Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1786 to 1791

Summary from record TQ 76 NE 121 :

Tarred yarn store, c.1799

Monument Types

• STOREHOUSE (STOREHOUSE, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• TAR WORKS (TAR WORKS, Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• SITE (Post Medieval - 1786 AD to 1791 AD)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TQ 7568 NE CHATHAM COTTAGE ROAD
(West side) Chatham Dockyard
762-1/1/48
Former Tarred Yarn House
GV II*
White yarn, tarring and black yarn houses, now one store. 1786-1791, gaps between the three filled in C19. Brick with corrugated sheet and lead hipped roof. PLAN: rectangular single-depth plan.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; 4:2:4:8-window range. Originally three separate buildings, now connected and the gaps between filled in. Long range with thin brick cornice and coped parapet, rubbed brick flat arches: the N white yarn house has doubled in width, 8-window N range, with double half-glazed doors with a doorway left of centre; the tarring house has 2 long 8-light casement windows and a pair of 2-light casements, and a segmental-arched carriage entrance each side in the ground floor; the long windows and archway are part of the later infill. The black yarn house has 2-light mullion and transom casements. Between the tarring and black yarn houses is a mid C20 infill with 2 first-floor blind windows.
INTERIOR: not inspected. HISTORY: part of the late C18 rebuilding of the Ropeyard. Yarn was drawn from the white yarn house into the tarring house. This was divided into a kettle house with the tar kettles, and a capstan house which had capstans drawing the yarn powered by a horse gin in the basement. From there the tarred yarn was fed to the black yarn house where it dried and was wound on to bobbins before being taken to the ropery for laying. Tar was stored in the basement of the ropery (qv) and taken to the tarring house through a vaulted tunnel.
Although altered, this represents an important component of the finest ropeyard and one of the largest integrated groups of C18 manufacturing buildings in the country. Part of a largely complete Georgian dockyard. (Sources: Coad J: Historic Architecture of Chatham Dockyard 1700-1850: London: 1982: 163 ; Coad J: Historic Architecture of the Royal Navy: London: 1983: 71).
Listing NGR: TQ7582368888

Description from record TQ 76 NE 121 :
(TQ 7582 6887) SAM No. 248 [Tarred yarn store: scheduled]. (1) The 1799 design for the building shows a row of three separate buildings, the central one containing the kettle house and capstan winding gear for winding the yarn. (2)

Coad, J., 1982, Historic Architecture of Chatham Dockyard 1700-1850 (Article in serial). SWX7760.

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

<2> Jonathan G Coad, 1989, The royal dockyards 1690-1850: architecture and engineering works of the sailing navy. No.1, Page Nos. 215, Plate Nos. 166 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6362.

Sources and further reading

Related records