Humyak House

Humyak House is a four-storey warehouse with basement and jigger loft, built in 1864 on Duke Street. It is constructed of brick beneath a slate roof with stone copings. Most window and door openings are fitted with cast iron shutters.

The building has a rectangular plan with a slight kink to the east. The front elevation features two loading bays rising to full four-storey height, each spanned by round-headed arches and topped with iron catheads dated 1864. The ground floor loading bays are flanked by timber buttresses to protect against damage from loading and unloading vehicles. All doors and windows are equipped with cast iron shutters, and all window openings are barred for security. Five centrally-placed windows light the floors above, with the topmost window illuminating the small jigger loft. Between the first and second floors, a large relief plaque bearing the words "HUMYAK HOUSE 1864" is affixed to the wall. Access is gained through a round-headed ground-floor door arch leading to a stairwell lit by three narrow window openings. The front elevation is finished with a parapet topped by stone copings. The right return elevation contains windows, some retaining original cast iron shutters whilst others have been bricked up. An attached building extends to third floor height along the left return. Modern additions to the front include external lights, alarm systems, a satellite dish and a "no parking" sign.

Internally, stairwells occupy the front and rear right sides of the building, fitted with cast iron spiral stairs. The building retains its original timber flooring and cast iron columns supporting heavy timber floor and ceiling beams. The top floor contains a small jigger loft housing the pulleys and winding machinery. All warehouse shelving is modern.

Humyak House was constructed in 1864 close to the site of the world's first enclosed dock, now Canning Place, and forms part of an area of warehouses and associated housing with a street pattern fully developed by 1810. This was the area of earliest commercial development relating to the growth of Liverpool's port, and by 1864 the port had achieved international significance. Warehouses like Humyak House were built on long, narrow plots with limited street frontages and multiple storeys to meet high demand for land. At an unspecified date the warehouse's front elevation was rendered. The ground floor latterly served as a joinery workshop until approximately 2004, and some machinery and internal partitioning from this use remains. The upper floors continue in use as a warehouse.