[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.

[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facilities for transporting passengers and freight between Liverpool and Belfast, in Northern Ireland, until it was superseded by the Twelve Quays ferry terminal at Birkenhead.