Buildings Nos 31, 35 and 37 (Seaplane Sheds) and Winch Houses, former HMS Daedalus

Three paired seaplane storage hangars of circa 1917-18 known as buildings 31, 35 and 37. Two, Buildings 31 and 35, are located either side (to the north-west and south-east respectively) of the former slipway and have associated winch houses to winch the planes up and down the slipway. Building 37 is located at right-angles to the other hangars and is the south-easternmost of the group.

MATERIALS: steel framework and roof trusses, corrugated steel cladding and roof covering replacing (and therefore not of special interest) the original asbestos-cement cladding. Steelwork by Frodingham Iron and Steel Co. Ltd.

PLAN: end-opening coupled hangars, each shed of 14.6m (48') span and in 5 bays, each of 3.6m (12'). At the inner end of each pair, facing a broad concrete apron, two gables above full-height pairs of sliding doors, giving maximum half-width opening. Two pairs are located on the south-west perimeter of the site adjoining Marine Parade, and originally separated by twin slipways, now one, down to the water's edge. The third pair is at right angles to these, at the south end of the apron.

EXTERIOR: towards the apron each couple has twin gables over paired sliding doors. In the long flanks, set low, the original design included a series of 5 multi-pane steel casements, with similar casements to the outer gables. Most have not survived the re-cladding, the exception being Building 35 which retains two steel-framed windows in its south-east elevation and one in its south-west elevation (two other windows to this elevation are wooden framed and are later additions; a further two windows here are boarded up but given their size are likely to be wooden framed also). To the south-east of building 31 is a restored winch house for hauling planes out of the water. This is a simple gabled building of brick which originally had a slate roof, now with corrugated sheet covering (the covering is not of special interest). It has a pair of timber double doors beneath a heavy concrete lintel in the end gable facing onto the slipway and a casement window with similar lintel in the north-east elevation, also a fixed window to the south-west.. A further brick winch house is located to the north of building 35 but has been altered as it is now flat-roofed and has had its gable-end door narrowed.

INTERIOR: original steel trusses, frame cross-bracing and portal framing to the front including original rails for the sliding doors. Modern insertions are not of special interest.