Dawpool (also written Dalpool, Dorpool, Dorpoole,..) is a name that is much used in accounts of shipping in the Dee Estuary. It was for many years a fairly secure anchorage, which could be reached easily from the Irish Sea. It was also known originally as Red Bank - from the colour of the cliffs. Deep-draught vessels would anchor there to off-load their cargoes to lighters (barges or flats) that would take the cargo up to Flint or Chester. Some Parkgate Packets (sailing vessels taking passengers to Ireland) are reported as taking on extra passengers at Dawpool (for instance Jonathan Swift landed at "Darpool" in 1707 from Dublin and then rode the next day to Parkgate; he set out from there on his return in 1709 to Dublin (Ringsend) after lodging at Parkgate).
There is a report of a vessel, Experiment of Liverpool, registered 1699, having been built at "Dawpool by the river near Chester".
In 1822 a scheme was proposed to develop a port at Dawpool (since at that time access at low tides was superior to that to Liverpool). This scheme was not acted upon. There was also a proposal in 1825 to build a ship canal, taking vessels of up to 250 tons, from Dawpool to Manchester - that also never got under way.
From 1700 to the late 1800's, there was a relatively deep channel running along the Wirral Shore from Heswall to Caldy. The sandbank off-shore of this channel was called Dawpool Bank.
There is some remnant of this today (2018): an anchorage at Thurstaston in the channel up to Heswall that is used by a few fishing vessels, all year round: my survey shows that this area now dries at low water and is only accessible above half-tide.
So was there a place called Dawpool? The sea-charts mark places on shore, and it would be expected that some infrastructure (piers, quays, houses,..) was in place to serve such an important anchorage.
There are three possible sites, where the cliffs have a gap, namely
(i) Caldy Steps (where Croft Drive meets the sea);
(ii) Thurstaston Causeway (where the
Dee Sailing Club is located and there is a road down to a causeway) and where
a stream crosses the beach.
(iii) Thurstaston Shore Cottages (where there is a cottage now known as
Sally's Cottage or Shore Cottage down at beach level, below the visitor
centre).
Note that the modern Dawpool (the western part of Thurstaston village) takes its name from Dawpool Manor which was re-built, from 1877 on, for Thomas Henry Ismay (owner of the White Star Line - of Titanic fame) who lived there until his death in 1899. The manor was demolished in 1927.
What I have been able to discern is:
Collins Chart of 1695 has a place
called "Dorpoole" with a dwelling marked, located near (ii)
Burdett's Chart of 1775 shows
"Dalpool" on shore - in a similar location.
A land map by Hunter of 1798 shows
"Dalpool" as a few houses on the shore between (i) and (ii).
William Morris Chart of 1800 shows
"smelting house in ruins" close to anchorage symbol near (i) and
"Dawpool" at short distance SE of this (near (ii)).
Denhams Sailing Directions of 1840
describe "Dalpool" as a deep anchorage which was not accessible at all
tidal heights.
The first Ordnance Survey map (circa 1840) shows "Dawpool Deep" off the shore
between Caldy Steps and Thurstaston causeway. It also marks "limekilns" at Caldy Steps
and near Sally's Cottage. "Dawpool" is marked on the shore just south of
Thurstaston Causeway. Road access is only shown to (i) and (iii).
More detailed OS maps, from 1870 and later, show:
(i) Caldy Steps: a Shore Cottage (still standing - has had different
names - owner says built 1750s and used to import roofing slates);
weighing machine and limekilns. From 1910 a "landing Stage - disused"
is marked: part of this is still visible.
The cliffs here have steadily eroded and the Golf Club
reports: "The original foot of the cliffs can be seen as sandstone blocks some 50yds into the river, the
remains of a quay partly built in the 1800's".
- [I have a particular interest in this area since I act as
volunteer ranger].
Mortimer in 1847 states:
"Caldy then consisted of
a few fishermen's huts and small cottages, scattered over the side and at the foot
of a rocky eminence, separated from the township of Thurstanston by a deep valley
embedded with rock.
A few small houses called Dawpool or Dalpool scattered below Caldy on
the verge of the river are all that remain of that place once the celebrated
rendezvous for embarkation of the troops of Cheshire and Lancashire."
