When was the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board set up?
When Liverpool’s first docks were built they were looked after by Liverpool Town Council, which set up a docks committee in 1793. However the growth of the port meant that a separate body had to be created to run the docks. This led to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board (MDHB) becoming the port authority for the lower Mersey in 1858. The board also took over Birkenhead Docks and the Herculaneum Dock Company. One of the few local docks which was not taken over was the London and North Western Railway docks at Garston.
