National Museums Liverpool unearth Liverpool’s dockland history

Historic material has been uncovered during the National Museums Liverpool construction work at Canning Dock.

The Material dates back more than 200 years, from the time of George III and the Industrial Revolution.

National Museums Liverpool’s archaeologists have collected fragments of pottery discovered by workers digging small test pits around Canning Dock. The items found include pieces of porcelain, potentially brought to Liverpool from Staffordshire for export, and locally-made tiles and pottery, which represent the history of the site and its global connections.

Liverpool’s waterfront is largely reclaimed land with The Strand marking the original shoreline of the River Mersey. After the overwhelming success of the first dock, now known as the Old Dock, which opened in 1715, demand grew to expand the city’s maritime economy. From the 1750s onwards the large infrastructure of docks, for which Liverpool became well known globally, was built out into the river. Centuries later, this process of land reclamation makes for fascinating archaeological discoveries.

Liz Stewart, Head of Museum of Liverpool, said:

“Construction work around the historic waterfront always piques the interest of archaeologists because we know there’s a chance it will uncover interesting material. The redevelopment of Canning Quaysides and Dry Docks is not only about protecting the heritage of the site but also better understanding the layers of its history, so it is very exciting to see what has been hidden in the ground for all these years and consider what stories they tell us.”

Today, the most common of the locally-made finds in Canning Quaysides is fragments of sugar moulds. This pottery was used in the processing of the raw sugar into sugar loaves which were ready for sale. The slave-produced sugar, processed in Liverpool, was imported from plantations in the Americas and the Caribbean. This type of find can be linked to known sites and people in Liverpool’s history – such as Jonas Bold, after whom Bold Street is named – a merchant, slave trader and sugar baker nearby on The Strand. Bold also invested in a factory making the sugar moulds.

As part of Canning Quaysides and Dry Docks’ redevelopment, community stakeholders and historians have been key to researching and interpreting the history of the site, as well as developing plans for its future. The stories being revealed through the research and the archaeological finds will form part of new interpretation at the site when it reopens.

Join the International Slavery Museum’s second Call and Response event in a series which explores key aspects of the history of racial slavery. The event includes a free opportunity to explore the Old Dock and a guided tour of key sites around Liverpool’s waterfront, including Museum of Liverpool’s Great Port gallery, with lunch provided.

Find out more on the National Museums Liverpool website.

Find out more of Liverpool’s incredible history here.

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