ess094 dock road
everysinglestreet

#everysinglestreet [01/04/21] The last of the roads off the dock road

Graham Holland    

I’d originally planned to finish all the roads off Regent Road (the dock road) and Derby Road in two parts, but I’d not done a long run for a while so decided to finish them all in one go.

I started off along Commercial Road. Along one side there’s a strip of green that used to have railway lines running along it. The disused tunnels under Stanley Road can still be seen. There’s also an abandoned signal box, a sign of how many more railway lines there used to be in this area.

Talking of Stanley Road, I used this run to grab two roads I missed on my Christmas Day run.

There’s an old sign on the side of The Knowsley pub which looks like it’s been painted over a couple of times because the original Tetley brewery letters are showing through.

When you cross over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal you enter dockland with its industrial businesses, re-purposed warehouses, and new build premises. Here and there you can see glimpses into the past. A bricked-up doorway has a metal brace above it with ‘IRVIN AND SELLERS’. This company still exists as IJK Timber based in Belfast. Just round the corner Forge Street is unexpectedly lined with trees.

I found time during my run to appear at Woodstock.

The striking curved building between Regent Road and Derby Road is the Tate and Lyle sugar silo. It’s made from concrete, was built in the 1950s and is Grade II listed. Originally there was a conveyer belt that took the sugar from the docks, across the road, and into the top of a tower next to the silo. The sugar would then be fed into a train system that ran along the length of the silo and would be released through grates so it showered down to the silo floor.

S Norton is a scrap metal company with lorries lined up outside waiting their turn to get in and deposit their loads. The company used to have a site at the bottom of Upper Parliament Street and had the company name painted on the wall. As you drove from Wapping you could see it ahead of you on the left. Unfortunately due to the structure of the wall and the way it was painted the ’S’ wasn’t visible until you got closer, making the sign read ‘NORTON FOR CRAP’.

One red bricked building has an old sign ‘ENGINE WORKS’ which is only really visible from an angle.

Back in the 1960s the dock road would have been bustling with dockers. The Liverpool Overhead Railway would have been busy, as would the numerous pubs along its length. Most of the pubs have been demolished or converted. Bankfield Enterprise Hub used to be the Dominion pub. On the roof is a statue of a 19th century frontiersman, holding an axe and with his loyal dog by his side. He’s looking out over Canada Dock which was the main hub of the city’s trade with North America.

The dock road wouldn’t be the dock road without at least one cafe where you can buy a full English breakfast! All hail to Lou’s Cafe and Cookie’s Cafe!

By Wellington Dock there’s a section of wall that’s been built with larger bricks for increased strength. There’s also the remains of some structure on top which has since been demolished. As soon as I saw it I thought “railway”! When I checked on the 1946 map I could see I was indeed correct. This was where a branch of the LMSR (London, Midland and Scottish Railway) crossed Regent Road to reach Bramley-Moore Dock. And in case you were wondering, it went over the Overhead Railway! The start of the branch is still visible on Sandhills Lane on the opposite side of the Merseyrail line from Sandhills station.

Bramley-Moore Dock is the location of Everton Football Club’s planned new 52,000 seater stadium to replace Goodison Park. This project is seen as crucial for the future redevelopment of the surrounding area.

Stats

  • Thursday 1st April 2021
  • 36 streets
    Half Crown Street, Luton Street, Bankfield Street, Bankhall Lane, Beaumaris Street, Bentinick Street, Birchall Street, Blackstone Street, Clyde Street, Costain Street, Denbigh Street, Dunes Way, Eleanor Street, Ensor Street, Ask Street, Falstaff Street, Forge Street, Forth Street, Foster Street, Fulton Street, Grundy Street, Haddock Street, Juniper Street, Miskelly Street, Miston Street, Portia Street, Regent Road, Sandhills Lane, Sandon Way, Shadwell Street, Studholme Street, Swindon Close, Swindon Street, Tyle Street, Derby Road, Great Howard Street
  • Total: 3,086 (54.47%)
  • Remaining: 2,580

Photos on Facebook

All of the photos from this run are in a publically viewable Facebook album.

To view them click here.

Twitter

Strava

Follow me on Strava

Similar Posts