Canada Dock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Canada Dock |
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Canada Branch Dock No. 3, in 2009
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| Location | |
| Location | Kirkdale, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°26′11″N 3°00′18″W / 53.4365°N 3.0050°W |
| OS grid | SJ333938 |
| Details | |
| Owner | The Peel Group |
| Operator | Mersey Docks and Harbour Company |
| Opened | 1859 |
| Type | Wet dock |
| Joins |
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| Area | 17 acres (6.9 ha), 4,043 sq yd (3,380 m2) |
| Width at entrance | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Quay length | 1,272 yd (1,163 m) |
Canada Dock is a large dock in Liverpool, England. It is part of the busy Port of Liverpool system. This dock is found in the northern part of the city, in an area called Kirkdale. Canada Dock has a main water area closest to the river. It also has three smaller "branch" docks and a special "graving dock" for repairing ships. It connects to other docks nearby, like Brocklebank Dock to the north and Huskisson Dock to the south.
History of Canada Dock
Canada Dock was the last and biggest dock designed by Jesse Hartley. It first opened in 1859. A few years later, in 1862, George Fosbery Lyster added another part. This part later became Brocklebank Dock.
The dock was named Canada Dock because it mainly handled timber (wood) coming from Canada. Fires were a big worry back then. So, the dock was kept separate from other docks at first to be safe. However, a fire did happen in 1893. It caused a lot of damage.
The original entrance from the river was tricky for ships. The area often filled with mud and sand, which is called silting. Because of this, changes were made to the dock in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This is when the branch docks and the graving dock were added.
After World War II, the difficult tidal basin was finally removed. The dock was completely rebuilt. More improvements were made in the 1950s and 1960s. Canada Dock then became a main spot for cargo ship companies. These companies included the Harrison Line. In the early 1990s, the dock was used for "ro-ro" ships. These are ships where vehicles can drive straight on and off.
Connecting to railways
Canada Dock was linked to the national train network. This was done by the Canada Dock Branch Line. This short train line ran from Atlantic Junction, near Kirkdale railway station, right into the dock. It closed on September 12, 1982. The end of the line was Canada Dock railway station.
Even though the train line stopped carrying passengers in 1941, it was still used for goods. Today, there are plans to keep the old track path clear. This is in case the line needs to be used again in the future.
From 1893, people could also travel to the dock by the Liverpool Overhead Railway. This was through the Canada Dock (LOR) station. This service stopped in 1956.
What Canada Dock is used for now
Canada Dock is still in use today. It handles different types of bulk cargo. This means it deals with large amounts of goods that are not packaged. It is also a place where scrap metal is processed and stored.
