Albert Dock was designed by Liverpool dock engineer Jesse Hartley, who suggested an enclosed dock and warehouse system in 1839. Despite opposition from some people the Act allowing the building of Albert Dock was passed by Parliament in 1841. The dock was officially opened by Prince Albert on 30 July 1846.
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 The royal yacht entering Albert Dock, Liverpool |
A quote from Picton’s Memorials of Liverpool gives us an idea of what that day was like:
'The sight here was of a character to be long remembered. The quays around the dock and warehouses above were lined with people….whilst from every window, roof and point where they could be displayed, there floated to the wind banners, flags and streamers of every colour and device'.
Picton was not as impressed with the dock itself however, saying that it was 'a hideous pile of naked brickwork'.
What did it replace?
This new type of dock would mean that goods could be unloaded from ships on the quayside and taken straight to the warehouse. This would speed up the turn around time for ships by as much as two weeks. Albert Dock was the first enclosed, fireproof dock warehouse system in the world and the first structure in Britain to be built entirely of cast iron, brick and stone.
It replaced privately owned warehousing in Liverpool which was often a fire risk because of wooden floors and the use of oil lamps for lighting.
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| A fire at Back Goree warehouse, Liverpool | It was also built to stop the theft of goods from open quays and the high walls surrounding the new dock warehouses combined with policeman’s lodges at every entrance to give greater security. The dock meant that cargoes could be unloaded quickly by cranes, put onto the dock quay, sorted and weighed and then sent to their final destination or put into storage at the dock.
The dock had ‘bonded’ storage which meant that imported goods did not have to pay customs duties while in store. | 
