The Vat House, Flats 1 To 16

The Vat House, originally a vat house and clock tower built around 1810, was later altered in 1916 following a fire, and then refurbished and converted into flats in the 1980s. It was formerly part of the Beaufoy Vinegar Works. The building is constructed of stock brick with stone dressings and has flat roofs. A timber clock tower and cupola are prominent features. The main block is three storeys high with seven uneven bays on its side elevations. The ground and first floors have segmental headed openings; a new entrance was inserted into the south elevation. The upper floor has rectangular openings with flat lintels and a continuous first floor storey band. A tall, cylindrical chimney is located on the north side of the building.

The symmetrical west elevation, spanning three bays and including an attic, features a central entrance that extends through two stories, flanked by segmental headed openings. Similar openings can be found on the third storey. The attic storey has a small rectangular opening within a recessed semicircular arch, set into a tall brick parapet with flanking swept gables. A stone cornice and blocking course run along the top of the building. The clock tower is constructed of timber, rusticated, and sits on a shallow base, with a clock on each face. Above the clock faces, a timber cupola is supported by eight Doric columns and topped with a copper dome. The bell is inscribed “THOMAS MEARS LONDON FOUNDER 1843.”

A former water tower, five stories high, is located to the east, built of stock brick and featuring iron plates for the tank above. It has segmental headed openings on its five-bay east elevation and three-bay south elevation, some of which are blank. The interior has been converted to residential flats.