The Port of Garston, also known as Garston Docks, is an enclosed tidal dock system situated on the River Mersey at Garston, approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) north‑west of Liverpool city centre in Merseyside, England. The port is operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), which serves as the harbour authority, while Peel Ports provides pilotage services for non‑exempt vessels as the competent harbour authority for the River Mersey.
History
The first dock at Garston was constructed in 1793 to serve Blackburne’s saltworks. The modern dock complex was established by the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Company in June 1853. It originally comprised three docks: Old Dock (opened 1853), North Dock (opened 1875), and Stalbridge Dock (opened 1909). By 1936 the three docks together covered 28.5 acres (11.5 ha) of water, featured 70 mi (110 km) of railway sidings, and provided 80 acres (32 ha) of storage, handling roughly two million tonnes of goods annually.
Present‑day facilities
The contemporary port occupies about 65 acres (26 ha) and offers nearly 2,000 m of quay length. Annual cargo throughput is around 500,000 tonnes, with facilities for handling grain, steel, scrap metal, and other bulk commodities. The site includes approximately 8,500 m² of multi‑purpose cargo storage. Between 2012 and 2017, ABP invested several million pounds in upgrades, including replacement of lock gates, expansion of storage capacity, and acquisition of new crane equipment. In 2020, further investment added 20,000 sq ft of warehousing and sixteen storage bays, enabling the handling of up to 60,000 tonnes of aggregates per year.
Operations
The port provides road access via the A561 and A562, linking to the M56, M57, and M62 motorways, and is adjacent to a Freightliner rail terminal. It serves short‑sea shipping routes and supports the hinterland of Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, and parts of the North and West Midlands.
References
- Wikipedia, “Port of Garston.”
- Associated British Ports, official site for Garston.
- Local news reports on recent ABP investments (2020‑2021).