Mersey Tunnel Dock entrance

This evocative black‑and‑white image captures the busy western approach to the newly opened Queensway Mersey Tunnel in 1934. At the lower left, the stone‑lined dock entrance gives way to the tunnel roadway, where petrol‑driven taxis and private cars queue at toll booths beneath the ironwork of Birkenhead’s railway viaduct. In the misty background, the outline of Liverpool’s waterfront warehouses and distant chimneys hints at the city’s maritime heritage.

Historical Context When the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel opened in July 1934, it was the longest underwater roadway in the world. Linking Liverpool and Birkenhead beneath the River Mersey, it revolutionised cross‑river travel by replacing slow ferry services with a direct road route. The grand dock entrances were built to accommodate rising motor traffic—clear evidence of the interwar boom in private motoring and the city’s determination to modernise its transport infrastructure.

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