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Mersey Tunnel Monument

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What is recorded here

The Mersey Tunnel Monument was designed by Herbert James Rowse as one of a matching pair for the Queensway road tunnel, completed for its royal opening in 1934. Its tall lit shaft both commemorated the great engineering work and illuminated the Birkenhead entrance; later road changes moved it, while the Liverpool original disappeared.

Why it was made

The paired monuments celebrated the road tunnel built beneath the Mersey and provided strong electric light around each busy entrance.

People and events

Herbert Rowse designed the pair, McAlpine and Sons built them, and the completed work greeted the tunnel's opening by George V in 1934.

How it worked

A lamp at the top of the tall shaft spread light across the entrance, while bold modern form announced the new underground crossing.

What remains

The Birkenhead monument and its decorative metalwork survive between later carriageways after being moved during changes in the 1960s.

Why it mattered

The monument mattered as both useful street lighting and a surviving public marker of a major work joining Liverpool and the Wirral.

Sources for this account

Sources checked 16 August 2026.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n2278006469

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Photo credits
  • Stephen Richards, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Alan Murray-Rust, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • David Dixon, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Richard Rogerson, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Marathon, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Rodhullandemu, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • John S Turner, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • JThomas, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
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