Trading Places - a history of Liverpool Docks

South America

Did you know that Liverpool imported bird droppings from South America? Discover more below, or click on a dock to learn about its role in the South American trades.

Docks involved

• Princes Dock
• Wapping Dock
• Birkenhead Docks

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Liverpool's trade with South America began in the early 19th century.

Imports to Liverpool

Lots of different goods were imported into Britain from South America including:

• Coffee - for export to other countries and local use.
• Copper ore - for use in industry.
• Nitrates - from 1840 nitrates were imported in the form of guano (bird droppings) to be used in fertilisers. After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, guano was transported in sailing ships that were no longer needed for Asian routes (see Asia section for further details).
• Food - as the towns of Northern Britain grew in the second half of the 19th century so did the demand for food. Local farmers could not provide all the food needed so large amounts of grain, refrigerated meat and other foods were imported from South America.

Exports to South America

It was more difficult to sell European goods in South America. The main problem was the poverty in South America; even people in developed areas could not afford expensive European manufactured goods. However, as the 19th century progressed the South American economy grew and more people could afford European products.

These were major exports from Liverpool:

• Coal - particularly to the west coast of South America.
• Mail trade - the South American & General Steam Navigation Company began a bi-monthly service from Liverpool to South America in 1853.

Ships

When South American trade began small brigs and three-masted barques (200-300 tons) were very common, particularly on the west coast. They were strong ships and used well into the 20th century, even when steam ships were introduced. These boats had small draughts so were ideal for the shallow harbours in South America, and for Liverpool's smaller, shallow south docks [image, new window].

Dangers

The seas around the southern tip of South America, Cape Horn, are very dangerous, especially for small sailing ships. There are dangerous winds, strong currents and storms. Many ships have been damaged or sunk while 'rounding the Horn' on their way to the west coast.

One of these was the Jhelum. This 428-ton sailing ship was built in Liverpool in 1849. It sailed regularly to the west coast for copper ore and guano until 1871. Then she was damaged and abandoned in Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. She is still the only accessible example (she is beached) of a mid-19th century Liverpool-built wooden sailing ship in the world [image, new window].

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Princes Dock & S. America

The South American trade at Princes Dock was only successful for a short time.

• 1840s - Princes Dock began to trade in the high value low bulk South American markets, e.g. coffee. New transit sheds and a dock wall were built to protect the goods.
• 1910 - most of the South American trade had moved to docks on the Wirral side of the river.

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Wapping Dock & S. America

Wapping Dock was mainly a passage to other docks. However its warehouses were once full of cargoes from South America. The deep-sea vessels brought into the warehouses:

• wool
• nitrates - in the form of guano (bird droppings) to be used as fertiliser
• sugar
• rum

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Birkenhead Docks & S. America

Much of Merseyside's South American trade was based at Birkenhead. Companies such as Brocklebank, Bibby, Holt, Clan and the Pacific Steam Navigation Company were involved.

Manufactured goods went to the new markets of South America from the middle of the 19th century. Railway and tram parts were made in the Midlands (the manufacturing centre of Britain) and then exported from the Great Float. The dock had special lifting equipment for the job.

Many raw materials were brought into Birkenhead from South America.

• Timber was one of the earliest imports (mahogany from Honduras) but was always a minor trader compared to Liverpool. The quays were originally based at West Float, away from other docks due to the fire risk.
• Guano (bird droppings) was used as fertiliser.
• Copper ore and grain were both brought back to Birkenhead as ballast from Chile and Peru.
• Livestock was imported to the Birkenhead lairages, and provided meat for much of northern Britain. The cattle were put to a variety of other uses - milk, leather, fat for candles and chemical manufacture, and bones for gelatine and glue. About 40 local firms used blood, intestines and bones alone.

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