Locomotive Shed at Snibston Colliery

A small C19 locomotive shed forming part of the Snibston Colliery complex, built around 1831 to house and service colliery locomotives, and enlarged between 1913 and 1915.

MATERIALS: red brick with blue brick detailing and a Welsh slate roof covering.

PLAN: linear plan, of two phases.

EXTERIOR: the engine shed is a stepped, narrow-bodied, single-storey building, accessed at the east gable end via a single track. The earlier eastern phase is of three bays with a tall double doorway with C20 framed, ledged and braced timber doors. There are two window openings with semi-circular arched heads and C20 multi-pane frames on the south side wall. The north wall has two windows with cast-iron frames with intersecting glazing bars in pointed-arched heads. A third opening has been infilled. The roof stricture incorporates two vents, one square, the other rectangular, gabled and louvred. Further west is the taller, five-bay extension with recessed panels to the side walls, each side with three openings housing C20 multi-pane frames below shallow segmental-arched heads. There is a single doorway to the south side wall. The roof incorporates two square vents and two gabled and louvred vents, matching those to the roof of the original phase.

INTERIOR: the interior of the engine shed is of open plan form, with king-post trusses supporting single side purlins. Paired bridging beams support square cowls connected to the roof vents. There is a singe hearth to the south side wall of the earlier east section of the building, and an inspection pit in the west section.