71-466: The Pier Head (properly, George's Pier Head ) is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool , England. It was part of the former Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site , which was inscribed in 2004, but revoked in 2021. As well as a collection of landmark buildings, recreational open space, and a number of memorials, the Pier Head was (and for some traffic still is)
142-578: A cantilevered footway providing an alternative crossing to a ferry. In 1905 the now demolished Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge opened and took cars and passengers via a cable car. The Silver Jubilee Bridge , completed in 1961, is immediately adjacent. East of Warrington, the M6 motorway crosses the river and the Manchester Ship Canal on the Thelwall Viaduct . When the viaduct opened in 1963, it
213-644: A tidal bore from Hale as far upstream as Warrington. On 7 December 2022, the Liverpool City Region mayor announced cooperation between the City Region and K-water of South Korea , who built and operates the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station , in order to construct a similar operation on the River Mersey. The river gave its name to Merseybeat , developed by bands from Liverpool, notably
284-542: A boundary' and ēa , 'a river'. The Mersey was possibly the 'border river' between Mercia and Northumbria . Its Welsh name is Afon Merswy . Prior to Anglo-Saxon conquest of the region, the river was almost certainly known by a Celtic name - recorded by Ptolemy as "Seteia" (as the Southern border of the Brittonic " Setantii " tribe). "Seteia" and "Setantii" both lack clear Celtic roots, leading some to suggest that this
355-828: A number of memorials; Clockwise from the north are:- There are several recent additions to the memorials at the Pier Head. In 2013, memorials were unveiled to the Second World War convoy escort group commander Captain Johnnie Walker and to the RMS Lancastria . The Chinese Merchant Seamen's Memorial, remembering the Chinese merchant seamen who served and died for Britain in both World Wars, was unveiled on 23 January 2006. 53°24′18″N 2°59′42″W / 53.405°N 2.995°W / 53.405; -2.995 River Mersey The River Mersey ( / ˈ m ɜːr z i / )
426-502: A quarry it owned in Scotland for construction of the quays. Birkenhead grew quickly in the 19th century following the introduction of steamships , the earliest being the wooden paddle steamer Elizabeth in 1815. Docks were developed along with a shipbuilding industry , flour milling and soap manufacture on the river's Cheshire bank. Seaforth Dock , a freeport on the Liverpool side of
497-504: A small part of the site still was still held by the Corporation of the City of Liverpool. The board and the corporation had differing priorities, and the former were not inclined to forgo any commercial advantage for the benefit of the latter. In January 1896, the two bodies began discussions, with the corporation's team headed by Frederick, Lord Derby (who was then the city's Lord Mayor ), and
568-536: A tourist attraction offering cruises that provide an overview of the river and surrounding areas. Water quality in the Mersey was severely affected by industrialisation, and in 1985, the Mersey Basin Campaign was established to improve water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. In 2009 it was announced that the river is "cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution" and is "now considered one of
639-640: Is a major river in North West England . Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria . For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire . The Mersey starts at the confluence of the River Tame and River Goyt in Stockport . It flows westwards through south Manchester , then into
710-725: Is now part of the Merseyrail network. Two road tunnels pass under the estuary from Liverpool. By road, the Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934 connecting the city to Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel , opened in 1971, connects with Wallasey . Further upstream, the Runcorn Railway Bridge over the river at Runcorn Gap was built in the 1860s for the London and North Western Railway on the mainline between London and Liverpool. It had
781-543: Is situated about 1 mile upstream from the Runcorn Gap where the river is considerably wider. From the Runcorn Gap, the river widens into a large estuary , which is 3 miles (4.8 km) wide at its widest point near Ellesmere Port . The course of the river then heads north, with Liverpool to the east and the Wirral Peninsula to the west. The Manchester Ship Canal enters the river at Eastham Locks . The eastern part of
SECTION 10
#1732847446428852-517: Is tidal from Howley Weir in Warrington. The canal let river traffic reach Warrington during low tides. During high spring tides, water levels often top the Howley Weir. Before construction of the ship canal, work to improve navigation on the Mersey included Woolston New Cut, bypassing a meander, and Howley Lock for craft to avoid the weir; the new cut and lock are still evident. The island formed between
