Boiler Shop West (Building Number 1/84) And Bollards To North West And North East Corners

A hemp tarring house, now used as offices and storage, was built in 1747 and significantly altered, particularly in the 20th century. It is constructed of red brick with blue headers in English bond, and has a slate roof. The building is two storeys high, with a partial attic. It consists of 15 bays, the western section representing the original construction. A two-storey, 3x4 bay addition was made around 1900 at the east end. The exterior features a brick plinth, a first-floor concrete band, stepped eaves, and, in the western section, a brick plat band and ashlar cornice. Small-pane metal windows are set within bright red gauged brick flat arches and have stone sills. Segmental-arched entrances are fitted with later board doors. On the south side, the bays are arranged 5:10, and there is an inserted first-floor loading door and a former loading door now converted into a window. A recessed stone plaque with incised lettering, reading "under this stone theres a Water R(?)eerr,” is located on the south side at a low level. The eastern addition has a central segmental-arched door, three stepped round-arched windows above, and a shaped pedimented gable with three small, louvred openings. The north side is similar. The west end presents three bays, with the central bay projecting and featuring a pedimented attic with an oculus. At the northwest and northeast corners are cannon bollards, composed of disused cannons (likely 17th or 18th century) set on end and used as bollards, probably in the mid to late 19th century. The muzzles of the cannons are blocked, with a cannon ball blocking the northeast corner cannon’s muzzle. The interior of the western section on the ground floor has chamfered timber posts with rivetted metal brackets, and a round archway within the former eastern end wall. Originally part of the ropery, the building was converted from manual to horse power around 1774, allowing hemp to be moved from the laying house for tarring before returning to the spinning house. It is the oldest surviving naval ropeyard building and part of one of the largest groups of 18th-century industrial buildings in the country, and the only part of the mid-18th century ropery at Portsmouth to survive fires in 1760 and 1770.