Stable Range And Ancillary Buildings Of Atlas Works

Stable range and ancillary buildings of Atlas Works, Earls Colne

This stable range and ancillary buildings complex dates from 1886 to 1894 and is built of red brick in English and Flemish bond with dressings of yellow, white and blue bricks, roofed with slate. The buildings are aligned north-south along the west side of Foundry Lane, with entrances mainly facing into the yard to the west. A small office block stands at the south end, set back from the main range with its entrance to Foundry Lane.

The principal long range has a central section of two storeys with one-storey wings on each side. The gradient of the site means the southernmost part of the long range steps down from the remainder.

The office block (No. 4) is two storeys. Its elevation to Foundry Lane features a central block in three bays with yellow brick pilasters. One original cast iron casement with a semi-circular head and semi-circular arch of yellow brick survives, alongside three 20th-century wooden casements. Six original cast iron vents are present. The plinth is of English bond approximately one metre high with a double-chamfered top, above which is Flemish bond. A central cast iron plaque dated 1894 in raised lettering is set into the facade. The low-pitched roof is topped with a central louvred wooden lantern, square in plan with a pyramidal roof, supporting a weathervane with a turned stem and iron rabbit—the trademark of Reuben Hunt, the foundry's owner.

The lower block to the right extends over eight unequal bays with similar plinth and yellow brick pilasters, with one axial chimney stack. It contains two original cast-iron casements of the same type as the central block, and four original sashes with 16 lights each, set within flat arches of white brick with segmental soffits. One original cast iron vent is present. Double three-panel doors are set back within jambs and a segmental arch of two orders of rounded blue engineering bricks. A cast iron plaque at the right end bears the raised lettering "R. Hunt & Co. Ltd., Atlas Works". The low-pitched roof features a two-faceted hip at its right end, projecting and supported on one iron stanchion and two iron brackets with diminishing circles in the spandrels, topped with a turned finial at the apex.

The range to the left consists of one long bay and four short bays, with yellow brick pilasters and similar plinth. One original cast iron casement survives in the long bay. The low-pitched roof is unadorned. The lower range further to the left extends over eleven bays with short red brick pilasters and similar plinth. A central cast iron plaque bears the raised lettering "Built by Reuben Hunt 1886". Near the left end is a wrought iron bracket for a missing gas lamp with a square holder. Two asymmetrical north light roofs occupy the left end, each with two louvred wooden vents in the gable; the remainder of the roofing is low-pitched.

No. 4, set back from the range, is built of red brick with yellow brick quoins and dressings. Two original four-light sashes with segmental arches and dropped key bricks are present. A central porch contains a plain door to the front with a similar arch, flanked by one two-light sash in each side wall. The porch features a cornice and dogtooth course of white bricks, with a single stone step. A curvilinear gable with stone parapet and a recessed cast iron plaque bearing the raised lettering "R. Hunt 1886" crowns the block.

The west elevation of the two-storey block has a recessed ground floor with two original horizontal sashes of 12 lights each, one 20th-century casement and two 20th-century doors. The upper storey is supported on two cast iron stanchions with moulded bases and caps, bearing the raised lettering "F. Christy, Chelmsford". This storey contains two original horizontal sashes of 12 lights, a central plain pitching door with a gabled canopy on scrolled brackets with a turned pendant, and a cast iron plaque inscribed "R. Hunt 1894". Plain pilasters complete the elevation.

The range to the south contains one closed and three open bays, with one post replaced by a steel girder. It has a softwood roof with raking queen struts, boarded and largely original. The range further south has eight open bays and retains the original softwood roof with raking queen struts, boarded throughout, and cast iron brackets supporting alternate posts.

Later workshops are physically connected to the south-west but are of less historical and architectural interest.