923-670: The Manchester Ship Canal just south of Irlam Locks. At this point the Ship Canal is the canalised section of the River Irwell . The old course of the Mersey has been obliterated by the canal past Hollins Green to Rixton although the old river bed can be seen outside Irlam and at Warburton . At Rixton the River Bollin enters the canal from the south and the Mersey leaves the canal to the north, meandering through Woolston , where
994-401: The Manchester Ship Canal near Irlam Locks, becoming a part of the canal and maintaining its water levels. After 4 miles (6.4 km) it exits the canal, flowing towards Warrington where it widens. It then narrows as it passes between Runcorn and Widnes . The river widens into a large estuary , which is 3 miles (4.8 km) across at its widest point near Ellesmere Port . The course of
1065-642: The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company . Ferries travel to Woodside in Birkenhead and Seacombe in Wallasey . Only a few months after a new stage (to replace the previous combined structure) was opened on 13 July 1975, it had to be refloated, after sinking in freak weather. Similar conditions, and an extremely low tide on 2 March 2006, caused it to sink again, probably because one of its girder's air pockets ruptured, and it could not be refloated. A temporary landing stage
1136-532: The Woodside ferry terminal in Birkenhead. On the Liverpool side, Liverpool Docks stretch for over 7.5 miles (12.1 km), the largest enclosed interconnected dock system in the world. American author Herman Melville described Liverpool Docks as being comparable to the pyramids in the vast scale of their construction. The docks were built out into the river bed. The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board used granite from
1207-670: The terminal building for the Mersey Ferry was refurbished to include an adjoining restaurant. In 1991 the ferry terminal itself was reconfigured to its present style. Running the length of the plaza is the Canada Boulevard, a walkway containing memorial plaques in memory of Canadians who gave their life in the Battle of the Atlantic . In the centre of the space is an equestrian statue of Edward VII , dating from 1921. The space also contains
1278-402: The 1890s and was joined to the neighbouring George's Landing Stage, situated to the south. After further lengthening took place in the early twentieth century, the combined structure originally measured 2,478 feet, almost half a mile. Both were scrapped in 1973, following the termination of trans-Atlantic services from Liverpool. The Mersey Ferries operate from George's Landing Stage, owned by
1349-635: The Beatles . In 1965 it was the subject of the top-ten hit single " Ferry Cross the Mersey " by Gerry and the Pacemakers , and a musical film of the same name . The Liverpool poets published an anthology of their work, The Mersey Sound , in 1967. The river's stretch through Manchester is the main theme in the Stone Roses song "Mersey Paradise", included on the B-side of the 12" version of their 1989 hit " She Bangs
1420-447: The Board's representatives led by Robert Gladstone, a member of the Liverpool family of which W.E. Gladstone was the best-known. The Corporation sought to persuade the Board to accept its offer to buy the site, reserving a portion of it for new Board offices. After two years of negotiation this was agreed, and Parliamentary authority was obtained for the deal. The Corporation paid £277,399 for
1491-541: The Drums ", and on their 1992 compilation album Turns into Stone . The Tall ships' fleet has visited the Mersey on four occasions, first in 1984, then in 1992, 2008 and 2012. The traditional song " Leaving of Liverpool " mentions the river in its opening line. The Mersey is considered sacred by British Hindus , and worshipped in a similar way to the River Ganges . Festival of Immersion ceremonies are held annually on
SECTION 20
#17328474464281562-463: The Leeds and Liverpool Canal was officially opened on 25 March 2009 and opened to boaters at the end of April 2009. It links the 127 mi (204 km) of the existing canal to the city's South Docks, passing the Pier Head and its landmark buildings. The site encompasses a trio of landmarks, built on the site of the former George's Dock and referred to since at least 1998 as "The Three Graces": Also on
1633-455: The Liverpool banks to New Brighton on the Wirral, forces water to flow faster creating a deep channel along the section of river. For 200 years an admiral was appointed as a conservator to ensure the river remained navigable. Mary Kendrick was the first woman to the post and she had spent years studying a Mersey barrage in the 1980s. Taylor's Bank is a large sandbank extending out to sea on
1704-578: The Mersey Narrows and North Wirral Foreshore, are also Ramsar sites . Capt. William Gill of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company , charted a safe, navigable channel (the Victoria Channel) through the treacherous uncharted waters of the estuary in 1836. Since the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, large commercial vessels do not usually navigate the estuary beyond Garston on the north bank, or
