Composite Shipbuilding Shed (S 151)

The Composite Shipbuilding Shed, built between 1879 and 1881, is now used as a store. The north gable was rebuilt around 1990. It features a cast-iron frame with timber and corrugated iron panelling and a sheet roof. The shed has a rectangular plan with an eastern aisle and stands two storeys high, comprising 24 bays that are three bays wide. The gable ends have a low eastern aisle under a raking roof, divided by H-section iron columns. The ground floor is made of concrete blocks and corrugated iron panels, while the upper level has continuous glazing with three 9/3-pane casements in each bay. The aisle is supported by cast-iron columns with thin moulded tops and concrete block infill, featuring a central gabled entrance with iron pilasters, double 20th-century doors, a glazed pediment, and moulded timber barge boards.

Inside, H-section iron columns line both sides, supporting queen post timber trusses with pierced cast-iron curved spandrel braces. The aisle roof includes trussed purlins and curved cast-iron struts, and the brick floor has rail lines running through the center. Originally, the ground floor was clad in vertical boarding with a slate roof. The yard primarily built composite ships, which had a metal frame and timber hulls, suitable for service in warm tropical waters. This lightweight construction, resembling civilian shipbuilding yards, marks an important phase in shipbuilding and reflects the navy's Empire commitments.