North Warehouse At Fisons Horticultural Division Works

The North Warehouse at Fisons Horticultural Division Works is a Grade II listed warehouse built as a factory for the manufacture of superphosphate fertilizers around 1858 to 1860 for Joseph Fison. The building originally had two upper storeys added in the later 19th century. It is approximately 90 metres long, consisting of about 24 bays, and spans around 25 metres. Attached to the east side at the south end is a similar contemporary range that is about 25 metres long.

The warehouse has four storeys, plus an additional floor within the roof space. It features a timber frame with horizontal weacherboarding, except for the west elevation, which is made of tarred red brick up to the first storey level and includes arcading at intervals. The arches on this elevation have stone imposts and raised keystones, with most being blind and segmental-headed windows located beneath the arch heads. The roofs are segmental and clad in bituminous felt.

Most of the original windows in the timber-framed upper storeys remain unaltered, with small-pane hopper windows in pairs on the side walls, each pair filling the width of one bay. The gables contain fixed small-pane sash windows. The intermediate floors consist of heavy lateral timber beams supported by circular storey-height cast-iron columns.

Notably, the site immediately south of this building was home to the world's first complete superphosphate factory, established by Edward Packard between 1851 and 1854. Joseph Fison began operations in competition on this site in 1858, and the two companies merged shortly thereafter.