First suggested in 1809, the dock was built by Jesse Hartley between 1827 and 1832, when it opened, specifically for importing timber.

In 1854, Cato, Miller & Company built ships at Brunswick Dock.

The dock was rebuilt with a southern extension in 1905 by Anthony George Lyster.

[5] The Royal Navy Headquarters for the North of England (RNHQ NE) is on Brunswick Dock, which includes the Royal Naval Reserve shore establishment HMS Eaglet.

Due to tidal restrictions at Brunswick, however, the two ships spend most of their time at Langton Dock in the North dock system in order to enable them to carry out their University Royal Naval Unit training programs more effectively.