of these ports stretches back hundreds of years. The Mersey Docks & Harbour Board took control in 1858, and a variety of boards and groups have controlled various elements along both the Mersey and Dee ever since. Illustrated profusely throughout, this book tells the fascinating history of these hubs of busin...

From its humble thirteenth-century origins, Liverpool grew rapidly to become the greatest port in the British Empire outside London, but by 1980 the city was seemingly in terminal decline: its population had more than halved, its infrastructure and economy were decaying, and its political leaders were leading the city towards complete collapse. Today though, Liverpool is experiencing a renaissance; it has one of the fastest-growing economies in Britain, it has been a European Capital of Cu...

A Mersey ferry was recorded in the Domesday Book, and for around a thousand years, they have plied between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the Wirral and Liverpool. The sail and man-powered craft gave way to steam ferries in 1815. In this book, Ian Collard tells the story of the Mersey ferries, concentrating on the steam and diesel powered eras from 1815 to the present day and including such famous ferries as Iris and Daffodil, which were involved in the Zeebrugge Raid of 1918. The Mersey ferri...

Wallasey History Tour offers a fascinating glimpse into the past of this town on the Wirral Peninsula. Local author Ian Collard guides readers around its streets and buildings, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they have changed across the centuries, as well as exploring some of its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. This pocket-sized guide reveals how the town has altered and highlights the way of life for past generations. With the help of a handy location map, r...

Birkenhead From Old Photographs offers a captivating glimpse into the history of Birkenhead, providing the reader with a visual representation of the town's intriguing and chequered history. Drawing upon an eclectic collection of over 200 photographs, Ian Collard presents the reader with an insight into Birkenhead's past and present life. Although views of thriving High Streets, vanished buildings and well-known houses are included, the emphasis throughout is on the people who were born, o...

The major company in the short-sea passenger and freight business in 2020 is the Swedish Stena Line, who operate services to Europe, Scandinavia and Ireland from United Kingdom ports. The company was founded in 1962 by Sten A. Olsson in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was one of the first ferry operators in Europe to introduce a computer-based reservation system. In the 1980s, Stena took over three other ferry companies and their ships. Various other acquisitions followed, including the Harwich to...