Ministry of Defence Building L141 is a Grade II listed building in the Epping Forest local planning authority area, England. First listed on 26 November 1993. Sorting house.

Ministry of Defence Building L141

WRENN ID
silent-balcony-myrtle
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Epping Forest
Constituency
Epping Forest MP: Dr Neil Hudson (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
26 November 1993
Type
Sorting house
Address
Ministry of Defence Building L141, Waltham Abbey
OS grid reference
TL 376 013
Coordinates
51.69427, -0.00975
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Ministry of Defence Building L141, known as the Sorting House, was built in 1889. It features English bond yellow brick with red brick bands and has brick-coped gables above a slate roof that covers a brick-vaulted roof. The building has a rectangular plan and is a single storey. There is an inserted concrete lintel over the doorway in the west gable end, which was originally served by an iron tramway. The north and south elevations have segmental brick arches over 4-light windows. This building is similar in design to the expense magazine L154. It is referred to in documentary sources as a "sorting house" and was closely linked to the manufacture of gunpowder and cordite, evidenced by its raised door that connected to the railway system.

Local climate

Ministry of Defence Building L141 sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 97% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 31 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 63% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
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  • Radon risk assessment
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Ministry of Defence Building L145 (Group F Incorporating Mills) Grade II 40 m
  2. Ministry of Defence Building L136 at Tl 3764 0142 Grade II 46 m
  3. Cordite Press House known as L134 Grade II 61 m
  4. Ministry of Defence Building L135 at Tl 3766 0144 Grade II 64 m
  5. Ministry of Defence Building L133 at Tl 3674 0144 Grade II 66 m
  6. Ministry of Defence Building L148 (Group G Incorporating Mills) Grade II* 99 m
  7. Ministry of Defence Building L149 (Group E Incorporating Mills) Grade II* 125 m
  8. Ministry of Defence Building L153 (Group D Incororating Mills) Grade II* 155 m
  9. Ministry of Defence Building L154 (Expense Magazine) Grade II 184 m
  10. Ministry of Defence Building L157 (Group C Incorporating Mills) Grade I 225 m