After being officially opened by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert back in 1846, the stunning Liverpool Albert Dock has been granted a royal title. The Grade I listed site will become known as the Royal Albert Dock to mark its role in the city’s maritime history.
Gaining its new status, The Albert Dock was designed by architect and dock engineer Jesse Hartley and was given a Grade I listing back in 1952, but was abandoned 20 years later. The location has gone from being and industrial site to one of Liverpool’s top tourist attractions over the years.
With 2021 set to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the dock’s opening by Prince Albert, gaining the Royal status marks exciting times ahead in the dock’s history. The Royal status is going to play an important role in the heritage tourism our magnificent city has to offer, also recalibrating the dock on the international stage.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “It is fantastic for Albert Dock to be recognised in this way. The new Royal status is a vote of confidence in an attraction that has become an iconic representation of not just Liverpool city centre’s recent renaissance but the continuing success of the Liverpool City Region as a whole.”
The special event was held on 6th June at the TATE Liverpool, where The High Sheriff of Merseyside, Peter Woods Esq DL, handed over official notice of Royal status. The prestigious recognition seen guests such as Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram and Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, cllr Gary Millar present.
The dock will be known as Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, with there already being a Royal Albert Dock named in London.
