Monument record FEX 307 - Dock Basin Walls

At the end of 1881 the contractors Samuel Lake and Company began excavation of the Dock Basin, but it was not until April 1886, and a change in contractors to Henry Lee, that the basin was able to accommodate its first cargo ship, the SS Crathie. By this time the quay on the south side of the dock was almost complete.
The South Dock Wall was constructed using pre-cast concrete blocks known as caissons, which were sunk into the sand to a depth of c.12 metres (39ft 4”) in order to stabilise the ground. These were then covered with iron meshing and further layers of concrete to form the quay surface, which was capped with stone paving. The quay on the north side of the Dock Basin was constructed using the same methods, and was completed by 1905.
Rail lines were extended from the main line into the docks along both quays for the transport of cargo to and from the ships docked in the deep berths of the basin. The 1911 plan of the dock area shows the rail lines, the Marriages Mill on the north quay and also a coal shed on the north quay and a warehouse on the south quay. It also shows the two original breakwater piers extending from the north and south sides of the basin entrance. These were severely damaged in the flood of 1953 and replaced in 1957.
The east quay was begun in 1960 and complete by 1961 (Figure 19). A detailed specification for the work sets out the expected standards for the work including the use of Frodingham steel sheet piling of 15.25m (50ft) and 19.8m (65ft) lengths and concrete conforming to BS12 (TNA MT 81/234). Part of the north quay was also repaired using this sheet piling construction method during the construction of the east quay. Figure 19 shows the extent of these repairs relative to the original Dock Basin walls (S1 S2).