Dock gateman's hut

Dock gateman's hut, about 1866, probably by John Bernard Hartley.

MATERIALS: mellow red brick with sandstone dressings and slate roof coverings.

PLAN: the former dock gateman's hut is located on the west side of the Tower Road bascule bridge at the west end of Alfred Dock where it meets the East Float. The building has an octagonal plan with long sides on the north and south, and projecting entrances to four sides (north, south, east and west).

EXTERIOR: no inspection, information from other sources. The dockman's hut is a very small building with a brick and sandstone plinth and further sandstone dressings in the form of sills and lintels. Windows and four doorways are set to each of the building's sides and all have shallow pointed-arched heads and lintels, and the windows have deep angled sills. The south doorway forms the main entrance and has a modern steel access door, but in 2021 the three remaining entrances are boarded over. The building has a shallow polygonal roof that is hidden from view by a parapet and incorporates a dentilled eaves with two stepped tiers of dentils. A tall polygonal double-flue chimneystack rises from the centre of the north side.

INTERIOR: no inspection, information from other sources. The interior is understood to consist of two rooms that occupy the eastern and western halves of the building and which are accessed via a vestibule inside the south entrance. The ceiling in the eastern room has collapsed.