Castle Court And Attached Railings

Castle Court is a warehouse built in 1894, now used as offices and workshops, and features attached railings. It was designed by Watson Fothergill for Simons & Pickard, paper merchants, and was restored and converted in 1983. The building is constructed of red brick with blue brick and ashlar dressings, topped with gabled and hipped artificial slate roofs.

The exterior consists of two storeys plus a basement and attics, arranged in 11 by 13 bays, forming four ranges that enclose a rectangular courtyard. The front range features a central element flanked by square tower porches topped with octagonal spires, alongside square corner towers with pyramidal roofs. A central cart entrance with a steel lintel is located below a five-light cross casement window. The porches have rock-faced stone plinths and single windows on each floor, with the left porch having ashlar steps leading to a side door. The side bays contain three windows, with paired sashes below and cross casements above. The corner towers feature segment-arched cart entrances, while the attic has continuous fenestration with groups of three round-arched windows. The other ranges are divided by pilasters and have regular fenestration with segment-arched cast-iron casements. The attic storeys also have round-arched windows arranged in pairs and triples, and there is a round chimney stack attached to a rebated rear corner. The courtyard has been converted into a glazed atrium, retaining similar fenestration, mostly original.

Inside, there are inserted ceilings and partitioning, along with some round cast-iron columns. The exterior is complemented by attached cast-iron railings.