The Pump Station, Albert Dock, Liverpool

Albert Dock was one of the first places in Britain where hydraulic power was used for cargo-handling machinery. In the 1840s power was obtained from the town?s reservoirs nearby, and later a trial pumping station was built to the south of the warehouses.

This proved to be inadequate, so in the 1870s the hydraulic pumping station was built at the north east corner of the dock, which still stands today. Water at high pressure was fed through underground pipes to terminals along the quaysides, and was used to power cranes, hoists and lifts.

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