Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1723 to 1850

Summary from record TQ 76 NE 98 :

Naval Stores Department, former mold loft, built 1723

Monument Types

• CLOCK TOWER (CLOCK TOWER, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• MOULD LOFT (MOULD LOFT, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• SAW PIT (SAW PIT, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• STOREHOUSE (STOREHOUSE, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• SITE (Post Medieval - 1723 AD to 1850 AD)

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 76 NE CHATHAM MAIN GATE ROAD
(East side) Chatham Dockyard 762-1/8/61
Clock Tower building
24.5.71
GV II*
Store, mould loft and saw pits, now offices and stores. 1723, upper storeys rebuilt and encased in brick 1802, ground-floor bricked-in c1830.
MATERIALS: timber-frame on brick ground floor, encased in brick, with slate hipped roof. PLAN: rectangular single-depth plan with central axial stair.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys; 16-window range. Large uniform block with double doors at the left-hand end and S bays from the right, and segmental-arched heads to 6/6-pane sashes. Similar rear and 2-window sides. A large square 2-stage clock tower of 1802 has a low base with mullion windows each side, a weathered band to clock tower with clock faces to each side, and 4 curved brackets to a swept pyramidal roof, gilded ball and finial.
INTERIOR: has a timber frame of heavy square timbers, 3 bays across with posts originally enclosed in the walls, bolted heavy kneelers to the roof, and aisle posts with pillows. Wide central stair flight. The roof was originally a single pitch, altered 1802 with inserted posts and central valley, and the clock tower on top.
HISTORY: originally the 6 left-hand bays were open on the ground-floor to the saw pits, which were retained when the previous building was rebuilt, and bricked-in mid C19. The clock tower came from the C17 building on the site.
The oldest surviving store in a royal dockyard, built in the early C18 reconstruction of the dockyard and of a scale in contrast to the much larger storehouses built in the yards from the 17605. Built during the same phase of construction work as the Sail Loft and boundary walls (qv), and part of a fine assemblage of Georgian naval buildings.
(Sources: Coad J: Historic Architecture of Chatham Dockyard 1700-1850: London: 1982: 149 ; Coad J: The Royal Dockyards 1690-1850: Aldershot: 1989: 130-131 ; MacDougall P: The Chatham Dockyard Story: Rainham: 1987: 58).
Listing NGR: TQ7593869214

Description from record TQ 76 NE 98 :
(TQ 7594 6922) SAM No. 220 [Naval Store: scheduled]. (1) Naval store Department, Clock Office, Clock Tower Building. This building was erected 1722 and was originally the Mold Loft. HMS Victory was designed in it. 3 storeys, 15 windows. Red brick. In the centre of the roof is a square clock tower. Listed Grade II. (2) The Clock Tower Building or Present Use Store was begun in 1723. The North six bays originally were open sided and contained saw pits. The oldest surviving dockyard storehouse. (3)

<1> English Heritage 1:1250 SAM location maplet (OS Card Reference). SKE41612.

<2> DOE (HHR) Borough of Chatham May 1971 (10) (OS Card Reference). SKE39906.

<3> Jonathan G Coad, 1989, The royal dockyards 1690-1850: architecture and engineering works of the sailing navy. No.1, Page Nos. 107-8, Plate Nos. 130 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6362.

Sources and further reading

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