No 2 Dock, including bollards and capstans

No 2 Dock, which includes bollards and capstans, is a significant structure built between 1720 and 1730 as one of four dry docks. It was later modified into a double lock and enlarged into a single dock in the late 19th century.

The dock is constructed from granite and limestone ashlar and is oriented on a north-east to south-west axis, with the dock mouth facing west towards the Hamoaze estuary. The design features altars that step down towards the center, with slides and steps around the sides to facilitate the movement of materials. The dock walls are rounded at the heads, and there are pedestrian steps leading down to the lower dock levels. Roman numerals are inscribed at intervals on the dock walls to indicate water height. The north-east end of the dock wall bears an inscription from 1898, marking the date of its most recent enlargement, and is flanked by late 19th-century crane tracks.

The dock is lined with cast-iron bollards, most of which date from the late 19th century and are inscribed with the letters VR; some also bear the date 1897. Additionally, there are upturned muzzle-loading cannons repurposed as bollards, along with later capstans, including those made by Cowans Sheldon and Co, dated 1939.

Several features within the dock's footprint are not of special interest due to their later construction, plain design, and condition. These include metal barriers made from reused railway tracks, a chain link fence, life ring stands, and metal security fencing, as well as fragments of early 20th-century dock rail track.