Kennaway'S Bonded Stores

Kennaway’s Bonded Stores is a late 19th-century bonded store, built in 1892, sited backing onto the River Exe. The building is constructed of Flemish bond brick with stone and rubbed brick dressings to the entrance elevation, and has a corrugated asbestos roof with hipped ends to the rear.

The stores comprise a three-and-a-half span block to the rear, with a projecting entrance block at the left end facing onto Commercial Road. The entrance block is symmetrical, with a three-bay front featuring a plinth and two-tier brick pilasters with channelled rustication to the ground floor, and stone bases and moulded caps to the upper tier. A deep stone fascia below the projecting cornice is carved with 'KENNAWAY & CO LTD' in raised capitals. The central doorway has a doorcase of pilasters with stone brackets to the arch’s spandrels, ramshorn moulding, and a rubbed brick arch with a keyblock. Above the doorway, a fascia displays 'BONDED STORES' in raised capitals, with the date 1892 carved into the keyblock. Ground floor round-headed windows are flanked by stone sills and brackets, proud architraves, and stone spandrels carved with ramshorns. The first-floor openings are simpler versions of the ground floor windows, with segmental-headed rubbed brick arches and keyblocks. A cast iron bracket indicates the presence of a former hoist. All windows are glazed with small panes and protected by iron grilles. The rear elevation, facing the river, features a moulded brick eaves cornice and four windows on both floors to each separately-roofed block, divided by brick pilasters.

The interior was not inspected.

The building is listed because it has an unusually elaborate front elevation with good architectural details.