The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-10-08 00:00:00

THE NEW MARKET.

This is in course of erection by Messrs. Fox and Co.,
of Staffordshire, and is 430 feet long by 131 broad. Our
market of St. John's is little larger, being 555 feet by
135. The cost, including foot-paths, &c., will be about
£16,000. There are three ridges to the roof, pith pedi-
ments at the ends, and two tiers of semicircular windows
at the sides. Every modern improvement in such a struc-
ture has been made available, and the accommodation in
shops and stalls will be ample. The whole is excavated
or cellared out below, and the floor supported on cast iron
beams, supported by pillars of the same material at vari-
ous points in the line of this span. It will be divided
into three avenues by two rows of iron columns of a very
neat, light and decorative pattern. with foliated capitals,
and these will support a wrought iron roof over the whole.
There will be roof-lights as well as lateral and end win-
dows; and ventilation has been carefully attended to.
The building, the walls of which are rapidly rising to
their height, will have a pleasing and cheerful appearance,
and will be very roomy, though in outward appearance
compact.
From the New Market we proceeded northward towards
the site of the new docks, before noticing which we may
state that a great improvement is about to be effected in

THE WOODSIDE FERRY SLIP.
The present pier, though perhaps the finest on the
Cheshire side, is to be widened to more than double its
present width, and in another way to be rendered still
more commodious. The widening will be formed on the
north side of the present slip, and to such an extent as
will admit of an intermediate wall between each side, or.
in other words, down the centre. 'I his wall will be of 20
feet wide, and level on the top with the roadway just above
the castellated little buildings known as the pay-gates.
The present slip will be on the one side of this wall, and
n was,
s wwodeebdeltieoveh, ytea cothe new slip on the other. The object of the alteration
iwshticbtlan
suggestedmatib 4iithoneerAiod miis to a
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shelter to pasiengers landing or departing, when it blows
fresh either up or down the river, as it will form a break-
water to prevent the tide from rushing over the pier, and
the lee side of it may always be taken by the steam-boats
to secure that advantage. It will also, to a great extent,-
break-cif the wind and rain, which are so frequently an-
noying, if not dangerous to wayfarers. This wall, which
will run to the point of the pier, on a level, (the slips
forming inclined planes on either side,) will—a happy
idea of the commissioners—be well flagged and surrounded
by an ornamental ballust rade or railway, and will be lighted
at night with gas, so as to render it a promenade for-loung-
ers or expectants, who, while enjoying the fresh air, may
see the passengers landing or embarking, and pick out
their friends or acquaintances, without going upon either
of the slips. We think the purpose may be, still further
improved, and suggest that this 20-feet walk might be
spanned by a light roof of iron or zinc, provided with
rustic seats, and on each side ornamented with evergreens
and other hardy plants in pots or tubs, protected by wire-
work, which would render it a pleasing and almost rural
resort.

THE DOCK WORKS.
These will commence with the formation of the Tidal
Basin, of (as noted in the plan) 16 acres, with the beach-
ing ground on the shoreward, for coasters. On the
north-west side of this basin, at the spot marked with a
star (*), the formality of laying the foundation-stone of
the great works about to be proceeded with, will take
place. The basin will have two entrances, formed by the
construction of an oblong island, between the point of
Woodside Ferry pier and the southern corner'of the sea-
wall, to the north, which is to enclose Wallasey Pool.
These two entrances, it is supposed, will afford beter
ingress and egress of craft than a single opening, as either
may be taken advantage Of according to the wind. South-
ward will be the reclaimed land on each side of the en-
trance to the Pool, or, as it will be termed, " The Great
Low-water Basin," of 37 acres. The land'reclaimed, or
made, on each side will be about 60 acres, or 120 in all,
with a quay space all round of 300 feet wide. The gates
from this basin to the Great Floating Dock above, of 150
acres, and of a depth of 19 feet, are so clearly defined on
the map, that we need not supply any further elucidation.
The Birkehhead Dock Warehousing Company possess the
whole wide belt of land on the south side of the Pool up
to Corporation-road, and will doubtless employ or let it,
to the best advantage, fur lateral docks, warehouses, yards,
quays, &c. Scientfic plans are in preparation. From
the increasing trade of Liverpool, it is expected that the
buildings erected will come into requi.ition as soon as
built, for the storage of articles, especially those of abulky
description. The opposite, or Seacombe shore will be
equally available, and enhanced in value, fur the works
now upon it or similar manufactories, as wall as for quays,
slips, and new erections in warehouses or depOts. It will
be observed that there will be a road or bridge over the
gates from Birkenhead to Seacombe, near the river-wall,
which will not only he a great accommodation to visitors,
pedestrians, and others, but form a link between the two
townships which they have never before enjoyed even with
the advantage of Poulton-bridge, recently constructed,
which is much higher up, and involves additional miles of
travel. There is a small dock to be constructed early
at the south end of the Low-water Basin.

Our townsman, Mr. John Tornkineon, the builder of
our Custom-house, and of our New Assize Courts, has
obtained the contract for the whole of the Birkenhead
Dock sea-walls, &c., and is deserving of the trust reposed
in his abilities as an experienced and faithful workman.
fle has already made great progress in fixing his double
rows of perpendicular balks, with railways on the top, for
the curricles to convey and deposit in their places the huge
stones for the 16-acre basin; and these, extending along
the shore from Woodside Ferry to the gut between it and
the Patent slips, already show conspicuously from this side
of the water. He has also laid transverse elevated rail-
ways for the same purpose, abutting into the present beach-
ing ground in that quarter; and he is preparing to lay
down a railway for the conveyance of the principal part of
the stone from the quarry at Flaybrick Hill, for the sea
walls ; and has already got a new steam-engine for mortar-
grinding, and a new lime-kiln erected, on the shore facing
the works. He has also, in this early stage of the works,
and though the season begins to be unpropitious, a vast
number of workmen employed—perhaps not fewer than
two thonsgnd.

We may state that, in addition to the handsome places of
worship of the Establishment, and the Catholic and Dis-
senting Chapels, four new " Churches" are to be shortly
erected, on eligible sites, as indicated in our plan,—to
meet the wants and wishes of the rapidly increasing
population.
Birkenhead will, no doubt, derive very considerable ad-
vantages from the number of railways that will shortly
terminate there, as well as from those nowexistiug. We may
enumerate—the respective railways from BIRKENHEAD,
to Birmingham and London ;—to Shrewsbury, Mont-
gomery, Welshpool, and New-Town ;—to Mould and
Wrexham ;—to Holyhead ;—to Runcorn, Warrington, and
Manchester •, and by various ways, in connection with'
these and other lines, to all parts of the north and east of
England. It is stated to us, indeed, that no town in the
country will become so much the focus of railways, in a
few years ; so that the docks and warehouses will be in
direct communication with all parts of the kingdem. The
government mail steam-ships, too, will there findsa haven
of security, in place of anchoring in the Sloyne ; and the
tidal basin will be of advantage to vessels bring* cattle,
as they may at all times there discharge their livestock,
without the necessity of losing a tide.
In fact, Birkenhead is, (to use a Yankee phrase,) "going
a-head in style." Hiving thus done justice, so far as our
space will allow, to the improvements of Birkenhead, and
in no way fearing honourable competition, we shall, ere
long, furnirti a plan and. el.e4ol> .r.f the new clacks ;and im-
provements in our own town, which we have had in pre-
paration for several weeks.