Known as Canada Half Tide Dock when opened in 1862,[1] it had two branch docks to the east which were known as North and South Carriers' Docks.[2]Timber was initially the principal cargo,[3] with fire a consequent safety concern. The original river entrance presented navigational difficulties, with the area affected by silting. The dock was renamed in 1879 in honour of Ralph Brocklebank,[2] Chairman of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board between 1863 and 1869.[3]
By the 1920s, the dock was home to the Houlder Brothers shipping company which operated to South America, and to the Commonwealth Line which operated to Australia.[2]
Subsequent modifications were made to Brocklebank Dock and the surrounding basins during the twentieth century, including the new Langton River Entrance in 1958.[3]
Brocklebank Dock provided facilities for transporting passengers and freight between Liverpool and Belfast, in Northern Ireland, until it was superseded by the Twelve Quays ferry terminal at Birkenhead.