Papers & Articles

On several occasions recently I have seen the remarkable photograph taken in the summer of 1937 by the renowned Liverpool photographer E Chambre Hardman. It was the perfect shot as he looked down a side street in Dingle and across the Mersey to the Birkenhead shipyard where the aircraft carrier Ark Royal resplendent in its new coat of grey paint, was being prepared for its launch.

Each time I have seen the photograph I have been reminded of the launch which I was fortunate to watch whilst standing on the dock wall near the Pier Head. This was the first time I had been able to witness such an event and was spellbound as the huge vessel slipped slowly into the water to glide gracefully downstream as all the sirens of the ships in the port gave a deafening salutation to its baptism. Before long a bevy of fussy little tugs edged it carefully into the fitting out basin.

Alas after much sterling work by its aircraft this constant torment of the enemy was ultimately torpedoed in the Mediterranean.

It was only twelve months later as the clouds of war were building up that I stood in the same position and watched spellbound again as a much larger vessel the Mauretania took to the water. It was to spend its early life carrying troops before being able to join the "Queens" on the North Atlantic run.

In common with many Merseysiders I much regret that such events will never again be seen on the Mersey, only ship repairing remaining as a reminder of the great ship building tradition of the river.

Stuart Black

As the war clouds were gathering over Europe in the summer of ’39, the pride of the French navy, the battleships Strasbourg and Dunkerque paid a courtesy visit to Liverpool berthing in the Gladstone Dock.

At this time the battleship had not been replaced by the aircraft carrier as the supreme example of naval power, so it was not surprising to find that many people made their way to Seaforth to inspect these majestic vessels. Others were able to view them from the overhead railway.

After a few days in port they had to return to their base and I was fortunate to be able to watch them depart slowly through the Gladstone lock into the Mersey with crews lined up on deck and a band playing. A memorable sight indeed.

Sadly in early July 1940 much of the French fleet including these two magnificent ships was destroyed by the British navy whilst at its Algerian base of Mers-el-Kebir ("great harbour" in Arabic).

The British government was forced into this most distasteful action fearing the French Admiral Darlan with known collaborationist leanings might allow his navy to fall into German hands and imperil our already fragile lifeline across the Atlantic.

Stuart Black

True Patriotism

It was in late ’43 or early ’44 that a Hudson aircraft of the RAF, operating on behalf of SOE, landed at a secret rendezvous in France. Unfortunately it became bogged down as it turned ready for take-off requiring a team of horses to free it.

This involved a much longer stay on the ground than the few minutes considered advisable in order to put down up to 10 agents and pick up others who had completed their missions or were on the run from the Gestapo. Following a worrying time for the passengers knowing that the enemy might have detected them, the aircraft returned to base without further incident.

At this time flying with one of the squadrons was a Squadron Leader Navigator of very aristocratic appearance and believed to be from a very influential French family. He was most certainly above normal aircrew age.

The following day the story went round the base that this officer had been seen underneath the aircraft scraping French mud from the tail wheel.

The following diary was loaned to the society by the late Donald Goldsmith.

In the transcription we have attempted to follow as closely as possible the wording and grammar of the author.

OLD ORMSKIRK

Memories of sixty to seventy years ago (Written in 1942)

By John Tyrer

A descriptive picture of its streets, etc.

It will not be uninteresting to those whose lot has been cast to reside in or around Ormskirk, or to have received their births in this ancient town if we survey the various changes which have taken place. This period dates before the advent of the bus and motor services.

It would be well if we cast our minds back to the appearance of the centre of the town at that time. Standing at the market cross, on the spot where the clock tower now is, there stood an obelisk, with its large lamp at the top of the post, and its circular drinking fountain constantly in use for the services of man and beast, in those days their where a few dairies in the town and in the late afternoon the cows where brought from the fields where they had been grazing and sometimes halted for a drink at the fountain. We must remember that there was not the traffic in the streets that there is today.

The writer can remember one of the butchers in the town who went to Liverpool to purchase his cattle and sheep-usually on a Monday-taking with him his well trained sheepdog, he would drive his cattle and sheep through the busiest parts of Liverpool and then leave the dog in charge to bring the cattle and sheep to Ormskirk, he himself travelling by train, would meet the drove when they were near home.

