B Bond Tobacco Warehouse

BRISTOL

ST5672 SMEATON ROAD, Floating Harbour 901-1/41/1307 (South side) 03/05/88 B Bond Tobacco Warehouse

GV II

Bonded tobacco warehouse. 1908. Designed by the Docks Committee engineer. Built by William Cowlin and Sons. Coignet system reinforced concrete, patent red bricks, blue engineering bricks, Pennant stone steps, terracotta details and Welsh slate roof. Open plan, in 2 equal parts separated by central spine wall. 9 storeys; 18-window range. Ground floor in black brick with a low plinth, the remainder in red, with strings at 3, 5, 7 & 9 storeys, cornice, of black moulded brick, and stone parapet. Wide clasping pilasters to corners, and to sides of projecting central 4-window bay, raised above parapet with sunken panels; rear elevation has central bay flat between the pilasters. Ground-floor front has round-arched doorways and windows: from the outside, one door, 2 windows and 2 doors either side of a central door and flanking windows in the projecting block, with Pennant stone steps up; the paired flanking doorways are shaded by a cantilevered steel canopy and have sliding steel doors. Upper-floor windows are almost square with terracotta cills and pronounced, chamfered keys and chamfered, stopped jambs, 1:2:1 in central bay and equally spaced either side between the unpierced pilasters. Top floor is roof-lit only. INTERIOR: entirely reinforced concrete. Central entrance lobby to lateral staircase, giving each side on to 10x8-bay floor with central lift shaft. Columns decrease in size to upper floors, carrying deep primary and secondary beams, with haunched connections; some levels with wood block flooring. Steel truss north light roofs. HISTORICAL NOTE: 'B' bond was the first important structure in England to use Edmond Coignet's reinforced concrete system. (Gomme A, Jenner M and Little B: Bristol, An Architectural History: Bristol: 1979-: 341; Lord J and Southam J: The Floating Harbour: Bristol: 1983-: 94).

Listing NGR: ST5685372192