Former North Saw Pits Building Number 84

The Former North Saw Pits Building Number 84 is a disused structure located on Jetty Road in Queenborough, Sheppey. Built in 1828 by architect William Miller for the Navy Board, the building originally served as saw pits and later as an office and store. It features an iron frame with brick end walls and the upper parts of the side walls. The roof is hipped and covered with large slates arranged in diminishing courses, with some areas replaced by asbestos sheets.

The building has a double-depth rectangular plan, though it is truncated at the southern end, with 7 of the original 10 bays still visible. The single-storey elevations were originally open on the east and west sides, but now have strips of cast-iron small-paned windows above rendered walling. The north end has a four-window arrangement, showcasing an arcade of recessed semi-circular arched windows fitted with glazing bar sashes.

Inside, the structure contains two trusses supported by wrought-iron tension members connected to flat cast-iron ties and braces. These are upheld by an axial row of cast-iron columns, which are linked to perimeter T-section columns by cast-iron beams and a central valley beam. Each internal column is reinforced with diagonal braces, both parallel and perpendicular to the trusses, and the roof is finished with iron laths beneath the slates.

Historically, this building was originally a 10-bay open structure designed to provide cover for pairs of saw pits. Its internal frame and external walls are similar to those used by Edward Holl for the 1826 mast house. This building exemplifies the experimental iron construction techniques developed by engineers Rennie and Holl, marking it as an important example of early 19th-century dockyard architecture.