Hydraulic Engine House And Tower At Alexandra Dock

The hydraulic engine house and tower at Alexandra Dock, built between 1880 and 1885, is a notable structure made of red brick with ashlar dressings and features hipped and gabled slate roofs. The building has a chamfered ashlar plinth and rusticated quoins, along with a moulded eaves band.

The south front includes a single bay block on the left with a tall round-headed window and a hipped roof that has a ventilator lantern. To the left of this is another block with three windows, featuring a large central round-headed doorway flanked by single tall round-headed windows, and a pyramidal roof with a ventilator lantern. Further along is a wide block with three windows and an off-centre round-headed doorway, again flanked by single tall round-headed windows. This section also has a single bay block with a large round-headed doorway that has double plank doors and a hipped roof with a ventilator lantern.

At the north-west corner of the building stands a four-storey tower with rusticated quoins. The west front of the tower has two single round-headed windows, and above a moulded cornice, there is a blind attic storey topped with a pyramidal roof. Below this, a large round-headed doorway can be found. This structure was built to provide hydraulic power for operating the lock gates to Alexandra Dock.