The Moorings (former warehouse and cottage adjoining the Trent and Mersey Canal)

The Moorings

A late 18th-century warehouse with 19th-century additions, formerly serving the Trent and Mersey Canal.

The building comprises two adjoining, narrow rectangular ranges of brick with slate roofs, orientated north-east to south-west (referred to as north and south). The western range's north elevation runs diagonally south-west from where it joins the east range, while the eastern range's north elevation is horizontal and parallel with the southern elevations. A late-19th-century square-plan addition adjoins the eastern range at the centre of its east elevation. All doors and windows are replacements from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The warehouse was built in two parallel long rectangular ranges, each of three storeys. The ranges stand under pitched roofs with gables to north and south, forming an 'M' shape. The eastern range dates to the late 18th century; the western range to the early 19th century. Both are constructed in brick in English garden wall bond, though the eastern range has four stretcher courses between header courses, while the west range has three. Older openings are beneath segmental arched brick lintels. Smaller openings have a single rowlock course; larger openings have a second rowlock course alternated with soldiers; the largest have arches three rowlock courses in height, alternating between rowlock over soldier and soldier over rowlock. The side elevations feature dentil detail at eaves level, interrupted by the link to late-20th-century flats to the west and the late-19th-century square-plan addition to the east.

The south elevation faces the canal. The west range has centrally located openings to each of its three floors; the ground and first floors are tall windows, extended from earlier shorter openings, and the second floor has a circular window. All three openings have had a new window inserted to their east. The south elevation of the adjoining east range has an arched boat-hole (now French doors) to its west at ground floor level. A second arched opening has been inserted to the east of the boat access. At first-floor level are two windows in their original locations. At second-floor level, an older central window has been infilled, and two new windows inserted, one either side of the blocked opening. The northern return of the west range has a circular window at ground floor level, with blocked and new openings similar to other elevations. The east range's return to the north again shows blocked and altered openings.

Both ranges of the rear, north, elevation have two openings to each of their three floors. There is evidence of rearrangement of doors and windows; both ranges have a central blocked opening to the ground floor, and an opening in the gable of the east range has been infilled incorporating projecting bricks for bird perches and now-blocked roost holes. The north elevation of the west range accentuates its join with the east by being angled to the south, away from the horizontal line that the east range takes. The southern returns of both ranges display the same type of altered openings as in the rest of the warehouse, with a circular opening at ground floor level of the west range.

The three-storey late-19th-century square-plan addition stands against the east side of the warehouse under a pyramidal roof, built in English bond brick. The top brick course of headers slightly projects. Its south elevation is set back from the line of the warehouse to the west, and its external ground floor wall has been removed with a conservatory added (not included in the listing). There is a single horizontal window to the second floor. The rear, north elevation is divided into three bays with a window or door in each bay at each of the three floors. Some openings are new or altered insertions, and concrete lintels have been inserted over the central openings to the ground and first floors. The side, eastern elevation has a blocked doorway and several new windows.

Interior

The two ranges contain 12 flats, arranged with two flats per range to each of the three floors. Access to the different floors is via a staircase located in the late-20th-century flats to the west.

The interiors on all floors display deep window reveals and chamfered beams to the ceilings. The third-floor flats and communal areas show that the roof trusses of both ranges are aligned at the gables but set at differing intervals along the length of the roof. The trusses in the earlier late-18th-century eastern range have a king post with three pairs of struts running diagonally up from it to the rafters. The trusses in the early-19th-century western range have king posts with one pair of struts running from near the base of the king post to near the top of the rafter, and the other pair between the tie beam and bottom of the principal rafter. The rafters to the trusses in both ranges carry two purlins each.

The late-19th-century square-plan addition under the pyramidal roof now contains three flats (one to each floor), with a residents' lounge in the ground floor conservatory. Subdivision into separate dwellings has obscured much of the original fabric, though the top floor flat retains one exposed beam with the presence of other beams suggested by plasterboard boxing. Some of the hip rafters forming the pyramidal roof can be seen in the communal areas of the top floor.