The Liverpool Docks

The Liverpool docks, constructed over the Mersey River, were built in order to keep sailing ships and larger vessels afloat to combat the extreme tidal differences of the river. The first dock was built in 1715, and the area was heavily used until its decline in the early 1900s. Much of the area’s growth and success was supported through the docks’ involvement and success in the transatlantic slave trade up until it was banned at the beginning of the 1800s. In 1839, the largest and most difficult to engineer dock, the Albert Dock, was proposed to be built and finally completed in 1846. The Albert Dock was incredibly innovative due to its design that included warehouses, and at its peak, in the early 19th century, it had 40% of global trade passing through. 

The decline of the Liverpool Docks was...

(Photo credit to the New York Public Library Digital Collections)

The Wellington House Academy was a classical and commercial academy located on Hampstead road in London. Classical academies are known for values of virtue and tradition. Classical academies also prioritize the authority of the teacher. The strict, traditional, and authoritarian aspects of a classical academy are sure to leave a strong imprint on the attending students as shown in the work of Charles Dickens. Commercial academies, on the other hand, focus on preparing students for the work force and are also known to be strict. Charles Dickens...

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Here is a picture of what we know as “Audley Court” from Lady Audley’s Secret. In real life, it’s known as Fonthill Abbey. The court was built and owned by William Thomas Beckford, the son of a wealthy plantation owner. Fonthill Abbey was a country house that was built as a representation of the Beckfords’ power and status. It is located in what is now known as Salisbury, England, deep in the woods, far...

The Gates of Somnauth are significant geographically in both The Moonstone and British colonial history. Indeed, the gates itself reflect the entrance to the Somnauth temple which has more significance considering it is likely the site where the Moonstone was stolen, but the gates still radiate a sense of mystery. In The Moonstone, the sacred city of Somnauth is only briefly mentioned—described primarily as a sacked city wrought by despair—but the gates stand out as an object of optimism. Little is known about the history of the gates, but they remained a sacred figure in British and Indian history, so much so that in 1842, Edward Law, the 1st Earl of Ellenborough, ordered the British Army to bring sandalwood gates of Mahmud of Ghazni's tomb—initially believed to be the gates of...