Timber Seasoning Store, North is a Grade II* listed building in the Medway local planning authority area, England. First listed on 13 August 1999. A 18th century Industrial store.

Timber Seasoning Store, North

WRENN ID
unlit-truss-indigo
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Medway
Constituency
Rochester and Strood MP: Lauren Edwards (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
13 August 1999
Type
Industrial store
Period
18th century
Address
Timber Seasoning Store, North, East Road
OS grid reference
TQ 761 693
Coordinates
51.39597, 0.53021
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

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.

Local climate

Timber Seasoning Store, North sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 720 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 84% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 74% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 23 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 76% of listed buildings. Of these, 11 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Former Galvanising Shed (Visitor Centre) Grade II 29 m
  2. Timber Seasoning Store, South Grade II* 62 m
  3. Former Wheelwrights Shop Grade II* 63 m
  4. The Brunel Saw Mill Grade I 83 m
  5. Number 1 Smithery Grade II* 99 m
  6. Former Mast House and Mould Loft Grade I 114 m
  7. Police Section House Grade II 145 m
  8. Joiners Shop Grade II* 164 m
  9. North Tower House and Attached Perimeter Wall to the South Grade II* 172 m
  10. Chatham Dock Pumping Station South Grade II* 180 m