In the year 1876 the obelisk was removed to the corner of Chapel Street    (the site of the Beaconsfield Statue) where it was allowed to remain until the year 1884 when it was again removed to afford space for the statue as above stated; afterwards it was given a position within the enclosure of shrubs within the railings in front of the present Drill Hall.

Let us now return to the centre of town and view the changes which have taken place in Aughton Street

Aughton Street

Viewing the eastern side the first of the business premises was a drapers shop which was occupied by Mr. J. Robinson, and was entered by proceeding up three or four steps, the window being a small bay with squares of glass about 15”x12” Mr. James Mawdsley  was the occupier of the next shop he being the grand father of the present tenant.

Next there was the Fleece Hotel, the owner being Mr. J Bradshaw who kept a number of horses and vehicles and catered for weddings and funerals. There also was Slaters watch and clock maker An ironmonger owned by a person named Mr.Edgar who catered for the farming community came next. After this there was a fish shop which at one time was owned by Mr.Iddon father of Mr. James Iddon of Scarisbrick Street, in front of this shop stood the old fish-stones, where dealers in fish attended on market days to dispose of their commodities. The “White Bull” public house was the next dwelling, then came the earthenware establishment of Mr. Lee the father of the present proprietor a small wares shop owned by Mr. Burrows came next then Mr. Williams the tailor who I think afterwards removed across the street and where the post office now stands were the premises of a vetinary surgeon named Brown. After this there was Glovers Cabinet making business on the premises now occupied by Miss Caves confectioners the proprietor also did an extensive business in the manufacturing of brooms. Up the yard next to this shop there lived a man named Berkely who controlled a large poultry and pigeon business. He had a pony and trap with which he scoured the countryside in his pursuit of poultry etc...After came the tailors shop of Mr. Thomas Swift who I believe specialized in the making of corsets. A little further down the street was Miss Winrows shop where materials for cobblers were supplied such as nails and rivets as well as tools etc.Next we come to the Boys School which had been newly built this would be sixty-eight or sixty-nine years ago. The boys at this time had transferred from the Charity School in Derby Street the Girls and Infants staying in the Derby Street School. There were next two or three cottages which were used as small shops for the sale of sweets etc...There next was a court where lived a butcher named Birchall who traded in cattle. We now come to a few more dwelling houses which were entered by the usual stone steps, the tenants of some having small businesses such as shoe making and repair work etc.We now come to Troqueer Buildings which in these days is the headquarters of the Parliamentary Labour Party. We now come to the business premises of the famous nurseryman Mr. Brown whose grounds extended for some distance behind the premises, some cottage property next came in view which has long since been demolished. It was near this part of the street where there stood the Public House styled “Black Horse” and not far away a Beerhouse called “St Patrick” which was between the “Black Horse” and the “Queens Hotel” which is still there, behind this hotel is a brewery which has been out of use for a long while. There were four cottages just past the “Queens Hotel” and a dwelling house with an off license for the sale of beers. We now come to a yard which was the entrance to a rope walk which was owned by the ancestors of the late Mr. John Ball of the Iron founders in Church Street. We then pass two or three workman’s dwelling houses and then came the”Forresters Arms”, this beerhouse stood in the centre of a row of houses which reached to the entrance to Treacle Row. having crossed the bottom of Treacle Row we come to Peter Rawsthornes beerhouse and a few cottages which reached to the corner of Dyers Lane and to the brook or boundary of Ormskirk., and I may say that just beyond the brook at the point which divides the two roads into Aughton Liverpool Road and Prescot Road there stood the brewery of Mr. Parker

We will now retrace our steps to the Market Cross and view Aughton Street on the other side commencing from the corner of Church Street. At the corner there was the Post Office which was run in connection with the grocery business of Mr. R Wignall a large teapot hanging over the shop door. I believe that this site had previously been occupied by the “George and Dragon” public house. Williams’s tailors shop came next; this was by Lamberts ironmongery business. This business was followed up by the late Mr.J.J.Balmforth who I believe was a nephew of Mr.Lambert.We now come to Garside’s shop which was controlled by the late Mr.Garsides father. From about this part of the western side of Aughton Street there has been considerable alterations and improvements. The Talbot Hotel was only a small yellow washed Inn which was entered by two or three stone steps, by which you went down into the house. Then came Chisnalls drapery premises, then John Peets small ware and general shop. I think the “Black Bull” beerhouse was located near to this point and a butcher’s shop close by. Next there was a yard in which there lived a man who went by the name of “Mug George” from the fact that he sold crockery and chalk moulds. At the time he kept one or two donkeys for business. We now come to the “Star Vaults beerhouse. About here were one or two lodging houses and a painter and paper hangers shop close by, with the “Navvies Home” beerhouse in the vicinity. There was also a public house not far away from the beerhouse before reaching the end of Derbyshire’s yard. This yard had a beerhouse on each side, and then there were one or two small shops. Near these premises was an opening leading to the Unitarian Chapel the minister being The Rev J.Fogg, he was a sociable old gentleman with a deep sense of humor who used to indulge in the writing of original humorous paragraphs for the local newspaper, at this point it will not be uninteresting if I give a copy of a poem he wrote over seventy years ago

