Chatterley Whitfield: lamp house (9)

This is a colliery lamp house dating from 1920 to 1922, with minor alterations made in the mid-20th century and late-20th century. It is constructed of a steel frame encased in brick, displaying stepped brickwork and copings to the gables. The roofs are asymmetrically pitched, with full glazing to the north-facing slopes and corrugated asbestos sheeting to the south-facing slopes. Brick stacks are located at the south-west corner and to the rear elevation.

The building is rectangular in plan, consisting of four parallel single-storey ranges, with later single-storey lean-tos or covered ways added to the west and east elevations.

The north-facing front elevation has five bays and a shallow parapet, possibly constructed of stone. This elevation features five four-light windows with metal frames and multi-paned glass, set within recessed brick panels and topped with concrete lintels. The west elevation includes windows with metal frames, a doorway with a pair of double doors, and a fixed steel telegraph pole. Remnants of an open-sided lean-to, supported by cast-iron columns, run along the full length of this elevation, along with a turnstile set into a curving brick wall. The east elevation mirrors the window and door arrangement, with a second doorway at the south end. A 1964 notice detailing man-riding times in the shafts is affixed to the wall. A covered way or lean-to along this side has a roof which is part-felted and part-glazed, supported by brick piers and infill panels, and incorporates a turnstile. The rear elevation has a doorway towards the right-hand end, two windows to the left, and a single window to the right – all set within a recessed brick panel, and topped with a shallow parapet.

Inside, the entrance doors lead into a large room with a brick floor, subdivided by metal railings. Three original charging stands are present, containing cap lamps and batteries. The south-east corner is divided from the rest of the room by low brick walls and continuous glazing above, with a concrete deck roof supported on a frame of steel beams. A brick-walled structure with a concrete roof occupies the northern part of the building and was later used as a museum ticket office and shop. Toilets, a cleaner's cupboard, a heated office (formerly the lamp room manager’s office), and a heated mess room are located at the south end. The roof structure consists of lightweight metal trusses and steel angle purlins, with steel uprights supporting the valley beams.