Paint Stores And Electroplating Shop

The Paint Stores and Electroplating Shop, built around 1865 for the South Eastern Railway, is a single-storey building located at Newtown Railway Works. Constructed of yellow brick with a Welsh slate roof, it features a central glazed louvre. The building measures approximately 12.2 meters by 8.9 meters and is divided into two units by a brick party wall.

The north elevation originally had four tall, round, rubbed-brick headed windows set in rectangular recesses, but the first and third windows from the left have been converted into doors. The south elevation also had tall round-headed windows in rectangular recesses, which are now blocked, along with three tall arches on the east and west elevations that lack recesses. A later lean-to has been added to the west elevation. The roof is plain with a central raised glazed louvre on the ridge.

The interior was not inspected in July 1998 but is reported to have a central dividing wall and iron roof trusses. The building first appears on the 1871 Ordnance Survey map as a paint store and was later used as an electroplating shop. It was designed to be semi-fireproof, making it suitable for storing combustible and gaseous materials like paint. This building is notable as the only early structure on the Ashford works site with fire-resistant features. The metal trusses are constructed from cast iron struts and wrought iron plates, with some joints being wedged rather than bolted, indicating an early date of construction.

It is listed for its group value within the early railway works layout and for its unique design features as a paint store within the locomotive establishment.