Paddy’s farewell to Ormskirk.

Oh fare thee well old Ormskirk

To leave thee my heart dear doth ache well

from Carrig-Furgus to Cape Clear

we never see thy equal.

For though to foreign parts were bound

Where cannibals may eat us

We’ll ne’er forget the holy ground

Of gingerbread and potatoes

Oh fare the well thou old Moss Mill

Whose prospects take my fancy

Oh fare thee well thou Devils Wall

Where oft I’ve walked with Nancy

Oh fare thee well thou fine old church

With thy tower and pointed steeple

Thy merry bells do oft-times ring

To plague the Ormskirk people

Oh fare thee well thou water tower

Whose water makes me frisky

Though not when take by itself

But when it’s mixed with whiskey

Oh fare thee well old Bath Wood

And ever flowing fountains

Oh fare thee well thou Ladies Walk

And Cockolorum Mountain

When good St.Patrick banished frogs

And shook thee from his garment

He little thought he’d go abroad

To live upon such rich varmint.

And leave the place where potatoes grow

To wear the victors buttons

With vinegar for mountain dew

And toads for mountain mutton

We have already passed what is now called Park Road which did not exist at the time of which I am writing. But if I mistake not Old Mrs.Melia’s fish shop was somewhere in this vicinity, this old lady was the mother of the Rev.J.Melia a Roman Catholic priest, she had two sons James and Pat. these are all deceased. There was also a tinsmiths shop near owned by a Mr. Davenport who also sold lamps and paraffin oil. We now pick up the thread after reaching the Unitarian Chapel entrance. We now come to two or three small shops when there appears another beerhouse “Robin Hood”. There was next a few small houses with cottagers living behind who were mostly Irish labourers’ and these gained access to there homes through narrow passages or courts, after these there was the “Bulls Head”Public house.

 We now come to the Ormskirk Gas Works, a few cottages are now seen and two beerhouses which were kept by Anthony Lunt and Abraham Whittle these were passed before reaching the “Greyhound Hotel”. We now come to the leather shop owned by Mr. Bond, a few more cottages followed then came the barn by the brook. This was used for threshing corn by hand. I have seen men working and swinging the flail round to knock out the corn; this was a long piece of wood which formed the handle and a shorter piece attached to one end worked as if on a swivel in that it would move about in any direction quite loosely. This brings us now to the end of the street which contained of as many public houses and beerhouses that exist in the whole of Ormskirk at this time 1942.

One might be tempted to ask the reason of so many drinking places in these olden days; I would suggest that seeing that beer was the national beverage less than 300 years before this time and that tea and coffee had only just been imported into this country-the price being beyond the dreams of the labouring classes, until eventually the prices came down so that it was possible for the workers to obtain a little. Not many years before my lifetime the price of tea amounted to about seven or eight shillings a pound. There were no tea rooms or restaurants in those days in a town like this, with a population of not more than 5000 people. Families then had beer to their meals hence there were so many places to obtain it, but as the price and popularity of tea came reasonable the consumption of beer consequently decreased.

