ZE7 Lippitts Hill: Mess Block

The Mess Block, built between 1939 and 1940 by the War Office, is a single-storey building with a timber frame. It features rusticated weatherboard cladding and stands on a brick plinth. The roofs are shallow-pitched and made of timber, while the windows are metal casements.

The building has a rectangular plan and a double-pile layout. The exterior is weatherboarded, with double-leaf timber plank and batten doors located at each end of the west-facing elevation. The other bays on the east and west elevations, as well as the gable ends, are defined by multi-paned metal casement windows that have horizontal glazing bar patterns.

Inside, access is gained through the plank and batten doors at either end of the west elevation, leading to corridors. The southern corridor has small offices, WCs, and locker rooms on the right, with a large, open-plan canteen on the left. This corridor also leads to a large kitchen area that runs behind the canteen. The northern corridor runs along the north gable, leading to the canteen on the right and the kitchen at the rear. The interior is utilitarian, featuring boarded ceilings and walls, with visible truss bases indicating the original roof structure remains. The carpentry is functional, with several one-over-three timber panel doors still in place. Additionally, cast-iron sectional radiators and 1940s ‘crittal’ style window furniture are preserved throughout.