George’s Dock

Construction of the dock began in 1762, and was known as North Dock prior to completion. The dock, which opened in 1771, was designed and built by Henry Berry and named after the reigning monarch, King George III. The dock basin originally covered an area of slightly more than 3 acres (1.2 ha).The Goree Warehouses were built to the east of the dock in 1793, and severely damaged during a fire in 1802 which caused over ?320,000 of damage. The dock was rebuilt and expanded between 1822-5, after losing its American and Caribbean shipping to Prince’s Dock, being expanded by John Foster, Sr..[citation needed] Following the rebuild and expansion, the dock was mainly used by schooners carrying perishable goods. The adjoining George’s Basin was filled in 1874.In 1899-1900 the dock was filled in to create what is now the Pier Head, to provide one central place for Liverpool Docks’ offices, which before were scattered across different sites. A section of the original George’s Dock wall is still visible in the basement of the Cunard Building which stands on the site.The Goree Warehouses, which had been named after a slave market in West Africa, were destroyed by bombing during World War II.By March 2009, work was completed on a ?22 million extension of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on the site of the former basin. The canal extension provides a further 1.4 miles of navigable waterway.