Museum of Liverpool themes and displays
Artist's impression of the Port City gallery
© National Museums Liverpool and Redman Design Associates
Port City will explore how Liverpool transformed itself from a small tidal inlet to one of the world's great ports, and discover the innovation and individual endeavour which led to the city's boom during the Industrial Revolution.
Liverpool led the world in developing the early canals, the first timetabled passenger railway, new dock technologies and the Liverpool Overhead Railway - the world's first elevated electrified railway line.
The gallery will look at the development of the dock system and its impact on city infrastructure and employment. It will explore how the city expanded due to the opportunities of the Industrial Revolution and development of world trade.
Communication and transportation were key to Liverpool’s 19th century success and the city was at the centre of new technological developments, as shown by the building of the first managed wet dock in the world in 1715, the continuing development of those dock technologies and the opening of the 1830 Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first inter-city railway in the world.
Key exhibits will include Lion, the famous 1838 steam locomotive, as the centrepiece of the section following the impact of the industrial revolution. The gallery will also explore stories about the people living and working underneath the rails of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, or the Dockers’ Umbrella, and will feature an original third class Overhead Railway carriage, suspended above the gallery to suggest its working height.
The displays within Port City will include:
A public forum to discuss the key themes of the Port City gallery was held in October 2007. A podcast and transcript of the key speakers at the public forum, including Adrian Jarvis, Robert Lee and Ken Pye, is available on this website.