To be continued

We will now traverse Moor Street proceeding along the north side .At the corner was Owen’s Tinker’s Shop and in passing let one say that the shops about this part of town had bay windows with small squares of glass, they also had their workshops underneath the shop whilst the shop doors were in two halves - top and bottom. We now come to the "Kings Arms Hotel". This was nothing like the Kings Arms Hotel as we see it in these days, but was a building with a plastered or pebbledashed front and five or six steps which reached half way across the parapet. Across the yard leading to the back of the premises were two or three shops with cellars underneath similar to those already described, with the small bay windows and doors in two halves-top and bottom. If   my memory serves me rightly one of these was a clogger’s shop there was also an ironmonger’s shop, for a time the Post Office was at the corner. Round the corner was Market Row which had some shops which were more modern, one of these was a barbers shop, another was a greengrocers, besides one or two others. Having passed Market Row there was a pawn shop at the corner which had a butchers shop next door occupied by Mr. T. Sharrock. There was also a baby linen shop next to the butchers shop, but I think this was only opened when the next tenant came to the butchers shop. After this came a seed shop owned by the father of Mr. A Clucas, the seedsman who now has premises where once stood the "Black Bear Hotel" higher up the street .There was also a music warehouse and near this part was a public house called the Legs-o Man. There does not seem to have been much change in a few shops about here except it be that  the class of business has been changed until we pass Rimmers pork butchering establishment ,where the next was a beerhouse called the "Old Boat". After this was a clothing shop in the possession of an old famous military gentleman Sergeant Nunnerly who had seen service in the Crimean war. Up the entry by this shop there was a Blacksmiths smithy owned by Mr. Ormesher who also had a small shop at the bottom of the entry with the usual four or five steps and small bay window. At the other side of the entry was a similar shop, with the stone steps ,but this was in the possession of Mr. John Prescott and was a grocers shop, this gentleman specialised in eccles cakes. This brings us to the well known "PescottsYard" which led to the back of his premises. Having crossed the bottom of this yard there was the pork shop of Mr.Pimblett, who was noted for his famous black puddings. There then came the" Black Bear Hotel". There was next a watchmakers shop in the possession of Mr. Cammack whose business was afterwards removed to the opposite side of the street. We now come to the shop with railings around the front, a provender shop, which was owned by Mr. George Anderton, father of the late Dr. Anderton who was medical officer for the union. The came" The Golden Lion Hotel". This Hotel has seen many changes since those early days, not only in its structural improvements, but in the limitation of access to the interior of the premises due chiefly to the closer vigilance of modern authorities. This brings us to the end of Railway Road which was formerly called "Coffin Row" of which a survey will be made later. We will now proceed to the end of Moor Street which terminates at the junction of Stanley Street and Knowsley Road. Having crossed over the railway bridge we are brought up to an old shop which was in the possession of the late Mr. Thomas Holbert, a pork butcher and cattle dealer, adjoining this are one or two dwelling houses, at the end of these being a larger dwelling with pebble dashed front, this was formerly a dairy and was kept by the late Mr. John Taylor of horse jumping fame. We now come to Catteralls beerhouse. It was upon this site that the Working Men’s Institute and was built and was opened in the year 1868. We next reach the premises of a stone mason and contractor Mr. Whittle an ancestor of Councilor Jos Whittle of this town. Adjoining the stone yard was the" Flag and Ribbon" a beerhouse with two or three cottages to the rear. Passing the beerhouse were two or three thatched cottages, at one lived old women who claimed to have the original recipes for the making of Ormskirk Gingerbreads, another tenant was an old chimney sweep named Dauber. At the end of the street was the toffee shop belonging to Mr.R. Nalcot who was a broker of the luscious confections.

