Warehouse K

Warehouse K is a tobacco warehouse dating from approximately 1850 to 1855, originally built as part of the Royal Victoria Dock. The dock was the first to be designed for rail servicing. Constructed primarily of stock brick with a slate roof, the building is three storeys high and features a 26-window range. A basement level is incorporated on the southern side. The roofline has a stepped brick parapet. Three distinct ranks of three storeys each, featuring hoists, are symmetrically arranged, with one retaining an original hipped slate roof at its eastern end. Pilaster strips divide recessed panels, and these contain segmental arched windows with iron frames, each containing three small panes of glass. Bowed areas are present in front of the ground floor windows on the south side.

The internal structure consists of vast floor areas supported by iron inverted T-girder timber beams sandwiched on cast-iron columns. Ceiling height noticeably decreases from the first floor upwards. A stone staircase and iron-plated bond doors are present. The first floor includes a single main balk beam, with a tobacco drying room located at its eastern end. The attic floor showcases a series of splayed Queen post trusses, most of which are of exceptional span; some are notch lapped. The structure incorporates iron vertical tension rods bolted to ties, along with an intricate system of dragon beams and supporting posts at the east hipped end.