Barn Mills (Ambler's Mill), Taylor's Avenue, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, BT38 7HQ

Barn Mills (Ambler's Mill), Taylor's Avenue, Carrickfergus

This is a large, eclectic factory complex of varying heights — rising to four, three, two, and single storey in different parts — built in brick, stone, and render. It was originally constructed as a flax spinning mill around 1839–40, on the site of a pre-1832 cotton manufactory, and was substantially extended in 1870, 1880, and later. It is now used for spinning mohair. The complex sits on the east side of Taylor's Avenue, with a long frontage to the road, on the north-eastern outskirts of Carrickfergus. In broad terms, the layout is T-shaped.

Historical background

The site appears on the 1832 Ordnance Survey map showing a large building marked as a cotton manufactory belonging to James Cowan, who lived in a nearby single-storey house called The Barn or Barn Cottage, thought to have been built around 1790 and purchased by Cowan around 1827–28. The cotton manufactory may also have dated from around 1790. Mechanised cotton spinning and cotton printing had become established in the Carrickfergus area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, largely because of Belfast's role as a cotton-importing town and active promotion of the industry by the Irish parliament in the 1780s and 1790s. By 1800, £192,000 was reported to be invested in cotton within a ten-mile radius of Belfast, providing work for 13,500 people. By the mid-1830s, however, advances in the power spinning of flax — pioneered by the Mulhollands in Belfast using wet-spinning techniques developed by James Kay of Preston — together with intensifying competition from Lancashire cotton mills, began to drive the conversion of Irish mills to linen production. This process was largely complete in Belfast by 1835, spreading rapidly to other areas over the following decade, and by the mid-to-later 1840s had almost entirely replaced cotton production throughout Ulster and the rest of Ireland.

James Cowan followed this trend, and the Ordnance Survey Memoirs record that by 1839–40 he was in the process of constructing a new flax mill built of brick and stone, measuring 40 feet 8 inches by 127 feet in the clear, with a wheel house measuring 60 feet by 40 feet designed to accommodate a large metal 32-foot breast wheel. Whether anything of the original cotton mill survived into the new building is unclear; the Memoirs make no mention of an earlier structure, and since the 1836 valuations do not record its dimensions, it cannot be established whether Cowan demolished or extended it. A directory of 1824 lists James Cowan as a cotton spinner at a "Bank Mill" — possibly an erroneous reference to the Barn Mill — which would indicate his connection to the site as early as 1824.

James Cowan died sometime between 1846 and 1852, and the Barn Mills and Barn Cottage were acquired by James Taylor in the latter year. An 1859 valuation records that by this time the complex included the main mill building, the hackling mill, a two-storey flax store, a two-storey gatehouse, a three-storey store with drying loft, a two-storey foreman's and assistant's house, a two-storey forge, and various other two- and single-storey offices, most grouped along the roadside to the west of the main mill, much as they remain today. Power was provided by two steam engines and a water wheel, the latter contributing one-sixth of the 30 nominal horsepower during the ten hours the mill was worked each day. The 1859 valuation grades everything class A, implying all structures were twenty years old or less — meaning many, or all, may have been built by Cowan around 1839–40. It should be noted that while J. A. K. Dean's The Gate Lodges of Ulster states that architect Thomas Jackson designed the mill for James Taylor in 1852, Jackson appears only to have worked on a gate lodge for Barn Cottage, and there is no evidence to connect him to the mill or to suggest the complex as a whole dates from Taylor's acquisition.

The mill began trading as James Taylor & Sons in 1858. James Taylor died in 1871, and when the last of his male relatives died in 1883, a limited company was formed with James Barbour as chairman and John McFerran as managing director; McFerran took up residence in Barn Cottage. James Taylor & Sons Limited retained ownership until 1945, when the Northern Ireland government provided grant aid — in an effort to boost post-war employment — to enable the factory to be purchased by the wool-spinning firm of Jeremiah Ambler of Bradford. The complex was converted to the production of woollen thread, with mohair becoming dominant in later years. During the Second World War, the factory had been used for the production of parachutes, which must have required conversion of the machinery to silk spinning. At their post-war peak, Amblers employed over 500 people. At the time of the original listing description (June 2001), Amblers were in the process of winding down production at the Barn Mills and were due to vacate the premises shortly.

