Building 57 (Wet Guncotton Store), Rnad Bull Point

This is an ammunition store, built between 1897 and 1905. It is a significant surviving example of a wet guncotton magazine, representing an important part of the complex at RNAD Bull Point, which is considered the finest ensemble within any Ordnance Yard. The store demonstrates the high standards of design used by the Ordnance Board for fortifications and barracks from the 17th century, and exemplifies integrated factory planning of the period, reflecting a critical expansion period for the Royal Navy in the years leading up to the First World War. Wet guncotton magazines were constructed to store the new smokeless explosives that replaced gunpowder from the 1890s, with precautions needed for dry storage to prevent explosions. The building's lighter construction reflects the early nature of this type of storage.

The store has a rectangular plan and is single-storey, with two gables and five bays. The gables form pediments, accentuated by brick dentil courses and similar eaves, with the sides divided into square recessed panels. Concrete lintels top boarded double doors with overlights in the gabled ends. Segmental-arched sash windows with glazing bars are located on the sides. Internally, the building features timber trusses with wooden plank lining.

Located just north of the Royal Navy’s Steam Yard at Keyham, Bull Point provided storage for 40,000 barrels of powder, integrated with a floating magazine for unloading and the 1805 St Budeaux laboratory for processing it before storage in the Bull Point magazines. The buildings, largely in ashlar with rock-faced dressings, were designed to be stylistically consistent, creating a remarkable ensemble and a notable example of integrated factory planning.