Liverpool once had a beautiful castle. It was built in the thirteenth century but it was destroyed in 1644 during the English Civil War. Liverpool became important when the docks were constructed in the eighteenth century. The docks were used by large sailing ships. Coal, salt and glass were sold to the rest of the world, often in exchange for slaves. A huge amount of money was made through the slave trade. The slave trade was abolished in 1807 and cotton became Liverpool's biggest success. The Albert Dock was opened in 1846 by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, but was closed as a working dock in 1972. It was re-opened ten years later as a shopping and tourist area.