Bassett's County Antrim Directory of 1888 provides both a written account and an illustration of the complex by that date, showing the main mill, the new engine house of 1880, the hackling mill and flax store, the office and yarn store of 1870, the three dwelling houses to the south end, the boiler house and bundling room, the large single-storey carding and machine rooms, and the gatehouse (now demolished). Also shown is the large extension to the main mill added in 1870, originally two storeys. Absent from this illustration are the workshop block and the third storey of the bundling room, which appear to have been added around 1900–10, possibly along with the third storey of the mill extension. Bassett records that in 1888 there were over 600 employees working 15,088 spindles, power being provided by a compound tandem engine installed by Mr Wood of Bolton in 1880, capable of working up to 500 horsepower. A fire engine by Messrs Merryweather & Sons of London was stationed within the complex, capable of being set to work within a minute. The firm also provided sixty workers' houses, a newsroom, and a school house — the last of these possibly present since the 1850s, as "National school" appears as an annotation next to the mill on the second valuation map. The school's precise location within the complex is uncertain; a site plan of around 1885–90 makes no mention of it.

The former mill pond, which once occupied rising ground to the north of the complex, was drained and filled in relatively recently (after 1972), and the site is now occupied by a housing estate of around 1990. A further recently built estate lies to the east side of the complex.

Overall layout

The western row facing Taylor's Avenue

The long row facing directly onto Taylor's Avenue to the west originally contained the boiler house, engine house, drying lofts, stores, and employees' houses. It has been much altered and added to over the years, consisting of four-and-a-half, three, two, and single-storey portions mainly in stone and brick, built largely between around 1840 and 1880 with some later alterations.

Bundling room, drying loft, and boiler house (Block A.1)

At the northern end of this row is a three- and two-storey hipped and gabled block. It appears to have started out before 1857 as a much smaller two-storey building in rubble construction, before a large section was raised by a storey. A large portion was also added to the rear in brick around 1900. The section originally contained the boiler house, and a large brick chimney stack rises through the roof.

The front elevation is three storeys to the right (north) and two storeys to the left (south). The north-west corner of the building is curved. To the far left of the ground floor is a blocked-up doorway with red brick dressings, positioned at the curved corner. To the right of this are three windows with similar dressings and a mixture of sash frames with crude security grilles. Further right is a doorway with similar dressings and a timber-sheeted door with a two-pane fanlight (now broken). To the right again, on the two-storey section of the elevation, is the outline of an arcade formerly consisting of four large semicircular arches. The leftmost arch is now largely filled with a large timber-sheeted double door, while the remainder are filled with a mixture of rubble and brick. Windows were inserted into the filled arches at some point but have since been blocked in brick as well. To the first floor there are nine roughly evenly spaced windows with segmental heads and brick dressings; the five from the left (within the three-storey portion) are slightly narrower with four-pane fixed-light frames in a sash-like arrangement, while the others have similar six-pane frames. To the second floor of the three-storey section are five windows with frames as those directly below, plus one further similar window to the curved northern corner.

The façade is in random basalt rubble to the lower two storeys, with brick to the second storey. The coursing of the rubble to the two-storey section is markedly different from that of the three-storey section, suggesting the two parts are of different dates. The short north elevation has a window to the left on the ground floor with a segmental arch head and a sash frame with vertical glazing bars (2/2), and a doorway to the right with a partly glazed door and security grille. Evidence suggests a window has been blocked to the right of this. To the first floor there is a central window with a modern frame and a row of three tiny single-pane fixed-light windows to the left. To the second floor are two windows (the right-hand one with three panes). The ground and first floors of this elevation are in painted render, the second floor in brick. The very short east elevation is finished in the same manner. There is a single window to each floor: the ground-floor window is narrow with a plain sash frame; the first-floor window is larger, segmental-headed, with a modern (post-1950s) three-pane frame; and the second-floor window has a frame matching those at second-floor level elsewhere. The south gable of the two-storey section is abutted to the right by Block A.3, and the exposed left-hand side of the gable is blank, finished in painted lined render. The small exposed south-facing section of the three-storey portion is blank and finished in plain render.

The three-storey section has a slated hipped roof from which rises a tall industrial battered octagonal chimney stack in cream-brown brick. This stack was once considerably taller but was reduced in height sometime after around 1972. The two-storey section to the south has a slated gabled roof.

Workshops and fire engine house (Block A.2)

Attached to the rear (east) of Block A.1 is a large three-storey hipped-roof building in brick, built sometime after around 1888 (possibly around 1900). Attached to its south is a relatively large single-storey lean-to, also in brick and probably somewhat later in date.

