Canada Dock, Liverpool
Part of Liverpool Docks
The dock was the last and biggest designed by Jesse Hartley, opening in 1859.
In 1862, the Canada half-tide basin, which became Brocklebank Dock, Liverpool, was added by George Fosbery Lyster.
Canada Dock dealt in timber being named after the main source of the trade, Canada. Fire was the greatest concern and the dock was initially kept isolated from the rest of the dock system for safety reasons. However, a fire did break out in 1893 which caused £50,000 of damage. The original river entrance also presented navigational difficulties, with the area affected by silting. Modifications to the basin took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, creating the branch docks and graving dock.
During the First World War, the liner RMS Lusitania was refitted at Canada Dock, including the installation of twelve 6-inch guns.
The removal of the problematic tidal basin only took place after World War II, following a complete rebuild.
Further improvements took place during the 1950s and 1960s as the dock became a base for cargo liner companies such as Harrison Line.
The dock was used as a ro-ro berth during the early 1990s.