Beech House British Waterways Board Canal Maintenance Depot, Beech House (Nos. 2-6), Shropshire Union Canal (South East Side) (Llangollen Branch)

1585/18/98

ELLESMERE RURAL, BIRCH, 2-6 BEECH HOUSE, SHROPSHIRE UNION CANAL

BIRCH, BRITISH WATERWAYS BOARD CANAL MAINTENANCE DEPOT, BEECH HOUSE (NOS. 2-6), SHROPSHIRE UNION CANAL (SOUTH-EAST SIDE) (LLANGOLLEN BRANCH)

17-SEP-02

GV

II*

Canal office, now flats. 1806 adjoining William Jessop's and Thomas Telford's Ellesmere Canal; later additions and alterations. Red brick; hipped slate roofs, splayed to semi-circular projection at north-west corner; prominent ridge stacks. Main block of 3 x 2 bays with semi-circular projection to rear right corner and projection with slightly later attached service wings and outbuildings set back to left. Two storeys with painted dentilled eaves cornice. East front: three windows; glazing bar sashes with gauged heads except for late C19 canted bay to lower left. Central entrance; pedimented doorcase, 6-paned double doors with wreathed and radiating fanlight. Semi-circular projection has five glazing-bar sashes to first floor and four to ground floor with pedimented doorcase in second bay from left, several of windows blind. The committee room of the canal company was on the ground floor of the semi-circular projection overlooking the three branches of the canal.

HISTORY: This fine example of a canal office is prominent in views of this notable and historically important canal yard, the best-preserved complex of its type in Britain. It was very probably built to the designs of Telford and Jessop, canal engineers being traditionally responsible for a wide range of structures from the trim (lettering and mileposts) to locks and keepers' houses. All canal companies had maintenance yards for work on boats, locks, paddle gearing and other aspects of the working fabric of inland waterways.

(Edward Wilson, The Ellesmere and Llangollen Canal (1975), p. 49)

SJ4009034253