Warehouse block D at the Albert Dock has been home to the Merseyside Maritime Museum since it first opened for a trial season in 1980, with a full opening following in 1984 and further expansion in 1986. The museum occupies not only that warehouse but also the Piermaster’s House, Canning Half Tide Dock and the Canning Graving Docks, giving it a substantial footprint along Liverpool’s historic waterfront. It is part of National Museums Liverpool and an Anchor Point of ERIH, the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
A Collection Over a Century in the Making
The origins of the collection stretch back to 1862, though funding shortfalls meant that by 1924 it amounted to little more than an old dug-out canoe and a handful of model ships. The maritime historian Robert Gladstone, a great-nephew of former Prime Minister William Gladstone, established a shipping gallery in 1931, though it was partially destroyed during the May Blitz of 1941. Recovery was gradual: a History of the Ship gallery opened in 1965, followed by the Port of Liverpool gallery in 1971 and the New Shipperies Exhibition in 1974. Work on a dedicated maritime museum began in the late 1970s, leading to that trial opening in 1980. The museum closed for renovation in January 2025 and is not expected to reopen until 2028.
Titanic, Lusitania and the White Star Line
Among the most prominent elements of the collection are exhibits related to the Titanic and the Lusitania. The Titanic sank on 15 April 1912, while the Lusitania was attacked by a German U-boat during the First World War and went down on 7 May 1915. The White Star Line, which owned the Titanic, was based in Liverpool, which is why the ship carried the word Liverpool on her stern. In 2012, rarely-seen Titanic artefacts went on display to mark the centenary of the sinking. The building also contains the Archives Centre, formerly known as the Maritime Archives and Library, which holds records relating to Liverpool’s long history as a port city.