Royal Albert Dock Liverpool will celebrate its 180th anniversary this July with a programme of photography, dockside dining and community storytelling.
The landmark waterfront destination was officially opened by Prince Albert on 30 July 1846 and will mark the milestone with a series of events reflecting its history and place in Liverpool life.
Celebrations will begin on the evening of Thursday 30 July, when the façade of the Maritime Museum on the inner quay will be transformed into a giant open-air gallery.
A new Dock Short Lates projection will showcase images by acclaimed Liverpool photographer Mark McNulty, who has documented the city’s music, nightlife and cultural transformation since the 1980s.
McNulty has worked with Royal Albert Dock to curate a collection of his best photographs taken around the waterfront. The display will launch on the anniversary evening and continue throughout August, with projections running from 9.45pm until 11pm.
Gusto Albert Dock will also host a one-night-only dining experience on 30 July, with 180 spaces available to reflect the dock’s anniversary year.
The contemporary Italian restaurant has created a bespoke heritage menu inspired by the dock’s historic 19th-century trade routes. Dishes will include influences from the spices, citrus fruits and rums once brought to the Mersey waterfront aboard merchant vessels.
Following dinner, guests will be able to watch the photography projection from Gusto’s newly refurbished terrace.
Tickets for the 180 Dockside Dinner are available through the Gusto Albert Dock booking website. You book a table at Gusto’s celebratory dinner here.
The anniversary evening will also launch a wider community campaign inviting members of the public to share their own photographs and memories of Royal Albert Dock.
Organisers are looking for images from across the decades, ranging from family days out during the 1980s to recent photographs taken around the dock’s famous colonnades.
A total of 180 memories will be selected for inclusion in a permanent digital memory book. The chosen photographs will also appear in a specially created Dock Shorts projection during a grand finale event at the end of September.
Speaking on the anniversary plans, Sean Morrison, Estate Manager at Royal Albert Dock, said:
“The Royal Albert Dock is a magnificent piece of engineering, but what truly defines it is the generations of Liverpool people who have made it their own. For 180 years, these colonnades have been the backdrop to everything from casual first dates and family traditions to global cultural moments.
“We are thrilled to partner with a legendary local talent like Mark McNulty and our brilliant tenants like Gusto to celebrate our past, before we hand the storytelling over to the public ahead of our major finale in September.”
Norma Lyons, owner of Liverpool Pictures on the dock, commented:
“It is an absolute honour to be part of the dock’s incredible journey. It really is the jewel in Liverpool’s crown, and it just gets better and better. Over the years, the biggest shift we’ve seen is how international the dock has become. At the beginning, our footfall was mostly domestic, but the expansion of European flight routes and the legacy of Capital of Culture completely transformed us, bringing in visitors from all across Europe.
“The Dock always has something exciting happening, while keeping that peaceful ambience people fall in love with. Turning 180 is a historic milestone which we’re proud to be a part of”.
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