Front Range Ado Building, Lodge, Gateway And Railings At Vickers Ship And Engineering Limited Engine Garteway

The Front Range ADO building, lodge, gateway, and railings at Vickers Ship and Engineering Limited Engine Gateway in Barrow-in-Furness were constructed around 1913 for Vickers Ltd. This company office and works entrance features a combination of ashlar and coursed red sandstone with a slate roof. The building stands three storeys high and has five bays across the front, with a lean-to gatehouse and double gates on the left side, accompanied by railings in three panels on the right.

The main structure is symmetrical, showcasing a rusticated ashlar ground floor. The central entrance is adorned with Art Nouveau style iron gates, flanked by pilasters that feature diamond panels and console brackets supporting a dentilled broken pediment above a basket arch with a keystone. The first floor includes a moulded sill band and cornice that connect three 4-light oriel bay windows, which are supported by ashlar corbelling with curved corners, ovolo-moulded mullions, and transoms, topped with ashlar roofs. Single-light windows are located in bays two and four. The second floor has a moulded sill band linking cross-windows above each oriel and single-light windows in bays two and four. The building is capped with a modillioned cornice and a solid parapet, featuring coped end gables.

To the left of the main building is the workers' entrance, which has a double-chamfered surround and a panel marked 'WORKS ENTRANCE', along with a coped parapet that includes a large ashlar scroll. The iron gates on the left are designed with close bars beneath twin mid-rails, featuring scrollwork and arched rails above, finished with spear finials and scrolled stiles. To the right of the main range is a curved wall with three sections of railings in an Art Nouveau style.

The interior, which was not fully inspected, includes a coffered ceiling in the entrance lobby, along with margin-glazed doors and screens. The stair hall features eared door architraves, a coffered ceiling, and a stone staircase with an ornate wrought-iron balustrade. This building was part of a significant expansion of the shipbuilding and engineering works that took place just before the Great War.