1775-470: The Mersey's tributaries, the River Goyt and the River Bollin . Atlantic grey seals from Liverpool Bay occasionally venture into the estuary along with bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise . Otter tracks have been observed near Fiddlers Ferry. Other fish in the estuary include cod , whiting , dab , plaice and flounder . Spiny dogfish , mackerel and tope feed on shrimp and whitebait in
1846-485: The River Mersey until the advent of safe passage via bridges and tunnels. Many of these deaths were of people who earned their living on the river, either as mariners or dock workers. The majority of mariners to die worked on the Mersey flat boats and drowned due to the weather conditions or poor craft maintenance, although many ordinary civilians perished too. Another ferry existed at Runcorn Gap and by today's safety standards
1917-637: The Tame and Goyt, in central Stockport , Greater Manchester . However, older definitions, and many older maps, place its start a few miles up the Goyt at Compstall ; for example the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica states "It is formed by the junction of the Goyt and the Etherow a short distance below Marple in Cheshire on the first-named stream." The 1784 John Stockdale map shows the River Mersey extending to Mottram , and forming
1988-399: The appalling conditions were reported in the local and national press consistently for over 40 years. In the early 19th century steam operated ferries were introduced. The Mersey Ferry , managed and operated by Merseytravel , operates between Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead and Seacombe . It has become a tourist attraction offering cruises that provide an overview of
2059-454: The architectural historian Peter De Figueiredo as "a match for its more ostentatious neighbours in expressive power but greatly superior in refinement of detail and proportion." In 2002, the Pier Head, and the adjacent Mann Island , were subjected to an ill-fated development scheme known as the " Fourth Grace " project. This, with the winning entry, designed by Will Alsop and known as "the Cloud",
2130-629: The boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire . In the west of Stockport it flows at the base of a cliff below the road called Brinksway before reaching flat country. An early Ordnance Survey map indicates the spring at Red Hole on the border of Cheshire and Yorkshire at the head of one of the Etherow's longest headwaters, as being the Source of the River Mersey . From Central Stockport the river flows through or past Heaton Mersey , Didsbury , Northenden , Chorlton-cum-Hardy , Stretford , Sale , Ashton on Mersey , Urmston and Flixton , where it flows into
2201-774: The city to Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel , opened in 1971, to Wallasey . A road bridge, completed in 1961 and later named the Silver Jubilee Bridge , crosses between Runcorn and Widnes, adjacent to the Runcorn Railway Bridge which opened in 1868. A second road bridge, the Mersey Gateway , opened in October 2017, carrying a six-lane road connecting Runcorn's Central Expressway with Speke Road and Queensway in Widnes. The Mersey Ferry operates between Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead and Seacombe , and has become
Pier Head - Misplaced Pages Continue
2272-561: The city's new tram network. This scheme fell through, and in the early years of the 20th century a combined public baths and customs house was proposed. After several years that scheme, too, came to nothing, and in 1913 the Cunard shipping line announced its intention to build a new headquarters in Liverpool. The Cunard Building was built of reinforced concrete, clad in Portland Stone, in a style intended to recall grand Italian palaces, described by
2343-525: The cleanest in the UK". The Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service manages local nature reserves such as Chorlton Ees and Sale Water Park . The river gave its name to Merseybeat , developed by bands from Liverpool, notably the Beatles . In 1965 it was the subject of the top-ten hit single " Ferry Cross the Mersey " by Gerry and the Pacemakers . The name "Mersey" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon mǣres , 'of
2414-434: The estuary is much affected by silting, and part of it is marked on modern maps as dry land rather than tidal. The wetlands are of importance to wildlife, and are listed as a Ramsar site . Most of the conurbation on both sides of the estuary is known as Merseyside . The estuary narrows between Liverpool and Birkenhead , where it is constricted to a width of 0.7 miles (1.1 km), between Albert Dock in Liverpool and
2485-399: The estuary where it meets Liverpool Bay, opened in 1971. The dock deals with around 500,000 containers, over 1.2 million tonnes of oil, over 2.5 million tonnes of grain and animal feed, 452,000 tonnes of wood per year. About 25% of all container traffic between the UK and USA passes through the port making it one of the most successful in the world and known as the "Atlantic Gateway". Liverpool
2556-583: The estuary. For ducks, the estuary is important to common shelducks and Eurasian teal . Waders include redshank , black-tailed godwit , dunlin , pintail and turnstone . The section of the estuary between Runcorn Railway Bridge and Bromborough , including Hale Duck Decoy and Mount Manisty , is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the SSSI citation describing it as an "internationally important site for wildfowl". There are further SSSIs at New Ferry and Mersey Narrows. The Mersey Estuary, and
