Walter Parsons Corn Stores

A corn merchant's warehouse built in 1890 for Walter Parsons, it is located on the south side of Forbury Road, Reading. The building is constructed of purple brick with yellow brick and ashlar dressings, and has a slate roof with a parapeted gable to the front. It has a rectangular plan, incorporating a carriageway through the left side, an office on the right with a front entrance and loading bay, and three storage floors above.

The north front is a 4-storey, 2-bay gabled elevation. The ground floor is ashlar, featuring panelled pilasters and segmental arches to the office front, with a panelled and glazed door and a three-light window with overlights above. The carriageway has plank double doors to the left. The storeys above are delineated by moulded brick stringcourses at floor and cill levels, with the two bays divided by brick pilasters corbelled at the top with ball finials, one of which is missing. The upper floors contain wide, four-light mullion-transom windows with segmental arches. The rear elevation is of plain red brick with sash windows.

The interior features timber joists with iron beams and columns supporting the floors. The roof is a collar truss construction with struts. The office has a glazed and boarded screen to the carriageway. Simple ladder stairs are located in a corner on each floor. A hoist hatch is positioned over the carriageway and through the floors above. The machinery includes a winch mechanism on the first floor, a threshing machine on the second floor, and hoppers on the third floor.