Egerton Dock
Encyclopedia
Egerton Dock, is a dock
at Birkenhead
, Wirral Peninsula
, England
. Named after Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton
who laid the foundation stone in October 1844, the dock was completed in 1847. This was just prior to a suspension of the dock scheme, due to a financial crisis affecting the Birkenhead Dock Company.
The dock was originally accessible to shipping from the Great Float
and via the Morpeth Dock
entrance from the River Mersey
. Both these passages have since been filled in, making both docks effectively landlocked
.
Egerton Bridge is situated between Egerton Dock and Morpeth Dock and is a working example of a bascule bridge
. It was built between 1928 and 1931, replacing an earlier swing bridge
. The bridge and the machine house were completely restored in 1993 and opened to the public in 1995.
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
at Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Named after Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton
Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton
Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, 10th Baronet FRS was an English palaeontologist and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1830 and 1881....
who laid the foundation stone in October 1844, the dock was completed in 1847. This was just prior to a suspension of the dock scheme, due to a financial crisis affecting the Birkenhead Dock Company.
The dock was originally accessible to shipping from the Great Float
Great Float
The Great Float, is a body of water on the Wirral Peninsula, England formed from the natural tidal inlet, the Wallasey Pool. It is split into two large docks, East Float and West Float, both part of the Birkenhead Docks complex. The docks run approximately inland from the River Mersey, dividing...
and via the Morpeth Dock
Morpeth Dock
Morpeth Dock is a dock at Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. Built between 1844 and 1847, it also consisted of a smaller branch dock to the east...
entrance from the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
. Both these passages have since been filled in, making both docks effectively landlocked
Landlocked
A landlocked country is a country entirely enclosed by land, or whose only coastlines lie on closed seas. There are 48 landlocked countries in the world, including partially recognized states...
.
Egerton Bridge is situated between Egerton Dock and Morpeth Dock and is a working example of a bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
. It was built between 1928 and 1931, replacing an earlier swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
. The bridge and the machine house were completely restored in 1993 and opened to the public in 1995.