This point overlooks area of the Mersey called The Sloyne. It’s a deep water anchorage for large vessels 60 foot deep even when the tide is out. In the above photograph the large area of sand and mud is exposed at low tide, Now it’s used mainly for Oil tankers unloading at Tranmere oil terminal, from there the oil is transported by pipelines under the park to Stanlow refinery.
In the past it was the anchorage for the Lusitania and Mauretania as well as Merchant Navy training ships
At night there are fantastic views from here of the iconic buildings at the Pier Head, Albert Dock and both the Cathedrals.
Tranmere Oil Terminal
Opened on 8 June 1960 to handle vessels of up to 65,000 tonnes, at present it is capable of handling cargo sizes up to 170, 000 tonnes on part laden Very Large Crude Carriers
Tranmere handles a total of 140 ships each year, carrying total of 9 million tonnes of oil a year.
This comes from the North Sea , Norway, Russia, The Gulf of Mexico and also with increasing volumes from the Mediterranean, North and West Africa.
Beyond the mudflats, on the left, the row of red brick terraced houses, the Esplanade, facing onto the river is remembered by a resident: “When we lived at the Esplanade the river was so busy (with) ships ( going) up the Manchester ship canal, it was a very busy place....[the] Conway was used as some sort of a training ship and was moored in the river.”Mrs Phyllis H
The House at the far end of the terrace was owned by Lamey's.
"Lamy’s started company tugboats, they all had an ‘L’ on them, and he lived on the Esplanade, he had a ships wheel on his gate, he had instruments so he could see all the tugs. One tug got grounded on the foreshore." Mrs Phyllis H
Merchant Seaman Training Ships
It is where the merchant training ships Indefatigable, Conway, Akbar and Clarence were moored. The ships educated orphaned and poor sons of sailors from 1850s to May 1941. when the remaining vessels, the Indefatigable and Conway sailed to Anglesey to avoid the bombing in WWII.
The poet and author John Masefield was one of the children trained here. His poem,’ I must go down to the sea again,’ may be inspired by his time here. He is also remembered in the Conway chapel at the Priory in Birkenhead.
National Trust - Plas Newydd
Conway Anchor Bank Quay Caernarfon
Original mast was replaced in 2011 by a new Aluminium mast. Remains of original placed in St Marys Tower at Birkenhead Priory
Ships were scrapped here, including, in 1888-89, Brunel’s SS Great Eastern; the largest ship the world had ever seen at that time. It took 200 men two years to dismantle her on this shore. More information on this great ship and her history can be found here:
In 1892 the top part of a mast from the Great Eastern was erected as a flagpole at Anfield at that time the home of Everton Football Club. . It still flies a flag on match days.