Chatterley Whitfield: weigh house (22) and weigh plates

Former colliery weigh bridge (22) of the mid-C20, refurbished in 2007.

MATERIALS: built of brick in a stretcher bond under a hipped slate roof to the south-east half, with a flat felt roof to the rest of the building. The metal-framed doors and casement windows are early-C21 copies of the originals. The weigh plates are cast iron.

PLAN: rectangular on plan and constructed in two phases, the earliest half being that to the south-east. The weigh plates are situated on the north-east and south-west sides of the building.

EXTERIOR: a single-storey structure with a dentil cornice supporting guttering to three sides of the south-east half of the building. The front (north-east) elevation has an off-centre entrance with a metal-framed and glazed door. The entrance is flanked by a continuous band of windows that have concrete lintels and cills. The lintels to the north-west section are slightly chamfered, while the windows to left of the entrance have projecting concrete mullions. The left return has a blocked doorway with a window to the right. The rear elevation has a matching arrangement of entrance, and windows to the entrance front. The north-west elevation has a central two-light casement which is flanked by a continuation of the windows to both side elevations. The cast-iron weigh plates are marked 'POOLEY' and '1945' and the measuring equipment is housed in a void below each plate.

INTERIOR: the floor is tiled and the window sills are also finished with red ceramic tiles. One of the two weigh machines, manufactured by Pooleys of Birmingham, survives, while the position of the second machine is marked by a concrete base in the floor. The south-western end of the building is divided into two small rooms containing a small kitchen, and a lavatory and store respectively. Most of the interior finishes and doors are of early-C21 date.