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From its beginnings near Stockport, the River Mersey flows westwards
some 70 miles towards the Irish Sea. Its existence is an essential
part of Liverpool's history.
The world famous ferries of the River Mersey are the longest
running in the world and date back to the Middle Ages when they
were operated by Monks. In 1815 steam ferry boats were introduced,
and improvements were made to both ferries and landing stages
throughout the nineteenth century. Today they transport over
half a million passengers each year and are one of the most
popular tourist attractions in the North West of England.
In modern times, alternative methods of transport and the development
of road and rail tunnels beneath the river have had a huge impact
on the need for the ferry services between Liverpool, Wirral,
Seacombe and Birkenhead. It was decided, therefore, to cash
in on the popularity of the service as a tourist attraction
and the main terminals and three remaining ferries were improved
and upgraded. Each terminal now houses a tourist information
centre, with Birkenhead boasting a tram service and Seacombe
housing an impressive Aquarium containing samples of the River's
marine life.
Beneath the River Mersey, three tunnels provide alternative
methods of crossing the river. The first tunnel, the Railway
tunnel was completed in 1886. The mammoth task took approximately
six years with the main tunnel excavated manually with picks,
shovels and explosives. The tunnel carried over 10 million passengers
a year, however, many people still looked to the conventional
ferry due to the smoke fumes of the railway. As a result, in
1903 the Railway changed from steam to electric power.
In the early 1920's, it was decided by the City Council that
an alternative form of transport should be available to alleviate
the rising congestion of cars and trucks waiting to be ferried
across the River. Liverpool and Birkenhead Council leaders subsequently
worked together and excavation began on a new road tunnel in
1925. On 3 April 1928, Liverpool City Council leader, Sir Archibald
Salvidge and Margaret Beavan, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, went
underground and broke through the last thin wall of rock. On
the other side, was the outstretched hand of Alderman Naylor,
the Mayor of Birkenhead (below).
Three years later the tunnels were excavated to form 44 foot
wide tunnels. The tunnel was officially opened by King George
V on 18 July 1934 and was named Queensway, in honour of Queen
Mary who was also present. Approximately 200,000 people attended
the ceremony and, when the tunnel was opened to the public,
thousands of people were given the unique opportunity to walk
through it for the price of 6d. It cost £ 8,000,000 to
build, and 1,200,000 tons of rock, gravel and clay were excavated,
with some of this rubble being used to build Otterspool Promenade.
1700 men worked in the tunnel of which 17 were killed during
work.
When driving through the tunnel, it appears as a half-circle.
It is circular, however, and the area below the roadway is known
as Central Avenue. Originally it was planned to run electric
trams through it, but it was used to house a gas pipe which
was later abandoned. Now, it is used to monitor the tunnel's
cracks, and to pump out water seeped in from the Mersey.
Twenty five years later, the popularity of the Queensway tunnel
and the resulting traffic led to a study which concluded that
a second tunnel would be built. In 1968, when the required funds
became available, it was decided that the new tunnel linking
Liverpool and Wallasey would consist of two tubes, one in each
direction and with two lanes. Specialist drilling machinery
was used and the Kingsway tunnel was opened on 24 June 1971
by Queen Elizabeth II.
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