Dyson Perrins Chemistry Laboratory

MATERIALS: red brick with ashlar dressings.

PLAN: long range comprising east and west wings flanking the central entrance hall and main stair. Secondary stair at end of west wing. Split-level to lower ground floor with longitudinal corridor and small laboratories. Upper level has large, double-height laboratory to each side. Later extensions to rear not of special interest.

EXTERIOR: main elevation comprises of projecting and slightly higher frontispiece three windows wide, and wings of five and six windows wide to the left and right. Frontispiece comprises stone ground floor with door case of large scrolled brackets supporting flat roof with first floor Ionic columns and flanked by two sashes.Three windows to second floor with straight stone festoons. Prominent cornice with deep dentil moulding. Stone parapet with three short ranges of balustrade. Cornice and dentil moulding continue to lower wings with run of balustrade in brick parapet corresponding to each window bay below. These wings defined by tall windows with stone frames to double-height first and second floors, multi-pane with prominent curved glazing bar. To left (west wing), ground floor defined by tall stone plinth; to right (east wing), stone aprons below shorter upper window with ground floor multi-pane sash of almost equal height. Wide horizontal brick quoins to corners. Stone plaque to main facade reads: 'baLLIoLensIs feCI hyDatoeCVs o sI MeLIVs' ('I Waterhouse a Balliol man made this. If only it had been better!') - the larger letters, read as Roman numerals, make the sum 1915, the building's intended completion date. A smaller inscription combines the names of the laboratory's two 'founding fathers', Perkin and Perrins.

Right-hand return elevation with identical range of five window bays. To extreme left is a lower section, contemporary with the west wing, with three segmental-arch-headed, multi-pane windows and projecting porch. Porch roof has broken stone pediment with large keystone to segmental-arch window below flanked by straight festoons. Frieze with stone wreaths to front and one wreath to side elevation where frieze and cornice continue. 2 round portals hang from frieze with brackets. Round-headed windows follow the interior stair. Large multi-pane windows and wide stone banding to this side elevation that steps back irregularly to follow service road. Rear elevation similar to front with four engaged ionic columns supporting frieze inscribed 'ALCHYMISTA SPEM ALIT AETERNAM' ('chemistry offers eternal hope').

INTERIOR: main staircase in hall with stone piers with abstract capitals. Corridors with half-height green and white glazed tiles. Interior transoms to corridors. Main laboratory at first floor to left with wood laboratory tables with porcelain basins and long skylight framed with metal arches and dentil moulding.