Twelve Quays

Twelve Quays

The Twelve Quays ferry terminal at dusk, seen from Woodside
Location Birkenhead, United Kingdom
Coordinates 53°24′04″N 3°00′43″W / 53.401°N 3.012°W / 53.401; -3.012
Opened 2002[1]
Owner Mersey Docks and Harbour Company

Coordinates: 53°23′46″N 3°00′18″W / 53.396°N 3.005°W / 53.396; -3.005 Twelve Quays is a ferry terminal and business park which is located between East Float and the River Mersey at Birkenhead, in England. Twelve Quays separates Woodside from Seacombe.

History

Twelve Quays is named from the quaysides which served the adjoining Morpeth Dock, Egerton Dock, Alfred Dock, Wallasey Dock and East Float, as well as quaysides on the River Mersey. Wallasey Dock was infilled in 2001, to expand the land area of the site. The area was an artificial island, until the infilling of the Morpeth Dock entrance. Twelve Quays includes the former Wallasey Dock Impounding Station, and the Central Hydraulic Tower. Several bridges connect Twelve Quays to Birkenhead and Seacombe, two of these being along Tower Road and one at the entrance to Egerton Dock. Another of the bridges along Tower Road was removed, when the East Float entrance to Egerton Dock was infilled.

Ferry terminal

The ferry terminal was opened in Summer 2002 at a cost of £25m.[2] It is used for transporting passengers and freight between Merseyside and Belfast, in Northern Ireland, and Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland. Owned by Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, the terminal replaces facilities at Brocklebank and Canada docks at Liverpool & reduces voyage times between Liverpool and Ireland by 90 minutes.[3]

Twelve Quays has a floating landing stage in the river that can take two ro-ro ferries at the same time. The terminal provides vehicle parking space on the site of the former Wallasey Dock.

Bus link to Hamilton Square railway station

A courtesy bus operates from the terminal to a stop outside Birkenhead Hamilton Square railway station (and vice versa) in connection with Stena Line ferry sailings to and from Belfast. Through ticketing is available.[4]

Business park

The rest of the Twelve Quays area is a developing high-tech business park. The Astrophysics Research Institute was housed in purpose-built accommodation at Twelve Quays.[5] As of June 2015, part of the area is undergoing construction, with a new building for Wirral Metropolitan College, as their Wirral Waters Campus,[6] The college also has a Twelve Quays campus, however this is situated on the opposite side of Morpeth Dock, and is not actually within the Twelve Quays area. A new office building at Tower Wharf is also under construction, adjacent to Egerton Dock.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ Maritime Journal - Trials Mirth at Twelve Quays Berth 2002, Maritime Journal, 1 June 2002, retrieved 15 January 2012
  2. ↑ Maritime Journal - Trials Mirth at Twelve Quays Berth 2002, Maritime Journal, 1 June 2002, retrieved 15 January 2012
  3. ↑ Maritime Journal - Trials Mirth at Twelve Quays Berth 2002, Maritime Journal, 1 June 2002, retrieved 15 January 2012
  4. ↑ http://seat61.com/NorthernIreland.htm#London-Belfast-via-Liverpool
  5. ↑ "About The Astrophysics Research Institute". LJMU. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Students build their own future". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Wirral Waters development: contractor appointed ahead of groundbreaking ceremony". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Tower Wharf office on site". placenorthwest.co.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2015.

External links

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