Built by the Manchester Ship Canal Company, Salford Docks was the larger of two that made up Manchester Docks; the other being Pomona Docks to the east. They were opened in 1894 by Queen Victoria and spanned of water and of land. At their height the Manchester Docks were the third busiest port in Britain, but after containerisation and the limit placed on vessel size on the Manchester Ship Canal, the docks declined in the 1970s. They closed in 1982, resulting in the loss of 3,000 jobs.