The spectacular sight of the 40-year-old QE2, Cunard’s veteran cruise liner, docking at the brand new cruise ship terminal at Liverpool’s Pier Head last month symbolised the remarkable renaissance of the Port of Liverpool over the past decade.

A century ago Liverpool was still the premier port of the British Empire and the home port to one seventh of the world’s shipping fleet. At its peak the port employed 25,000 dockers and as recently as the 1960s as many as 100 ships would be tied up in the port at any one time.