Warehouse

Warehouse. Dated 1863 on a hoist housing, although it may be earlier with minor 20th-century alterations. The building is constructed of red brick with a slate roof. It is a narrow-bodied warehouse, five bays deep, extending eastwards. The front (west) elevation has three storeys and an attic. A tall gable faces the street and features a recessed centre beneath a semi-circular arched head at the gable apex. This recess shelters tiered pairs of loading doors and landings supported on cast iron beams. Above the arch is a gabled metal canopy bearing the date 1863 and housing a hoist pulley system. Flanking the recess are advanced bays with stacked, barred window openings set beneath shallow segmental arches, with simple brick sills. The windows are shorter on the higher floor levels. A doorway to the left provides access to an internal staircase. The interior features heavy timber beams between the side walls, supported by cast-iron columns. These beams carry closely-spaced floor joists. A metal spiral stair located in the north-west corner provides access to all floors. The warehouse is situated near the site of the world’s first enclosed dock and within the earliest part of Liverpool developed for commercial purposes relating to the port, an area fully developed by the 1780s and with its street pattern established by 1810. Warehousing was a significant building type in this area of Liverpool, a 19th-century port of international significance. The Duke Street Lane building is a near-intact example of mid-19th century warehousing and displays important characteristics such as cast iron columns for internal support, a recessed loading bay, and the enclosed hoist housing.