We will now cross the road and return wending our way to the cross again. The first building we see is an old barn, this is at the corner in part of the yard of Mr. George Peet the joiner whose house and workshop are nearby. There was then an opening which led to the back of a few cottages. One of these was tenanted by an old woman who sold toffee and parched peas. There was also close a painters premises carried on by a Mr.Fyles. Then there was a big house, the front of which being in Chapel Street, this was the home of Dr Lax. We now cross the end of Chapel Lane, or Chapel Street, at the corner was the "Bridge Inn" beerhouse, then the offices of a West Lancashire Carrying Co. At this point there was an opening which led to a public bake house and was owned by a person named Singleton who daily baked bread for the public at a nominal charge per loaf. We next come to an office which adjoined Mr. Joseph Ormesher’s grocer’s shop, this gentleman being the father of the present owners. Journeying over the railway bridge we find a tobacconists shop which was also the General Post Office at that time. Then these premises  were demolished for the construction of the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank, a robbery was committed during the building operations and a workman was taken to the Police Station in Derby Street, but made his escape by  cutting his way out with an iron from his clog and who I believe was never recaptured. About this time the watchmakers shop was opened, Mr. Cammack leaving the shop across the road to take possession of this. The "Queens Head Hotel" comes next with its stone steps in front. An interesting character of these days was the man who looked after the yard and stables of the hostelry. He could be seen regularly in the streets with a goose following close upon his heels as if it were a dog. Having gone a little further we come to the "Anchor Inn" with its spacious piggery at the back of the premises. In front of this Inn the pig market was held every Thursday. There was a barber’s shop next door. This portion of the street now is Moorgate end. In those olden days there was an alley which led to old John Ormeshers smithy where nails and sparrow-bills were made for the use cobblers. There was also a bakehouse in this neighborhood. At the entrance to this alley was Mr. Bottomley’s drapery establishment with the basket shop next door and owned by Mr.Thos Roughley. We now come to an entry leading to the workshops of Mr.Roughley and Mr. Henry Bentham (the father of Mrs. May Bentham). There were a number of cottages up this court inhabited mostly by the Irish fraternity. Mr. John Banks the jeweller had the next shop with Mr. Martlews adjoining. You next come to a yard where a little distance up this yard was a saddler’s shop, and on walking past the end of this yard there could be seen Mr. Williams the saddler at work. We now come to the "Ship Inn" which was formerly kept by old Thomas .Mercer. This is the site on which Abbletts boot and she shop now stands. After leaving this part of Moor Street there has been little change in the appearance of the shops except it be that the windows have been altered especially is this the case of the premises of Adams Stores, this was formerly the shop of Mr.R. Collinson draper which was next to Mr. Gilbert another similar shop, whose window displays were chiefly curtains and materials of that decription. We next come to the grocery and provision stores of Mr. Brown (a descendant of the Brown family resident at the time of which I am writing). There next was a cabinet makers business conducted by the father of the late Mr. John Woods who was for many years at the Advertiser office. A boot and shoe shop was next door, this business was carried on by Mr. E. Ormesher .The workshops’ belonging to these two businesses was up the entry between the shops. The large private dwelling house of Mr. John Robinson brings us to the corner of Moor Street and Aughton Street.

On an overcast drizzly day in October 1932, as a wolf cub about to move up to the Scouts, I was fortunate to be able to attend the official opening of the Lathom Park Scout Camp,as it was then known, the ceremoney to be performed by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, accompanied by other Dignitaries. A special train picking up at other stations en route took us to Burscough Junction,where on alighting,we were soon marshalled into parade order for the march to the camping ground and were lead by a Bagpipe band. A low mist and occasional drizzle obscured the countyside making it less interesting for us,but at that age we did not worry that much about the weather, and after all, it was a day out for us and a completely new experience for some of the group.

I do not recall much of the ceremony as we younger and smaller ones were not near to the centre of the action.  I recall that the site was extremely muddy.

We were allowed to explore the grounds which had been made 'campable' by Rover Scouts who had devoted long hours of their leisure time to this project. I recall that the Quarry,accesible at ground level realy attracted us as we had never seen such a scar onthe landscape, it was full of water at the time and was later used as a swimming pool by the hardier and more proficient swimmers. The two wooden buildings already errected were the all important Latrines and the 'Providor', the latter to supply the needs of campers who had misjudged their dietary requirements for this energetic experience. The 'Providor was run by a Mr Mahood (an Ormskirk name).

Thinking back,this venture was quite remarkeable when one realises that the idea evolved at the time of the great depression,the early thirties. However, thanks to the generosity of local businesses and local benefactors,not forgetting the contributions of those in the movement in the form of weekly 'subs', the ground was purchased at the time when elements of the Lathom Estate were coming under the hammer.

At the present time when history is 'in', it is hard to believe that nothing was revealed to us about the history of the estate, the landowners dating back to the 12th century from the de Lathoms the Stanleys and the Bootle Wilbrahams and the role of Lathom in the Civil War. It could be that our leaders knew little as it never appeared on the History Syllabus of even local schools. Some may have heard of the brave Countess of Derby succesfully defying the Parliamentery troops during the siege, this event may have overshadowed the all important lives of the Stanleys and the influence of Lathom as the 'Powerhouse of the North'.

I camped there during the Easter weekends of 1937 and 1937 on our groups reserved site alongside the River Tawd which supplied our washing needs. Since the second World War it has continued as an outlet for boys within the Liverpool boundary and groups from further afield. Jamborees have been staged there as have the more adventurous activities which are part of modern day scouting. It is considerred to be one of the ideal locations in the country.

