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, 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 occur in 1893 causing £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.
