The building stands on the edge of Canning Dock next to the River Mersey. A small wall mounted plaque near to the entrance tells some of the building's history.
Liverpool Pilot Office
1883 - 1978
The Liverpool Pilot Service was established
in 1766 to pilot ships entering and leaving
The River Mersey, a service that continues
to this day.
This building is now part of
National Museums Liverpool
The museum's website has some interesting information about the work of the Liverpool Pilots.
"
NATIONAL MUSEUMS
LIVERPOOL
MARITIME ARCHIVES AND LIBRARY
INFORMATION SHEET 65
LIVERPOOL PILOTS
Approaching the Port of Liverpool, navigating the sand banks, shifting sands and the powerful tides of the Irish Sea, Liverpool Bay and the Mersey Estuary has always been a hazardous undertaking. In 1689 the first official chart of the Mersey was produced and a later version appeared in 1738. Although charts made navigation easier, it was still precarious and local fishermen were required to act as guides for incoming vessels, operating an unofficial pilot service for vessels facing hostile weather conditions and tides.
The first official Liverpool Pilot Service was established by the Liverpool Pilotage Act of 1766 and resulted in the compulsory presence of a pilot aboard all vessels in the Mersey. The Act regulated the operation of the service and established a Pilotage Committee to oversee the working of the service including the issue of licences.
The 19th century witnessed the significant development of Liverpool as a port of international standing, and consequently to be a pilot was an extremely well established career. The pilots of the Port of Liverpool, as in other ports of the world, were employed to meet and take charge of the navigation of the vessel, 'well to seaward' of the bay and river estuary. The pilot provided essential knowledge in navigating sand banks and channels, and manoeuvring vessels through the complex dock system. Outward bound ships would have required the presence of a pilot for the same reasons.
Responsibility for supervising and administering the service was transferred to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board's (MDHB) Pilotage Committee in 1858. In 1883 the sailing pilot schooners, which had before been privately owned, were transferred to the Board's ownership, but pilots themselves remained self-employed until 1988. The new pilotage office was opened at Canning Pier in 1883. The building later housed the Museum of Liverpool Life from 1993 to 2006.
The first steam pilot boat, the Francis Henderson, was launched in 1896. Only in 1982 did the service complete the change from the large pilot vessels to the fast launches. One of the last large pilot vessels, Edmund Gardner, is now part of the Merseyside Maritime Museum's ship collection and is situated in permanent dry dock by the Great Western Railway Shed.
The Maritime Archives & Library holds an exceptionally comprehensive collection relating to history of the Liverpool Pilot Service. This archive is an important resource for maritime, local and family history research, but it is also a unique document, demonstrating the significance of the pilot service to this international port."
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