Even before work on Roath Dock had finished plans were being drawn up for another major investment in dock facilities. By 1895 Parliament sanction had been obtained for a new dock on reclaimed land on the foreshore side of the existing ones.
Two embankments were needed to reclaim the land and construction of these proved difficult due to the soft mud on the site and to it being subject to the huge tides in the Bristol Channel. By 1898 however this part of the work was completed and building the dock walls commenced. But even this did not go to plan as the foundations had to be dug deeper.
The final dock is 2550 feet long and 800 feet wide enclosing 50 acres of water. The sea lock is 90 feet wide. There is an communication passage into Roath Dock with a swing bridge over for railway tracks.
The total cost is put in excess of £2m (around £172m today).
The sea-ward side of the dock was to be used for coal export with the opposite side being used for imports. Warehousing on the import side included a cold store as a result of which Cardiff became a major port for handling frozen meat.
The dock was opened on 13 July 1907 by King George VII and Queen Alexandra after whom the dock became named.
