Galvanised iron cladding (1/2) plate

Galvanised iron cladding (1/2) plate, from the roof of Block A, Albert Dock, Liverpool, c. 1845.

These components are from the Albert Dock (Now Royal Albert Dock) which was completed in 1846 and was at the time, one of the earliest buildings to be made entirely out of brick, iron and stone, without any use of wooden timber support.

The design of the docks was carried out by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, who were eager to apply relatively new developments in fire-resistant building design (pioneered by people like William Strutt and his sons in the previous few decades) for the creation of a massive new dockyard. Its opening is considered a major event in the history of Liverpool, and helped to cement the city's place as one of the trading and maritime hubs of the British Empire. This roof truss came from Block A, one of the first and most experimental buildings to be erected at the Albert Docks.

The galvanised iron cladding plates were designed in a manner that, alongside the trusses and riveted beams, created a upturned hull shaped roof support. Being galvanised, the cladding plates were also corrosion, rust and fire resistant.