2627-533: The event has not returned. During the 1990s the festival was the largest event if its kind in Europe. In the 2010s the event attracted tens of thousands of people and included music stages and other waterside attractions alongside regattas, visiting vessels, and tall ships on the river. Notable musical artists who have performed at the event include Katie Melua , Shola Ama and Russell Watson . Captain David Hawker
2698-403: The existing Silver Jubilee Bridge will also be tolled. Water quality in the Mersey was severely affected by industrialisation, and in 1985, the Mersey Basin Campaign was established to improve water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. In 2002, oxygen levels that could support fish along the entire length were recorded for the first time since industry began on the Mersey. In 2009 it
2769-592: The height of the Royal Liver Society's proposed new headquarters, sometimes described as "England's first skyscraper", but after much debate the corporation approved the plans. The last of the three Pier Head sites between the Liver Building and the Docks and Harbour Board offices was for some time intended to be developed on behalf of the corporation, partly to replace a nearby public baths and partly as offices for
2840-458: The landing site for passenger ships travelling to and from the city. By the 1890s, the George's Dock , where the Pier Head now is, was essentially redundant. Built in 1771, it was the third dock built in Liverpool, and was too small and too shallow in depth for the commercial ships of the late 19th century. Most of the site was owned by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board , set up by Parliament in 1857;
2911-506: The locks into the ship canal at Eastham . Deep-water channels are maintained to both. Until the early 20th century, commercial traffic bound for further upstream carried cargo in large flat-bottomed sailing barges known as Mersey Flats to Howley Wharf in Warrington and (via the Sankey Canal ) to St Helens . Motor barges delivered to riverside factories at Warrington until at least the 1970s, but nowadays only pleasure craft and yachts use
Pier Head - Misplaced Pages Continue
2982-590: The main river and adjacent salt marshes. The average amount of Hg in the Mersey was found to be 2 mg/kg with the highest amounts of 5 mg/kg occurring below the surface at concentrations harmful to sediment dwelling biota. The vertical rise and fall in Hg pollution observed at four Mersey salt marshes indicated a decline in metal pollution since the 1980s. Salmon have returned to the river and have been seen jumping at Woolston and Howley Weirs between September and November. Salmon parr and smolt have been caught in
3053-406: The middle of the range of similarly industrial-urban river-estuaries. The distribution of individual PAH compounds suggests that the Mersey has contaminants mainly derived from combustion sources such as vehicle exhaust as well as coal burning. The distribution of the toxic heavy metal Mercury (Hg) has been assessed by measuring 203 sediments taken from shallow cores (0.4 – 1.6 m) extracted from both
3124-448: The north side of the channel entrance to the river on which many ships have come to grief over the years. Historically the lowest bridging point on the Mersey was at Warrington where there has been a bridge since medieval times. The first ferry across the estuary was introduced in medieval times by monks from Birkenhead Priory . They transported travellers or accommodated them at the priory in bad weather. Countless people died on
3195-408: The original river channel became Warrington Dock (Walton Lock) in the ship canal. In the 1960s, the former river channel was filled. The area is now Wilderspool Causeway Park. At the western end of the canalised section in Warrington is the old entrance to the former Runcorn to Latchford Canal . This waterway was abandoned with the construction of the ship canal. It was constructed because the Mersey
3266-511: The people of Liverpool. Due to increasing patronage and collection size, the museum closed in 2006 to prepare for construction of a larger site, the Museum of Liverpool , which opened in 2011. At the time of its closure on 4 June 2006, the museum had three galleries: City Lives explored Liverpool 's cultural diversity, The River Room described life alongside the River Mersey and City Soldiers
3337-515: The river Meteia meaning "reaping one" or "she that cuts down" (Breeze notes the possibility of a local deity associated with the river, but highlights that this is only a supposition based on known deities like Sulis and Aerfen ). The Mersey is formed from three tributaries : the River Etherow , the River Goyt and the River Tame . The modern accepted start of the Mersey is at the confluence of
