Garston Docks

The Port of Garston, also known as Garston Docks is a group of docks on the River Mersey at Garston, Liverpool, England. A small dock was first built at Garston in south Liverpool in 1793 for Blackburne’s saltworks, which had moved out from the centre of Liverpool because it needed more space. Garston Dock was originally set up by the St Helen’s Canal & Railway Company in June 1853 when it extended its railway line to Garston. The idea was to get a place on the River Mersey to load and unload coal. The docks covered six acres (24,000 sq metres) and 250 tons of coal could be loaded in 2½ hours, which was quicker than at any of the other docks in the area.

The London & North Western Railway Company (LNWR) leased part of the St Helen’s Railway in 1860 and took over the St Helens Canal & Railway Company four years later. In 1870 a new railway line to Wigan was opened which meant that the Wigan coalfields were now linked with Garston Dock. This led to North Dock being opened at Garston in 1875 and other improvements by LNWR meant that Garston Dock took almost half of the coal trade coming into Liverpool.

The dock was also attracting other goods such as grain because of the better rates available from the railways and the docks at Garston.

Today, Garston is a major shipping and container port, and amongst the many Mersey docks is second only to Seaforth Dock.

Unloading pit props from a ship at the London, Midland & Scottish Railway's Garston docks, 1936. Pit props imported from Scandinavia and Canada were used as supports in coal mines. These props, transported in LMS railway wagons, were probably used in the collieries of Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Dimitrios N. Bogiazides is " bringing a cargo of timber from Archangel to Garston" (Ultramarine Pg. 72), Hugh goes to Garston to board S.S. Philoctetes; "and when that day he had presented himself at the Marine Superintendent's office in Garston-Garston because Hugh's aunt moved from London north to Oswaldwistle." (Under The Volcano) Pg. 157.

Timber being unloaded at Garston North Dock, Merseyside, 1926. Garston docks were owned by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway. The company shipped between 1 and 2 million tonnes of coal every year, and imported a variety of goods including fruit, minerals, iron and timber. The railways really helped with the expansion of docks, because goods could be transported to docks more quickly and in larger quantities.

Cranes at Garston Stalbridge Dock, Merseyside, 1926. Garston docks were owned by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway. They shipped between 1 and 2 million tonnes of coal every year, and imported a variety of goods including fruit, minerals, iron and timber.


Photographs courtesy of National Railway Museum