Straddle Warehouse

This is a canal warehouse, now used as offices, built around 1900 and restored in 1994-5. It is located near the canal, which it straddles. The building is constructed with a steel frame and concrete infill, with a blue brick underbuilding and red brick end walls. It features a 5-bay hipped slate roof, corner pilasters and a parapet. The warehouse is five storeys high, with ten windows across five bays on each side. The windows are cast-iron casements with glazing bars; those at the ends have segmental heads. A wooden footbridge is supported by brackets on the west side. Below, the ground floor features five docking bays separated by blue brick walls with round-headed arches, and cross-braced wrought-iron columns. Full-width wooden canopies extend over the ground floor at each end, with a central gabled wooden hoist canopy. Under these canopies are five round-headed arches with hoodmoulds. A full-height square stair tower is located at the southwest corner, featuring two windows to the top floor and staggered windows to each landing below. The north side has a door and landing on each floor, and the west side has a round-headed door leading to the ground floor. The interior has not been inspected. This warehouse is a highly specialised design and represents one of the last purpose-built warehouses on a narrow canal.