Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock will highlight a respectful nod to the past.

More than 400 heritage assets, many dating back to the dock’s heyday around 150 years ago, have been painstakingly recorded and tagged, with many of them being restored before being incorporated back into the footprint of the stadium site.

These historic items, many of which were instrumental to world trade via maritime connectivity, include ancient railway tracks used to transport coal off-site, in addition to cobblestones, capstans and mooring bollards, alongside Grade II-listed structures including the dock retaining walls, boundary wall and Hydraulic Tower.

And with no stone left unturned in the ambition to incorporate much of the site’s rich local history into the Club’s fast-developing new home, those tasked with the restoration project are excited to play their part in blending the old with the new.

John McGovern, senior design manager at construction partner Laing O’Rourke, said: “One of the key principles of developing the stadium was to protect the fabric of the historic features.

“The assets are across the site and will, wherever necessary, be removed, refurbished and relocated within the public realm works, in locations appropriate to reflect their original use.

“It helps to connect those visiting the new stadium with the dock’s history, as a key staging post in the city’s maritime importance.”

Before work began on site, the Club employed KM Heritage Consultants and Planit IE to compile a thorough survey of all the assets and outline their heritage significance.

“We treated the whole site as a very sensitive space. KM Heritage were the originators of the Heritage strategy, which was developed to support the Planning application and guide us in relation to all heritage assets,” added McGovern.

“During the pre-construction and planning phase, we assembled our design team including BDP Pattern, Buro Happold, Planit IE, Curtins and Heritage Project Management.

“The team worked in consultation with KM Heritage, Liverpool City Planning, Historic England and other stakeholders to ensure our construction design respected the heritage importance of all site features.

“Heritage Project Management now keep us on track as Heritage ‘clerk of works’ and provide and invaluable service of research, investigations and advice on methods, materials and products.”

He added: “One example of the level of detail involved is that they have undertaken a detailed survey of the Regent Road boundary wall, in three metre sections, to record conditions, the works necessary and proposed treatments.

“That included analysing the mortar in the walls, to determine the granularity, the colouring and the materials in it.

“We found that there is coal ash in the mortar and you can’t replicate that these days, so we have an alternative proposal that has been developed to replicate the original mortar.”

Such attention to detail is necessary, including the justification required to gain permission from the authorities for entrances ‘cut’ into the Grade II listed boundary wall, in order to accommodate the influx of over 52,000 supporters via the only accessible route.

This was achieved by making a case to the authorities that such drastic measures help to bring back to life a historic site that was formerly derelict and inaccessible to the public.

The new pedestrian openings will incorporate overhead sections of the wall and are separated by columns in the existing stone. This approach should ensure that the visual continuity of the wall is retained – which is a key element of its significance.

Visible from the western terrace, the original dock gates, attached to the dock walls, have been preserved during the build by protecting them with a thick rubber membrane.

These dock gates will be uncovered upon completion of works, to resume their original context within the water channel.

Meanwhile, the walls of the infilled dock will be incorporated into the final design, with the dock wall surfaces themselves visible within parts of the stadium upon completion.

McGovern explained: “The building is designed so it spans across the dock wall and doesn’t bear upon it.

“In this instance, in the north-east and south-east turnstile entries you will be able to see the dock wall surface within the final scheme, so that when supporters walk through certain turnstiles, they will be walking on the exposed dock wall.

“That has been particularly challenging because in some places the dock wall copings are not level, or have holes in them.

“We have reviewed all this with the relevant authorities, Historic England and the conservation and accessibility teams, and finitely surveyed every stone to millimetres and determined that it’s safe to walk on.

“It is exposed within the public realm too, and the paving within the public area and within the old dock wall has been specifically designed to reflect the shimmer you would get on water.

“One of the most critical features from UNESCO and Historic England was the fact we were taking the water out of this space.

“But we have made a real effort, through this paving effect, to reflect its past and offer that back story to supporters, thanks to Planit IE for their public realm design, which retained an important concept.”

The large fan plaza that will greet supporters as they flood through the boundary wall will also incorporate many of the original features, including the old railway lines and cobblestones.

Any additional items unable to be reintroduced on site may be used as exhibition items, or bequeathed to Liverpool City Council or Peel Waters for future developments.

But how will these ancient heritage assets sit, when juxtaposed against a gleaming, brand-new stadium that will help transform the docklands in north Liverpool?

“You don’t pretend there is nothing new,” argued McGovern. “You acknowledge there’s new and there’s old, with a clear delineation between the two.

“The stadium will look magnificent and I think the re-use of the materials, such as the granite paving, will be a throwback to what was once here, while where the dock wall runs into the entrances in the north east and south east entrances you will still get a real feel for the past, too.”

And last, but certainly not least, there is the restoration of the historic Hydraulic Tower, dating back to 1883, which will loom large over the fan plaza.

McGovern explained: “This is another grade II-listed building and you can see how it has suffered over the years, but we have arrested its deterioration, made the building safe and we are now in the process of remediating the tower to bring it back to use, with the help of Curtins Consulting Engineers.

“In particular, you could see the degradation, largely due to the weather, and the precarious condition it was left in, including many cracks in the walls and the old cast iron windows, which have rotted through.

“A scheme of restoration is now underway where the refurbishment works that are necessary, including the masonry repairs, structural repairs, roof replacement, and eventually, in the near future, it will be restored back to its former glory and brought back into use.”