18-19 Purfleet Quay, Cellars, and attached wall to the east (formerly listed as Offices of Robert Freakley and Associates)

PURFLEET QUAY WAREHOUSE AND OFFICES

This warehouse, now converted to offices, was built in the early 17th century, probably incorporating earlier fabric, with substantial mid-19th-century alterations and 20th-century modifications including a modern entrance way and internal refurbishment. The complex consists of three main ranges: the East Range fronting Purfleet Quay, the West Range extending behind it, and the North Range running along the rear.

Construction and Materials

The buildings are constructed of red and yellow brick laid in English bond, with blue engineering brick lintels and stone quoins and dressings in places. The roofs are covered with slate.

East Range

The East Range is a four-storey, three-bay gabled building of red brick, showing clear evidence of alterations through variations in brick colour and remnants of earlier plinths. Stone quoins rise from ground to lintel level on the left side. At ground level, a central doorway with a four-panel timber door beneath a rectangular light is flanked by nine-pane windows. The first floor has two wide window openings, each with a circular tie plate positioned centrally above the segmental-arched lintel, plus a third opening to the right. Above, small square windows light the second and third floors: the three second-floor windows sit in splayed stone frames (some renewed), while the two third-floor windows occupy weathered, ovolo-moulded stone frames. Window openings on the lower two storeys feature blue engineering brick segmental-arch lintels and flush stone sills. The gable has brick coping and two S-shaped tie plates, with a moulded stone kneeler on the left (the right side shows disrupted brickwork).

Dominating the upper floors is a large rectangular sign plate of cement render (with traces of paint, formerly reading "P. CORTLANDT DRY STORAGE") set within a bolection-moulded stone frame with a central arch.

A red-brick lean-to with a catslide roof adjoins the right side up to second-floor level. This contains a timber loading-bay door under a flat brick lintel, above a square timber hatch, with a round-headed brick plinth below. A straight joint at the upper level marks the division from the main block, and the corner brickwork of the square block is closed, though the two sections are bonded beneath the hatch. To the right of the lean-to, a modern timber double door provides cellar access. Further right, a yard wall connects to the rear of No. 1 King Street, with a vehicular access under a concrete lintel leading to an eastern yard. Another straight joint and a blocked window to the right of this access suggest it was once the quayside wall of a building.

The east elevation shows various straight joints and blocked openings. At ground level, a round-headed opening with brick head and stone dressings is filled with modern brick. Stone quoins at the north-east corner mark the junction with the northern range. At upper-floor level on the left, a large rendered rectangular sign bears the faded inscription "HEADQUARTERS / ARMY SERVICES / NORFOLK & SUFFOLK BRIGADE", overlaid with "TO LET" in faded white paint. Below this, the mono-pitch brick lean-to contains blocked openings.

The west elevation is not easily visible but displays similar straight joints and window openings under blue-brick segmental arches. The north elevation appears rendered.

West Range

A modern entrance way with round-headed metal porch and gates connects the East Range to the single-storey West Range, which is built of yellow brick in English bond. The West Range stands under a pitched slate roof, gabled to the west and hipped to the east. A row of six circular tie plates runs beneath the eaves. The southern elevation shows a vehicle access at the west end (now glazed and panelled), two small windows to its east, and a further large vehicular opening towards the east end (also glazed). The west gable elevation has three bays: the outer bays contain small-pane timber transom opening windows (all modern) on brick sills under 19th-century red-brick segmental arches. A similar window in the central bay sits at raised level above a small modern window under a long timber lintel. Two stones are set into the gable: a weathered date stone apparently inscribed "T / I I / 1676", and another (probably 19th-century) inscribed "F.P.P.".

The north elevation is of red brick and represents a survival from a 16th- or 17th-century building. The brick bonding is inconsistent, particularly around two 16th- or 17th-century four-centred brick arches at the north end. The northernmost arch has lost its impost, recently rebuilt in yellow brick as part of the right-hand reveal of a large modern glazed opening to the left under a modern concrete lintel. To the right of the arches, two window openings and a doorway at the west end with engineering brick segmental arches were inserted in the mid-19th century.

A 20th-century red-brick range adjoins the West Range at the north-west corner, with a vehicular entrance accessing an enclosed yard. A single bay south of this entrance forms part of 18-19 Purfleet Quay at lower level and contains earlier brickwork at ground level, apparently contemporary with the north wall of the West Range. This bay is included in the listing; the remainder of the range is not.

North Range

The North Range adjoins the West Range at its north-east corner and runs along the rear of the East Range. It is a two-storey brick building under a slate-covered hipped roof. The west elevation is of red brick in English bond, with a doorway right of centre under a lead-covered lintel. Above this, internally, is a blocked opening or recess with a timber lintel. A central glazed opening (stepped at sill level) within modern brickwork lights the upper floor. The north elevation is of red brick and blind, showing evidence of relaid brickwork under the eaves with concrete beam ends visible. The east elevation has three bays of full-height glazing between brick piers at the west end with a doorway at the west corner (apparently late 20th-century). The remaining four bays have brick pilasters at each end and a small-paned window west of three small windows under red-brick segmental arches at ground level, with a doorway at the east end. The east gable adjoins the neighbouring building at ground level and is otherwise clad in slate.

Interior

The East Range interior is plain with modern plasterwork, doors, skirting, and stairs. At ground level, two blocked round-headed brick arches occupy the east wall and a third is in the north wall. The timber-lined roof is supported by late 19th-century king-post trusses with angled braces, trenched purlins, and an iron strap at the base of each king post.

The West Range interior is converted to office use and appears to contain no historic fixtures or fittings. However, the single bay of the 20th-century range at the north-west corner contains earlier brickwork perhaps contemporary with the north wall of the West Range. The ground-floor room reveals a fragment of a four-centred brick arch in the west wall.

The North Range interior is altered and converted for offices and storage. Historic brickwork of the west wall is exposed internally, revealing a blocked opening with a timber lintel. At this end the building is open to its full height with a modern stair to the first floor. At the east end, modern stairs and partitioning partially conceal substantial historic timber ceiling joists, perhaps of 16th- or 17th-century date, spanning three bays. At first-floor level there is a modern suspended ceiling and axial modern glazed partitioning.

Cellars

Extensive cellars, probably dating from at least the 16th or 17th century, extend beyond the footprint of the present buildings above. External access leads to a hoist with a timber drum inside the entrance (though whether this is fixed in place is unclear). Brick steps descend to three parallel elliptically-vaulted ranges running east-west, linked at intervals. Goad plans of 1933 indicate a further range to the north. The cellars are of brick, cement rendered in part, with some historic patching and modern blocking in brick and cement breeze block. Arched openings vary in form from round to four-centred arches, some with pintles but no doors, and in one section plain chamfered brick ribbing provides support.

Extent of Listing

Detached buildings to the north of the yard and the attached warehouse to the north-west are excluded from the listing. However, where cellars beneath these buildings form part of or are attached below ground to the cellars of 18-19 Purfleet Quay, these cellars are included in the listing. The attached wall to the east, connecting to No. 1 King Street, is also included.