Well painted and historically interesting original watercolour by the Cheshire artist Bernard Lee, painted circa 1970.

Titled "No. 9 Dock, Manchester, in 1942, full of heavily-armed Merchant Ships" depicting the dock, which was at the time the largest and most modern of the Salford docks and vital to supplying Britain during WWII. In the foreground a steam paddle tug guides an armed merchant ship out of the dock. See full details below.

Signed lower right and with the artist's label on the back board.

Watercolour and gouache on heavy wove paper. In the original aluminium over woof frame, with inscribed, double mount.

Watercolour in excellent original condition, with strong fresh colour (see photos). Frame with some very slight nicks and scratches, mount clean (see photo). 

Image size; 37.5cm x 47.5cm, frame size 55cm x 64cm 

Comes with our Certificate of Authenticity - guaranteed authentic and original.

Delivered ready to hang.

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In the 1940s, Number 9 Dock in Salford was the largest, newest, and most advanced of the Manchester Docks, acting as a crucial, bustling hub for ocean-going cargo during and after WWII. It featured extensive concrete storage sheds, electric cranes, and a massive 168-foot grain elevator (Elevator No. 2), serving as a major terminal for Manchester Liners to Canada.

The dock was over half a mile long, capable of holding up to 10 large ocean liners or cargo ships simultaneously. It featured a 168-foot grain elevator built in 1915, which was a dominant landmark, and extensive railway sidings managed by the Manchester Ship Canal Railway. Key imports included grain, cotton, timber, tea, fruit, cattle, and oil, alongside manufacturing equipment. Situated on the Salford side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it was part of a 9-dock system that made the Port of Manchester the third busiest in Britain.

Wartime Activity: During the 1940s, it served as a key port for cargo ships like the Manchester Shipper and American C2-type cargo vessels.

Post-War Transformation: While it peaked in traffic in the 1950s, in the 1940s, it was already a vital industrial centre that would later be transformed into the MediaCityUK/Salford Quays area.