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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 97 NW 1076
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:FORMER NORTH SAW PITS BUILDING NUMBER 84

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1828 to 1966

Summary from record TQ 97 NW 1024:

Building 84, Sheerness Dockyard, built 1828.


Grid Reference:TQ 90987 75361
Map Sheet:TQ97NW
Parish:SHEERNESS, SWALE, KENT

Monument Types

  • METAL FRAMED BUILDING (Constructed 1828, Post Medieval to Modern - 1828 AD to 2050 AD)
  • SAW PIT (Post Medieval - 1828 AD? to 1864 AD? (at some time))
  • SITE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1828 AD to 1966 AD)
  • FIRE ENGINE HOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1864 AD? to 1960 AD? (at some time))
Protected Status:Listed Building (II*) 1243244: FORMER NORTH SAW PITS BUILDING NUMBER 84

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 9075 SE QUEENBOROUGH IN SHEPPEY JETTY ROAD
933/1/10001 Sheerness Dockyard
Former North Saw Pits,
25.04.1994 Building No.84
GV II*
Saw pits, later office and store, disused. 1828, by William Miller, architect for the Navy Board, iron work by R and F Salisbury, Old Buffery, Dudley, Worcs; truncated mid C20. Iron frame, with end walls and upper part of side walls in brick; hipped double roof with large slates of diminishing courses and some asbestos sheet replacement. PLAN: double-depth rectangular plan, truncated at S end; 7 bays survive of original 10 bays. EXTERIOR: Single storey elevations originally open to E and W sides with original strips of cast-iron small-paned windows above inserted rendered walling; 4-window N end, with arcade of recessed semi-circular arched windows with glazing bar sashes. INTERIOR: contains 2 trusses with wrought-iron tension members to flat cast-iron ties and braces, supported by an axial row of cast-iron columns, joined to perimeter T -section columns by cast-iron beams and a central valley beam; each of the internal columns has diagonal braces both parallel and at right angles to the trusses; iron laths to slates. HISTORY: originally a 10-bay open structure providing cover each for a pair of saw pits. The internal frame and external walls similar to those used by Edward Holl for the 1826 mast house (Building 26, qv). An example of the experimental iron construction developed by Rennie and Holl and pioneered in the dockyards. An important example of a free-standing iron frame, and forming part of a unique early C19 dockyard. (Sources: Sheerness, the Dockyard, Defences and Blue Town: 1995: NMR BINO 93279; Rennie Sir J: The Formation and Construction of British and Foreign Harbours: London: 1851: 41).
Listing NGR: TQ9098775361 (3)

Description from record TQ 97 NW 1024:
Now office and store, built 1828 to design of William Miller. Iron-framed with end walls and upper part of side wall in brick. Hipped double roof with dimishing slate courses. Rectangular plan, truncated to south: 7 of original 10 bays survive. Outstanding example of experimental iron construction pioneered in dockyard and mill buildings of the period. Ironwork by R & F Salsbury, Dudley. (1)

Used to house saw-pits the building originally had eight bays containing two saw pits each.. The 1864 OS map shows that the north end bays contianing a fire-engine house rather than saw pits but it is not clear if this was originally part of the plan. Also the south end bay had also been partitioned off and used as a converter mould store. The adjancent bay still contained saw pits. The building was probably truncated in the mid-20th century and at the time of survey had recently been used as an engineering store but was currently unused. (2)


1858, Sheerness Dockyard 1858 labelled plan (Map). SKE18272.

<1> Department of the Environment, KCC Greenback Index (Index). SWX9400.

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments in England, 1995, Sheerness: The Dockyard, Defences and Blue Town, NMR BI 93279 (Unpublished document). SWX6974.

<3> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
---Map: 1858. Sheerness Dockyard 1858 labelled plan.
<1>Index: Department of the Environment. KCC Greenback Index.
<2>Unpublished document: Royal Commission on Historic Monuments in England. 1995. Sheerness: The Dockyard, Defences and Blue Town. NMR BI 93279.
<3>Map: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.