Timber Seasoning Store, North

The Timber Seasoning Store, located on the east side of Chatham Dockyard, was designed in 1771. It features a weather-boarded timber frame set on a brick plinth, topped with a corrugated asbestos roof. The building has a rectangular plan measuring 45 feet long and is a single storey with a gable roof. The exterior includes double doors in the gables, which are louvred above, along with louvred sides and five metal-framed windows.

Inside, the store is three bays deep, supported by bracketed posts, and contains racks for stacking sawn timber, as well as timber trusses. The seasoning sheds were introduced by order of the Earl of Sandwich to address the issues of using green timber in naval ships, which led to significant maintenance costs. Designed by the Navy Board, these sheds are an important example of early modular design, built in large numbers across naval yards. By 1860, they became obsolete, and the two remaining at Chatham are the last to survive.