3408-407: The river and surrounding areas. The Mersey Railway completed its tunnel through the estuary's underlying Triassic sandstone using manual labour in 1885. Intended as a pneumatic railway , the company opted for steam trains from its opening until it was electrified in 1903. The centre of the running tunnel is between 30 feet (9.1 m) and 70 feet (21.3 m) below the river bed. The railway
3479-632: The river as fish such as perch , barbel , grayling , carp , roach , chub , trout , pike , bream and dace have been caught. Warrington Anglers Association have fishing rights on a large stretch of the River through most of Warrington. Prince Albert Angling Society also have a small stretch near Rixton. The river has also faced problems regarding the poaching of fish despite a strict 'catch and release' policy imposed on anglers for ecological reasons which applies to most UK waterways. The Mersey River Festival, rebranded in 2018 as ‘River Festival Liverpool’,
3550-488: The river between Stockport and Carrington. Liverpool Sailing Club located at Garston Coastal Park on the north bank of the estuary has a 1000 feet slipway giving access to river for water sports. The wooded suburban stretch of the river from above Howley Weir to Woolston is also used for recreational and competitive rowing, operated from the Warrington Rowing Club. Angling has become popular on some stretches of
3621-470: The river then turns northwards as the estuary narrows between Liverpool and Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula to the west, and empties into Liverpool Bay . In total the river flows 69 miles (111 km). Part of the Mersey Railway , a rail tunnel between Birkenhead and Liverpool opened in 1886. Two road tunnels pass under the estuary from Liverpool: the Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934 connecting
SECTION 50
#17328474464283692-594: The river, in which clay figures representing the Hindu Lord Ganesha , the elephant deity riding a mouse, are submerged in the river from a ferry boat. Followers throw flowers, pictures and coins into the river. From its lowest point, moving upstream, confluences and tributaries of the Mersey catchment include: Museum of Liverpool Life The Museum of Liverpool Life was a museum in Liverpool , England , part of National Museums Liverpool , that focused on
3763-497: The ship canal company's dredgings have formed the Woolston Eyes nature reserve, and on to Warrington . During the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, the original course of the river through Wilderspool (which is north of Stockton Heath and Lower Walton) was diverted westward into a canalised section. Wilderspool Causeway remains the only remnant of the original eastern bank of the Mersey at this point in Warrington. Part of
3834-415: The ship canal, a lock bypassing Howley Weir allowed navigation further upstream via a straight "cut" avoiding a meander around Woolston. The Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service manages local nature reserves such as Chorlton Ees and Sale Water Park recreational sites and provides an educational service along the Mersey from Manchester to the Manchester Ship Canal. It is possible to canoe on parts of
3905-564: The site is the Grade II listed George's Dock Building , to the east of the Port of Liverpool building. It was built in the 1930s and contains offices and ventilator equipment for the Queensway Tunnel . Originally, the Prince's Landing Stage was situated at the Pier Head to serve the trans-Atlantic liner service. There were a number of these stages built during Liverpool's history, the most recent opened in
3976-416: The site, from which the Board reserved about 13,500 square yards for its own building. The board pressed ahead with its new headquarters, and announced a competition, restricted to local architects, to be adjudicated by Alfred Waterhouse . Despite some protests in national architectural journals about the exclusion of architects from beyond Liverpool, the local firm of Briggs, Wolstenholme, Hobbs and Thornley
4047-427: The upper estuary and the tidal river where a number of sailing clubs are based. On most high tides, seagoing yachts with masts raised can navigate as far upstream as Fiddlers Ferry – about 3.1 mi (5.0 km) downstream of Warrington – where there is a small marina accessed via a river lock. Although river craft can continue upstream to Howley Weir, there are no landing or mooring facilities. Before construction of
4118-495: The weir and the lock is known locally as "Monkey Island". West of Warrington the river widens, and then narrows as it passes through the Runcorn Gap between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes , in Halton . The Manchester Ship Canal passes through the gap to the south of the river. The gap is bridged by the Silver Jubilee Bridge and Runcorn Railway Bridge . Another crossing, the Mersey Gateway road bridge opened in October 2017, and
4189-508: Was abandoned in 2004 after "fundamental changes" to the original waterfront plan left it unworkable. In 2007, work began on a new scheme, to re-house the Museum of Liverpool Life . The new museum, known as the Museum of Liverpool opened in 2011. Work also started in 2007 to build a canal link between the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the South Docks. The £22 million pound, 1.6-mile extension to
