Over the Mersey, looking east into the foggy city at Langton Dock (opened 1881) in the middle.  To the left of the bridge is Alexandra Dock (1881) with two branches. To the right is Brocklebank Dock (1862).  Locks are seen to the right with a ship in them.  Warehouses line the quays.  Ships in the docks can be unloaded and loaded without being affected by the large tidal swings of the Mersey.  This was important in the days of sail when the docks were built and loading was manual.  Sadly, nowadays the docks are mostly as empty as this.  As in all modern ports, containers have both increased efficiency and reduced the active docks to a fraction of what they once were.  The stories this dock could tell...