The above article was contributed by Mr Stewart Black a long time member of Ormskirk Historical Society. Readers may wish to add their own recollections of the early days at Tawd Vale

As a boy growing up in the thirties, in common with many of my generation, I had a great interest in railways and in particular the locomotives. Living at the north end of Liverpool we never saw the very famous locomotives that hauled the expresses from Lime Street station, the largest ever seen in our district were the L. & Y. red 4-6-0s and the newly introduced ubiquitous "Black Fives".

 However, there was one day that was different, really special, Grand National Day, a Friday then, when all the local schools were closed because of traffic hazards. This gave us the opportunity to see the numerous specials hauled by locomotives from other regions, all arriving at the three Aintree stations.

 There was the Cheshire Lines station (now completely gone), where the five platforms were fully used for one day a year. The special attraction to us was the arrival about one o’clock of the Pullman Special from Kings Cross hauled by a Flying Scotsman type of engine.

 Even busier was the Aintree L.M.S. using its four platforms to accommodate lengthened electric trains arriving every five minutes or so, steam hauled trains from every direction and even the three coach Overhead Railway units from the docks. Lastly there was the race day only platform taking trains from the north and east.

 Knowing where to position ourselves we were able to view the larger engines running off towards Southport or Burscough to turn round for the return journey. The local turntable was unable to take these famous "names". Great days for us, not to be repeated for long after WW2 as coaches and private cars replaced much of the rail traffic. It is surprising to many people these days that the railway companies were always able to run special trains as and when the need arose, often at short notice.

In the late summer I decided to have a day out visiting the new Roman Frontier Gallery in Carlisle's Tullie House Museum.

This was set up following the very succesful Millenium excavation near to the Museum and the Castle,thousands of aretefacts being unearthed, only a smaal fraction of which can be displayed at anyone time.

Probably the most significant and indeed the smallest find has pride of place near to the entrance, it is a small wooden stylus strip with the letters BRITANIA possibly part of the address on a letter, it could be the first known use of that name in writing.

A large item which attracts attention is an eight man ridge tent of the type used when on the move to other camps. It is made up of small goat skin panels, some of which were found during the dig. Being lightweight it was easier to transport.

The priceless exhibit is a fearsome - looking parade helmet, on loan from Holland and similar to that found not long ago at Crosby Garrett and sold recently to a private collector for £2.3 million. This, with the 'lobster plate' articulated armour unearthed ,would serve to impress the local population on ceremonial occasions.

Carlisle was the only place in the north permitted to appoint it's own council (cervitas); it is known that goods from all over the Roman world were on sale there. It is also one of the few places in Britain of which the Roman name is known for certain- Lugavulium Cavetiorum.

The gallery has rightly received much acclamation and is well wort a visit as are the other galleries in this excellent museum.

Written by Stuart Black October 2011

Recently I was fortunate to be able to reserve a place on a guided visit to Liverpool's Old Dock of 1715. This had been excavated under the direction of Mr Jamie Quatermaine of Oxford Archaeology North.

Meeting at the Maritime Museum, a ten minute walk took the group to Liverpool one, where a modern entrance, stairway and stairlift leads to the viewing gallery, here two well-trained guides gave the background to its construction and  it's raison d'etre ie to enable vessels to unload and load at any stage of the tide very quickly instead of the two weeks often required whilst beached at the muddy inlet 'The Pool'.  A further advantage was that a dock would afford shelter from the Mersey's strong tides and frequent North Westerly winds.

From the gallery we looked down to the Dock's sandstone bed ( the same rock that underlies Liverpool), and the twenty foot wall of locally produced bricks rising up from it. Nearby are the large coping stones that gave a solid edge to the Quayside. For these times it was a remarkable feat of civil engineering.

It was quite exciting to see these features which had not been seen since 1811 when the Dock was filled in, no longer able to cope with the increasing size of ships and the volume of trade that the newer docks, built on land reclaimed from the river, were fostering. 

In 1826 the site was used for the magnificent domed customs house, cotroversionally demolished in 1947 after suffering some war damage.

The Old Dock, a tidal dock, was the first of it's type in  the country and can be said to be a great tribute to the entreprenurial merchants who conceived and financed it. The masonry that we saw could rightly be called the foundation stones of the port, which grew rapidly,to become one of the most famous ports in the world

Stewart Black October 2011.