Laboratory Boat House (Building 314)

1137/0/10093 PRIDDY'S HARD 17-APR-09 Laboratory Boat House (Building 314)

GV II Boat house. 1847. In timber frame, but in later C19 rebuilt in brick, all painted, slate roof with lead dressings.

A small rectangular building with low-pitched hipped roof, set on the outer S edge of the Camber (qv) raised on stone piers from the water level. The W end has a central plank door, and on the S side are two wide-spaced multi-pane lights. Central to the ridge is a cropped stack or vent. The interior not inspected or accessible.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Built in 1847 for the new Laboratory complex, this building is prominently located next to the Camber. Despite the importance of water communications in the naval ordnance yards, this is the only example of this building type to have survived. The magazines and related structures at Priddy's Hard date from the late 18th century. The site's expansion from the mid 19th century was closely related to the development of land and sea artillery and the navy's transition from the age of sail, powder and solid shot to the Dreadnought class of the early 1900s. Priddy's Hard retains the best-preserved range of structures that relate to this remarkable history of continual enlargement and adaptation, one that encompasses that of Britain's dominance as a sea power on a global scale. For further historical details on this site, see the description for 'A' Magazine.