Root Store, Aqualate Hall

The root store at Aqualate Hall is a mid-19th century building. It is constructed of red brick and features a red clay tile roof.

The root store is located against the west wall of the kitchen gardens, making it easily accessible to the Hall's kitchen. It has an open upper section with a tiled roof supported by sawn king-post trusses. On one side, the roof rests on the kitchen garden wall, while on the other side, it is supported by five brick piers. These piers have rounded corners and stone cushion capitals, with round-topped stone sills separating them at the base. This upper area may have been used for storing hay or straw, which would have provided insulation. Below this, accessed by a sunken passageway, are four arched brick vaults, each about a metre high, designed for cool, dark storage of root vegetables.

The exact date of construction is not documented, but architectural evidence suggests a mid-19th century date. The building appears in its current form on the first edition Ordnance Survey map from 1879 and was still in use for its original purpose in 2008. The root store is part of a notably complete set of historic estate buildings surrounding Aqualate Hall.

The root store is designated at Grade II for being an excellent and well-detailed example of a once-common type of horticultural building that complements the walled garden at Aqualate. It is also recognized as part of a particularly complete and architecturally interesting group of estate buildings adjacent to Aqualate Hall, which is listed at Grade II*.