North Office Block (Building Number 1/144)

This is a substantial red brick office block, originally constructed between 1791 and 1794 as a naval smithery within the HM Naval Base at Victoria Road, Devonport. It underwent a change of use in 1852 and has seen alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries. The building is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, with ashlar dressings, brighter-red brick arches, and stone window sills. It has a Welsh slate roof with later brick stacks.

The building has a rectangular plan, with two main storeys and a partial attic to one section. The north elevation has nine bays arranged in a 3:3:3 configuration, with projecting end sections. The end section on the right features stuccoed raised quoins, a ground-floor band, and eaves band. It includes a flat-arched entrance and four 12-pane sashes. The rest of this elevation has segmental-arched windows with replacement glazing, with the ground-floor window in the third bay replaced by a door. The west elevation has seven first-floor windows, with the three on the right being narrower and more closely spaced. Stuccoing is similar to the right end section. The south elevation has a 3:5:3 bay arrangement, with apparent differences in construction in the three bays on the left, and projecting ends. It has a stepped dentilled brick eaves band instead of a parapet. Doors have been inserted into the windows of bays 4 and 8. The east elevation features 12 bays, including an entrance at bay 7. An original rainwater pipe with a bulbous head, dated 1848, is located to the left of the entrance.

Internally, the north range at the west end contains some panelled door and window reveals. The south range on the ground floor retains a single remaining chamfered square wooden column. Both ground and first floors were refitted as offices in the mid-to-late 20th century. The building contains braced, collared queen-post roof trusses. Originally a naval smithery, the building is the oldest in Devonport, although its original hand forges and chimneys were removed during a mid-19th century conversion that resulted in the No.2 Ship Shop and Brass Foundry.