Timber Yard
Bootle's Timber Yard
By the early 1900s, there were numerous factories around Bootle producing timber products. Timber is basically wood that is used for building houses and making furniture.
One reason there were so many companies is because the docks (such as Canada Dock) received and sent out a lot of wood supplies to other countries.
As a result, timber would have been easy for factories to get hold of if they set up near the docks; their supplies would not have needed to travel very far.
Did you know?
By the mid 1800s, the timber trade in Liverpool was already on a roll – over 4,000 tons were being shipped in every year. That’s equal to the weight of 333 double deckers (the bus, not the chocolate bar!)
Mahogany Jewellery Box
Did you know?
In December 1940, the docks were bombed during the Blitz, destroying piles of timber worth about £4 million!
Picture of a 1914 advert for the timber company ‘GB Walker and Sons’ (on Derby Road, Bootle
One of the companies in Bootle was ‘GB Walker and Sons’ on Derby Road. Established in 1814, they sold many different types of timber from all over the world. Wainscot Oak came from Austria / Russia and Mahogany was brought in from countries in South America and even Africa!
Both types of wood are very high quality.
Wainscot Oak has been used in wood panelling on the walls of homes. Mahogany has been used to make musical instruments and even jewellery boxes. It’s no wonder that ‘GB Walker’ described themselves as ‘fancy wood merchants’!
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