Docks and shipping Gallery

Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth AA42_01082

Devonport Dockyard, South Yard, Covered Slip No. 1, Devonport, Plymouth. The interior of No. 1 covered slip in the South Yard of Devonport Dockyard. Number 1 slipway at the South Yard dates from the 1770s. Its timber framed cover, designed by Sir Robert Seppings, was erected in 1814. Covers for slips were introduced to protect wooden ships during construction and they were, at the time, some of the widest span roofs in Britain, pre-empting the subsequent iron sheds of the railway age

© Historic England Archive

Grimsby Dock Tower EAW029404

GRIMSBY DOCK TOWER, Lincolnshire. This famous maritime landmark was built in 1852 as a hydraulic reservoir to power the lock gates and cranes of Grimsby Docks. Based on the design of the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, the tower is 94m tall. By 1900 new technology made it largely redundant, but it remains a monument to Grimsby's maritime heritage. There is a model of the tower at Legoland, Windsor. The paddle steamer Lincoln Castle can also be seen in the graving dock at the entrance of the Royal Dock in this 1950 photograph. Aerofilms Collection (see Links)

© Historic England