(ii) Thurstaston causeway: OS maps mark "breakwater" and Beazley's book of 1924 states:
Just about half a mile north of Thurstaston station, on the northern boundary of the parish, a tiny stream flows into the estuary. On the shore at this point is a massive rounded archway of the local red sandstone, some of the stones being as much as six feet long. From this a jetty runs into the sea while the beach for some distance around is strewn with a quantity of squared stones; it would appear as if at some time there had been a quay, or a sea wall to protect the bank against erosion, and that the archway was made to allow the stream (which would be larger in winter) egress to the sea. The bed of the stream for some distance from its mouth contains many squared stones. Further north a line of large and long stones stretches along the beach for a considerable distance. None of the work appears of any great age.
(iii) Shore cottage: early OS maps mark this building as "Dawpool Cottage".
A stronger indication is given in the Topographical Dictionary of
England (Samuel Lewis 1831) which states: "Dalpool is a hamlet in the
parish of Thurstaston,.., it is upon the River Dee, 5 miles NW by N from
Parkgate."
Now Caldy Steps are 5 miles from the NW end of Parkgate
"Ferry-house and Beerhouse Pier" [now Boathouse pub]; while Thurstaston Causeway is 5
miles from the SE end of Parkgate [now Old Quay Stonehouse pub]. So
take your pick...
My conclusion is that the Dawpool anchorage was intially quite long - stretching from Caldy to near Parkgate and it became progressivly shallower and shorter. Indeed a report in 1823 describes a journey from Dawpool as starting at Gayton Lane [now Gayton Cottage] only 1.5 miles from Parkgate. The deepest part moved NW and so "Dawpool" may have steadily moved from off Sally's Cottage to off Caldy Steps. The shore hamlet may have effectively moved also - to stay close to the anchorage. There is certainly evidence for shore facilities at both of the areas of Caldy Steps and of Thurstaston Causeway.
This report from 1823 describes a trial steam packet voyage from
Dawpool to Dublin and back. The vessel used was wooden paddle
steamer Mountaineer, built Greenock 1821, 114 x 19 ft, then serving the
Dublin-Liverpool route. More
history.
From Manchester Mercury - Tuesday 12 August 1823 [From the Chester
Chronicle]
At that date, the departure point was "Gayton Lane end"
which is currently the location, on the shore, of Gayton Cottage. It
is, as described, about 1.5 miles from Parkgate [Boathouse].
This information fits in with my suggestion that the location
on the shore of Dawpool gradually moved from near Parkgate to near
Caldy, as the channel progressively silted up.
LONDON, CHESTER, AND DUBLIN, VIA DAWPOOL. COMPLETE SUCCESS OF
THE
EXPERIMENTAL VOYAGE,
The experimental trip from Dawpool to Dublin has at last
been made, and the result has been decidedly triumphant - thus
establishing at once, practically, the great superiority of the
projected Packet station at Dawpool. The prominent advantages of the
western [sic] coast of the Dee, for a packet station to accelerate the
intercourse with the sister island, are completely proved. The
Mountaineer, steamer, a fine vessel, of nearly 100 horse power,
commanded by Captain Townley, was hired for that purpose by a few
public-spirited tradesmen of this city; the proposed trip had excited
no small degree of jealousy in Liverpool, and the Committee therefore
had some difficulty in hiring a vessel on any terms, and it was not
till £110 were paid, that the proprietors of the Mountaineer
permitted her to start, and then only on the evening of Sunday last.
On Sunday morning, about four o'clock, the vessel moved round the Rock
Point, and dropped into the Dee, subsequently anchoring immediately
off Gayton-lane-end, about a mile and a half north of Parkgate,
accomplishing the distance, nearly 26 miles, in little more than two
hours.