The east elevation of the main three-storey section is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a pair of large door screens, each with a large panelled-and-glazed double door with a large six-pane fanlight. To the left of these doorways are two very large segmental-headed windows with nine-pane frames, and two similar windows to the right. To the first floor are five windows matching those on the upper floors of the north elevation of Block A.1.2, and five similar windows to the second floor. On the section of the south elevation, there are two first-floor windows as before, with four to the second floor. Much of the ground floor and much of the first floor is masked by the single-storey lean-to, which abuts the rear of the two-storey Block A.1.2 to the north and meets the main spinning mill (Block B.1) to the south. It has a corrugated asbestos roof with rooflights. To its east elevation there is a tall metal-sheeted door to the right of centre; to the left are two large low-level recesses, probably once openings, with another recess to the right of the door. To the ground floor of the north elevation of the main three-storey section are two large windows as at ground-floor level on the east elevation; to the first floor are three windows as on the first floor of the east elevation; and three more to the second floor. The main three-storey section has a slated hipped roof.

Engine house (Block A.3)

The engine house is a tall, narrow three-and-a-half-storey brick frontage on the west side of the main spinning mill, wedged between Block A.1 to the north and Block A.2 to the south. It dates from 1880 and its interior contains the site formerly occupied by the water wheel. At double-volume ground-floor level there is a large projecting L-shaped section with a flat roof. To the west elevation of this projection are three tall semicircular-headed windows with mullioned-and-transomed frames of seven panes and a rendered keystone. The right-hand window is shorter because immediately below it is a large timber and formerly glazed double door. To the right-hand (south) side of this projection is a further projection whose north- and south-facing windows are all now blocked in breeze block. The entire projecting section has several string courses in blue-grey brick and is topped with a rendered cornice and brick parapet. In front of the ground floor is a small railed-off area with late-19th- or early-20th-century decorative iron railings and a pedestrian gate.

To the first floor of the main set-back portion of the block are four tall segmental-headed windows with three-pane mullioned-and-transomed frames. Above these is a rendered cornice-like string course, and at second-floor level are four windows similar to those at ground floor but shorter, with five panes. Just above the middle windows is a shield-shaped datestone inscribed "1880". This floor has several string courses: two in flush blue-grey brick, and one in the same red brick as the façade but projecting. The narrow north elevation is exposed at first-floor level and above, with a single window at both first and second floors matching those on corresponding floors to the west. The narrow south elevation is exposed only at second-floor level, with a single window matching those at second-floor level on the north and west. To the east, the block is abutted by the large mill building, with only portions of the second floor exposed — these are blank. The engine house block is topped with a cornice course. Rising from the centre of its flat roof is a small single-storey timber turret with a slated pyramidal roof, incorporating a door to its north face (giving access to the roof itself), a small window to both the east and west faces, and a metal weathervane. Immediately to the north, south, and west of the turret is a large metal water tank with a panelled face.

Hackling mill (Block A.4.1)

This section lies immediately to the south of the engine house. It is a large four-storey block of pre-1857 construction in basalt rubble with cream brick-dressed window openings, all now blocked up. It originally had a gabled roof, but this was removed following a fire in 1972 and the roof is now flat. To the south end it has been extended at some point, possibly around 1870, linking to a two-storey flax store (Block A.4.2). To the rear (east) it is abutted by a corrugated iron-clad stairwell projection linking to the main spinning mill to the north-east, and a large two-storey flax and line store (Block A.7).

The west elevation is in basalt rubble and has a row of blocked-up, brick-dressed, segmental-headed window openings to each of its four floors. On the ground floor, to the far right, there is a large elliptical-headed carriage entrance, also now blocked up. Set between the fifth and sixth window positions on each floor is a tall continuous recess stretching the full height of the building. This recess originally contained a window at each floor level, though only the outline of the ground-floor window is still discernible. The recess originally rose into a small gabled dormer containing a loft door, but this was removed after 1972. All window openings and the recess are blocked in brick. Above some of the window positions are brick-dressed roundel openings that may once have been ventilators; these roundels, which do not appear to be original, are also blocked in brick. The coursing of the stonework at second- and third-floor level to the right-hand edge of the elevation suggests a portion on that side was added or rebuilt at some point, possibly around 1870. The north side of the block is abutted by the engine house, with only the very top floor exposed; this elevation is mainly in basalt rubble, patched in brick, with no visible openings. The south elevation is abutted by Block A.4.2 but is exposed at second and third-floor level; this exposed section is rendered and has four segmental-headed window openings to each floor, with a variety of frames including some with Georgian-style panes. The east elevation is abutted to the right by a relatively recent corrugated iron-clad corridor and stairwell linking to the main spinning mill, and to the left by a large three-storey block originally used as a flax and line store (Block A.7). Between these, the elevation is also abutted by a large single-storey section with northlights. As a result, only a portion of the east elevation is exposed, and owing to the density of neighbouring buildings can only be seen from a distance; it appears to be largely in basalt rubble with a row of blocked-up windows at second-floor level. The block has a flat roof on which there is a small brick projection, probably containing a water tank.

