Henry Berry

Details

Hits: 221

Henry Berry was born approx. 1719, he was the son of John Berry who was a yeoman of St. Helens.

Berry was involved in the building of the South Docks at Liverpool, working as a clerk for Thomas Steers, when Steers died in 1750, John Berry was promoted to oversea the building of the docks and was made a Freeman. The docks (Salthouse) opened in 1753.

Soon after the completion of the docks Berry was involved in a proposal to make a navigable link from St.Helens to the Mersey. Berry worked with William Taylor two days a week to survey the proposed route.

It is thought that either Berry or the Trustees of the navigation (or both) deceived parliament by stating that the navigation was an improvement to the Sankey Brook which they stated was already navigable, when in fact it was a new navigation. This is why it was the only canal or navigation built that did not receive any opposition at all to the proposals.

The Act permitted as many cuts as were necessary, and on Berry's advice the whole navigation was a new cut, 8 miles long with a fall of 78' through nine locks. Two branches were built later making a total length of 10 miles. Access to the River Mersey was not easy and so it was moved downstream, and after that the navigation was in use for some 200 years.

Berry worked on improvements to the Weaver Navigation, but was replaced when there were construction problems.

Apart from the Sankey Canal, Berry's main achievements were the docks at Liverpool, building Salthouse, George's and King's Docks plus three graving docks; he was also building Queen's Dock when he retired in 1789.

Berry also spent time working for the Hull Dock Company and the Lancaster Port Commissioners.