About four o'clock, the conveyances provided for those who
intended making the trip from this city [Chester], were drawn up in
Further
Northgate-street, and proceeded onwards to Gayton-lane, the passengers
embarking about half-past six, p. m. The shore, at this time, presented
a singularly busy and interesting scene; the news of the arrival of
the Mountaineer off the coast had attracted vast numbers of the
farmers and peasantry to the immediate vicinity. Ale and other
refreshments were brought down to the shore in carts, and the whole
presented the appearance of a populous village wake. A great number of
visitors from Parkgate attended to witness the pleasing scene - the
Mountaineer was gaily dressed out with a variety of flags, a band of
music was playing on board - boats were rapidly playing over the waves
- to and from the vessel - reciprocal cheerings from those on land to
those riding on the water, altogether conspired to render the scene in
the highest degree gratifying and picturesque. By seven o'clock nearly
all the passengers from Chester were safe on board, and the sun
shining in full glory gave a splendid finish to the scene. During the
stay of the Mountaineer, she was visited by many hundreds, and the
boatmen of course made some good fares. At this time, the steam was
fully up, waiting only the arrival of Mr. Tomlinson, with the Chester
Post Office certificate, to put the engine in immediate motion. A few
minutes before half-past seven, a chaise and four were seen rapidly
descending from the brow of the hill towards the shore - it was driven
gallantly down the beach into the water alongside the custom-house
boat - Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. J. Walker, and Mr. J. Davies alighted from
it, and in five minutes they were on board. Echo reverberated the
heartfelt huzzas by which they were loudly greeted from the shore and
from the ship, and precisely at twenty minutes before eight o'clock,
the paddles were in motion, and the vessel proceeded majestically
along the bosom of the lake on her way to Dublin! The weather had been
very squally during the whole of the morning, attended by heavy,
soaking rain; at noon, however, it cleared up, and continued fine, as
it respects the atmosphere, nearly the whole of the night; but the
wind blew a heavy gale direct in the teeth of the ship, and continued
to increase till near the completion of the passage. Off the
Ormsheads, till within about twenty miles of Howth, it was extremely
severe, reducing, together with the tide, the progress of the vessel
from ten to twelve miles in the hour, to four or six miles.
The violent state of the wind was rather favourable to the
experiment than otherwise, inasmuch it proved, that with this great
obstacle against it, the Packet was enabled to deliver the London
Evening Papers of Saturday in Dublin, about four hours earlier than
those by the way of Shrewsbury and Holyhead! establishing at once the
decided superiority of the Dawpool line of route!! - Had there been
moderate weather, it is the opinion of the experienced Captain, that
the newspapers would have been in Dublin Post-Office at eight o'clock
in the morning, instead of a quarter before three in the evening,
giving an additional advantage of nearly seven hours in favour of the
Packet!
On arriving in Dublin, the city was immediately placarded,
and the evening papers promptly published a statement of the packet's
arrival.
The hospitality with which the passengers were treated,
was truly gratifying, and highly flattering to the warm hearts of the
people of Dublin. They took up their abode at Gresham's Hotel,
Sackville-street, the spirited host of which immediately made
arrangements for their comfortable accommodation, to his own material
inconvenience, insisting on giving up his private lodging-rooms for
their reception. In short, the people of Dublin, generally, vied in
their warm expression of acknowledgment of the public spirit which
carried the exhibition into effect; but we should not be doing common
justice, were not to notice the many civilities and the hospitality
which several of the Committee received from A. Gibbon, Esq. the
respected Harbour Master, and his amiable family.
We should have stated, that the Packet arrived at Howth at
half-past two p. m. on Monday; a chaise was then procured, which
reached the Post Office at a quarter past three clock, and where the
certificate of time, etc. was signed - At six o'clock on Tuesday
evening, the Packet left Howth, and after a pleasant voyage, arrived
at Gayton Lane end at half-past eight o'clock on Wednesday morning,
completing the voyage home in about 13 hours and a half, and passing
over Chester Bar, in a gallant style, with some 6 or 7 feet water
under the vessel's keel.
This voyage, then, has fully established what was aimed at
by the Committee: it has proved the celerity with which communication
can be made between London and Dublin, out-stepping even the
ten-mile-an-hour-mail, and the flying Holyhead Packets! it has proved
that the passage can be made at any time, without any bar whatever -
weather only excepted - it is proved that the road from Chester to
Dawpool is so good as to enable a chaise and four horses to run a
distance of thirteen miles in an hour and ten minutes, after a delay
on the road of about ten minutes - it has proved that there is ample
water from Dawpool to the sea, and over the Bar, to permit the passage
of a packet drawing 8, or 10, or 12 feet water at any time of the
tide; these facts being proved beyond the possibility of
contradiction, the communication between the two kingdoms, via
Dawpool, may be safely pronounced the most certain and speedy at
present known, and as such deserving of national protection and
general encouragement - The Committee will of course make a report of
the expedition, and adopt such measures as may be considered likely to
accomplish the long talked-of consideration, - a Steam Packet
Establishment at Dawpool.
