Waterloo Dock was opened in September 1834. Named after the Battle of Waterloo, the dock was designed by Jesse Hartley. In 1843 an observatory was built here with the purpose of making accurate timings for ship chronometers and it also carried out detailed meteorological and astronomical observations. The observatory was subsequently moved to Bidston Hill on the Wirral in 1866, during a redevelopment of the dock.

Image details: Wm Herdman