Second World War, Upminster Report Centre, including a gas cleansing station and other civil defence buildings

Second World War Upminster Report Centre, including a Gas Cleansing Station and Other Civil Defence Buildings

A Second World War Air Raid Precautions report centre, built around 1939-1944 to the designs of Douglas E Hart, the Local Authority Surveyor. The site comprises five buildings constructed from concrete, steel I-beams, brick and timber boarding.

Gas Cleansing Station

The L-shaped gas cleansing station has Fletton brick elevations laid in English bond beneath a flat concrete roof. Most openings are finished with brick segmental arches. At the east end stands a square water tower, where the roof oversails and is supported by two brick pillars connected by an I-beam, creating an open-sided porch. This porch contains a high-set four-light metal-framed window and an entry airlock door on the south side. A small brick porch on the west elevation houses a solid timber door, formerly the exit airlock. The north side elevation features regular high-set metal casement windows. At the base of the water tower is a solid timber door and a metal disc inscribed with the War Department symbol (a crow's foot). The garage section faces east and contains two later twentieth-century roller doors and an open-fronted store. The south elevation is blind but includes infilled window openings. The west wall to the rear of the garages has three high-set casement windows and the shadow line of a demolished external chimney stack.

Inside, the interior is functional with a later partition wall along the north side creating changing rooms. Showers have a raised concrete floor and appear to be in their original location, as do the toilets. A steel I-beam frame supports the exposed concrete roof, with supporting columns carrying attached brackets, possibly for stretchers or seating. The water tower contains a metal water tank, hot water cylinder, and evidence of the removed boiler in pipework and flue remains.

ARP Office and Stores

This rectangular building is similar in design to the gas cleansing station. At the east end, the roof oversails in comparable fashion, with an airlock door at the centre beneath a concrete lintel. The west elevation has an infilled window and door. The north side elevation features a timber two-light transom window (now covered over), whilst the south elevation has an added entrance with steel door towards the west end. Both side elevations have high-set vents along their length.

The interior is functional and consists of two interconnected rooms. The smaller room to the east is part-plastered and probably housed a counter. The larger room to the west is faced in blockwork and would have contained ARP stores.

Canteen

The canteen is a small, hut-like rectangular building. The side elevations are timber-boarded and appear to be made from prefabricated panels. The gable ends are built of flat brick in stretcher bond under timber bargeboards. A late twentieth-century entrance door is positioned towards the eastern side of the southern gable end. Two three-light transom casements appear on the symmetrical east elevation. The pitched roof has a short central ridge stack with two clay pots.

Inside, two rooms are connected by a four-panel timber door at the west side of a central chimney breast. Fireplaces are built of brick under a timber mantle, each with a planked cupboard to the east side. The ceiling of the southern room is open to the apex with a high-set collar and central strut. The smaller northern room has a suspended ceiling.

Air Raid Shelters

Two linear shelters are constructed of flat-faced brick laid in English bond beneath flat concrete roofs, with no windows. The southernmost shelter has a late twentieth-century door to the eastern end. The other has a doorway to the east end of the north elevation and another on the west elevation. The interior arrangement is thought to comprise a long linear room or rooms but was not inspected.