Building 54 (Press House, Rnad Bull Point

Building 54, known as the Press House, is a hydraulic press house constructed between 1856 and 1857. It features an iron frame that is partly covered in rendered brick and has a hipped slate roof. The building has a square plan, with iron columns that originally framed the press.

This building is one of the key functional structures at Bull Point, part of a group built along a road extending from the magazine enclosure. Along with Buildings 65 and 69, it forms a unique ensemble that represents the ordnance technology of its time, prior to the extensive shell-filling complexes developed for the 12-inch breech-loaders in the 1880s and beyond.

Bull Point is located just north of the Royal Navy's Steam Yard at Keyham and was the last major project of the Board of Ordnance, which was abolished in 1856. The site was designed to store 40,000 barrels of powder and included a floating magazine for unloading powder, as well as the 1805 St Budeaux laboratory for checking and processing it before transport to the Bull Point magazines. Unlike other yards, Bull Point was specifically planned with buildings dedicated to the various functions of processing and storing new types of ordnance, which significantly influenced the design of naval ships and fortifications. The buildings, mostly made of ashlar with rock-faced dressings, create a stylistically coherent group that fronts an avenue south of the magazines. This ensemble is regarded as the finest in any of the Ordnance Yards, reflecting the high standards of design upheld by the Ordnance Board for fortifications and barracks since the 17th century, and is a remarkable example of integrated factory planning from that period. For a complete history of the site, refer to Building 13.