4260-533: Was an annual event held on the river Mersey during a weekend in May or June between 1981 and 2019 to celebrate Liverpool's maritime tradition. Originally organised by the Merseyside Development Corporation , the festival was later overseen by Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool. The last event was planned to take place between the 8 and 10 May 2020, but was cancelled due to COVID . As of 2024,
4331-509: Was announced that the river is "cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution" and is "now considered one of the cleanest [rivers] in the UK". Persistent organic and mercury (Hg) pollution contained within sediments of the Mersey estuary have been evaluated by British Geological Survey . Mersey river sediments from outer to inner estuary (Alfred Dock to Widnes) contain a variety of common organic pollutants, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with concentrations which fall in
SECTION 60
#17328474464284402-433: Was appointed. A neo-baroque design was approved, with a central dome added at the last minute before the final plans were adopted in time for the start of building work in March 1903. The building was opened in the summer of 1907. When it acquired the site, the corporation had been confident of finding tenants for the two remaining plots suitable for large-scale buildings, but no such prospective tenants came forward, and it
4473-437: Was decided to offer the freehold of the sites for sale. However, at an auction of the sites in 1905 there were no bidders. The following year, the Royal Liver Friendly Society made an approach through Walter Aubrey Thomas , a local architect, successfully offering considerably less for a site than the corporation had hoped for: £70,000 instead of £95,000. Gladstone and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board expressed consternation at
4544-406: Was formerly part of the Mersey Railway . The Pier Head was also originally served by Liverpool Riverside station , connecting to main line services via the Victoria tunnel , and Pier Head station , on the Liverpool Overhead Railway . Both have since been demolished. The open space at the Pier Head has also seen several developments. In the 1960s the area was given over to a bus terminal; in 1963
4615-402: Was highly dangerous. Passengers had to traverse wooden planks over the mud flats to reach the ferry boats which themselves were often poorly maintained and leaking. Even the steps down to the river bank were described as "beautifully slippery". In the dark the ferry was particularly worrying as there were few or no lights and the journey was only undertaken on a "needs must" basis. Complaints about
4686-437: Was installed until early 2010, when work began on a new Mersey Ferries landing stage. Mersey Ferries services switched to the Cruise Terminal . Services to Liverpool had to be suspended on 14 occasions during the year when large cruise ships were visiting. A brand new dedicated landing stage for the ferry was towed into place in November 2011, with the linkspan bridge being craned into place shortly after. The new landing stage
4757-402: Was likely a corruption of the actual name. Some, including David Parsons, have suggested the original forms "Segeia" and "Segantii" - based on the root "sego" meaning "strong". Andrew Breeze instead suggests the original forms "Meteia" and "Metantii" - from "met" meaning "cut" or "harvest" - with the likely meaning being that the Metantii were "reapers (of men), cutters-down (of enemies)", with
4828-413: Was officially opened in January 2012, with services resuming on 9 January. The Isle of Man Steam Packet ferry service also operates from Princes Landing Stage, at a berth adjacent to those used by the Mersey Ferries. In addition to the Mersey Ferries, the Pier Head previously served as a major tram and later bus interchange . Merseyrail's James Street station is a short walk away. The station
4899-399: Was the Mersey River Festival's official artist from the late 1990s until the last event in 2019. The painter attended annually to capture on paper the boats, attractions, visitors, and events as they unfolded. Proposals continue for the construction of the Mersey Barrage , a tidal scheme to generate electricity and create another crossing of the river. Very high spring tides can generate
4970-406: Was the first UK port with radar assisted operations. The river empties into Liverpool Bay on the Irish Sea , after a total course of 69 miles (111 km). From 4 metres (13.1 ft) neap tide to 10 metres (32.8 ft) spring tide , the River Mersey has the second highest tidal range in Britain – second only to the River Severn . The narrows in the river estuary between Dingle Point on
5041-507: Was the longest motorway bridge in England. A second viaduct alongside opened in 1995; northbound traffic uses the old viaduct and southbound the new. A new 6-lane bridge, the " Mersey Gateway ", between Runcorn and Widnes began its construction phase in May 2014 and opened just after midnight on 14 October 2017. At the same time the Silver Jubilee Bridge was closed to undergo maintenance for approximately 6–12 months, but will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists. The new bridge uses tolls and
#427572