 Authorised under the Newport Dock Company Act of 1854, it was opened on 2 March 1858; it had cost £64,000 to construct.The original dock became known as the Outer Basin, and the new dock, referred to as the Inner Basin, covered acres.Although at first the loading of the ships with general cargoes was dealt with by the ships' crews themselves, in due course, the Town Dock was equipped with a wide variety of hydraulic handling equipment, and a hydraulic generating power station was provided.