History of an illustrious shipbuilder whose great work spanned more than two centuries

THE Laird family of Birkenhead built their first iron ship – the paddle steamer Lady Lansdowne – in 1833, heralding a long and illustrious history of shipbuilding on the Wirral.

Lairds – later Cammell Lairds – was one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Many vessels were launched from its shipyard – originally in the Wallasey Pool but from 1857 they left from the Birkenhead site.

Scotsman John Laird (1805- 1874), son of company founder William Laird, was described as "the Father of Birkenhead".

He retired in 1861 and became the first MP for Birkenhead. His three sons, William, John and Henry, took over the business. Sailing vessels and steamships of all types continued to be built.

Laird Brothers merged with Sheffield steel manufacturers Charles Cammell & Co in 1903. Under the new name of Cammell Laird & Co, the shipyard continued to grow.

The two world wars brought unprecedented demand for new warships and repair work. In WWII, an astonishing 106 warships – an average of one every 20 days – were built. In 1956, the 30,000-ton ore carrier Leader was the largest of her type in the world. Three years later, the Auris was the first petroleum tanker powered by gas turbines.

Also launched in 1959 was the Windsor Castle, at 36,277 tons the largest passenger liner built by the company.

The last ship to be built at was HMS Unicorn in 1993.