Docks

Today I went down to Liverpool with my #gigbuddy @Artminx. Not to do nothing but rather to see the GLAM! exhibition at Tate Liverpool. (I might blog about the exhibition tomorrow.)

At the end of the M58, we eschewed the quite direct but also rather urban A59 into the city and instead carried straight on to the coast. Then we turned south down towards Liverpool, following the road through the docks.

I remember when I was at university and once every few weeks I'd go for tea with my friend Pete, who was from Liverpool, and his family. His dad was an ex-docker and he'd tell me about the docks in their heyday and about how the unions led to their downfall.

Later, when I lived in Cumbria and used to visit my friend Bob in Liverpool, I'd leave early in the morning after our night out, and drive up the road through the docks. Every so often through the gates I'd see a ship and marvel at the sheer size. These boats were clearly built for crossing oceans.

Today we didn't see a single ship but we did pull over so I could take some shots of these old docks. These are hardly unique; the road is crammed with quays and buildings, alluding to just how incredibly busy this area must have been at its height.

I wonder how many boats would have been tied up here, how many people worked in these buildings? How much freight passed through here? And how incredible to see them all here now, deserted. I'd love to get in and wander 'round, conjure up the ghosts from only a generation ago.