President Works Offices

The President Works offices are a building dating from around 1852, with later 19th-century additions and mid-20th-century alterations. It was refurbished in the late 20th century and was built for Moses Eadon & Sons, steel manufacturers. The structure is made of brick with ashlar dressings and features gabled and hipped slate roofs, along with two gable stacks, all designed in the Italianate style.

The exterior includes a plinth, a first-floor band, and a moulded wooden eaves cornice. The building stands two to three storeys high and has a total of 26 windows. The first-floor windows are round-arched glazing bar sashes with imposts and recessed panels below. The ground floor features round-arched three-light casements with transoms, some of which are blocked.

The main range is nearly symmetrical, with a central three-storey gatehouse that has rusticated quoins, a modillion eaves cornice, a hipped roof, and two side wall stacks. The first floor of the gatehouse has three windows, and above it is a roundel flanked by small two-light round-headed windows. Below, there is an elliptical arched cart entrance with a rusticated surround and keystone, alongside a round-arched recess with a keystone that contains a window. To the left of the gatehouse, there is a range of seven windows, and to the right, a similar range of eight windows. At either end of the building, there are blocks defined by rusticated pilasters, each with four windows on each floor.

The interior was not inspected during the survey. Historically, in the later 19th century, the building was acquired by John Brown and became part of the Firth-Brown industrial group, which was known for pioneering the manufacture of cheap bulk steel in Britain, including steel rails and armour plate. The building was vacant at the time of the survey.