Flax store (Block A.4.2)

This building lies immediately to the south of Block A.4.1. It is two storeys with a flat roof and a basalt rubble façade, appearing to have been built in two stages but largely dating from around 1870. The front elevation has three blocked-up segmental-arched window openings to the ground floor and a tall pedestrian doorway, also now blocked up. To the first floor are four more blocked-up window openings matching those below. The south elevation is abutted by a terrace of three two-storey dwellings (Block A.5), and the exposed remainder of the basalt rubble façade is blank. The rear (east) elevation is abutted by the large three- and two-storey flax and line stores (Block A.7).

Dwelling houses (Block A.5)

Immediately to the south of Block A.4.2 is a short gabled two-storey terrace containing three rendered dwelling houses, now disused with all openings blocked up. The houses appear to have been largely identical, though the southernmost is slightly larger than the other two. To the west, each had a doorway and window to the ground floor, with a single window to the first floor for the north and centre houses, and two windows for the south house. The south-facing gable of the southernmost house appears never to have had any openings. To the rear, the south house projects further than the other two and has a two-storey gabled return, which appears to have had a doorway to the ground floor on its north face, a window directly above, and a further first-floor window on the main façade to the right of the return. Each of the other two dwellings had two windows to the first floor and a doorway with two windows to the ground floor. The gabled roofs are slated, and there are three rendered chimney stacks (the centre one damaged and reduced in height; the south one increased in height). Extending southward from the south gable is a high basalt rubble wall running to Block A.6. This wall contains a large elliptical-arched carriage gateway, now blocked, with brick voussoirs.

Dining room (Block A.6)

To the south of the gateway is a large single-storey gabled building in basalt rubble and brick, with a large flat-roofed extension to the rear. The main building may date from around 1870, while the rear extension appears slightly later (documentary evidence suggests the 1880s, though it may have been altered in the mid-20th century). The front (west) elevation is in basalt rubble with a tall blocked-up pedestrian doorway to the far left and three large roughly square blocked-up window openings to the right, dressed in brick with concrete or rendered lintels. The south gable is obscured by greenery. The north gable is in brick and is blank. The rear elevation is dominated by the large flat-roofed extension, also in brick (of a more recent variety). To its east façade there is a doorway to the right with a flat-roofed porch and metal roller shutter; to the left are two very large windows now covered with corrugated iron; to the far left is a much smaller window partly covered in corrugated iron (the lower two-thirds of its timber frame remaining exposed). To the short north face of the extension are two more windows, also covered over. The south face and the small exposed section of the east façade of the main building are obscured by greenery. The roof is slated with a small brick chimney stack to the south gable.

Flax and line stores (Block A.7)

To the rear (east) of Blocks A.4.1 and A.4.2 is a large three- and two-storey block probably built in two sections, originally containing flax and line stores. The three-storey northern section is probably earlier (pre-1857) and has a pyramidal roof; the two-storey southern section appears to be later (perhaps largely around 1870) and has a flat roof. Both are in basalt rubble.

To the east elevation of the three-storey section there is a central pedestrian doorway to the ground floor, set within what was once a large elliptical-headed carriage arch. To left and right of the doorway, former windows have been blocked up. To the first floor there is a large central loft doorway opening, with further blocked windows to either side. To the second floor there is another central doorway with a projecting winch above; to either side of this doorway is a segmental-headed window with brick dressings and a Georgian-paned sash frame (6/6). To the right-hand edge at ground- and first-floor level this elevation is abutted by the large single-storey northlight block (Block B.3). The south elevation is abutted by the two-storey Block A.7.2 but is exposed at second-floor level, where there are three windows matching those at second-floor level on the east elevation. The north elevation could not be inspected, though its ground floor and much of its first floor are abutted by Block B.3; internal evidence suggests there are no openings at the still-exposed second-floor level (though this was not confirmed). The roof is pyramidal and oasthouse-like in character, breaking near the apex into a low pyramidally capped turret, presumably for ventilation or drying purposes.

To the east elevation of the two-storey southern section there was a central ground-floor pedestrian door with a recent roller shutter; to the left are two windows matching those at second-floor level on the three-storey section, with another two to the right, and five more to the second floor. The south elevation is blank except for a broad segmental-arched central doorway to the ground floor, now blocked up. The short west elevation is blank. The roof is flat.

The main spinning mills

Spinning mill (Block B.1)

The spinning mill is the hub of the entire complex. It is a large three-storey-plus-attic block with a gabled roof and rendered façade, possibly dating from 1839–40 and possibly incorporating the fabric of a pre-1832 structure. It was greatly extended in 1870 when an equally large section was added to the east end (Block B.2); this extension was later raised to three storeys and extended further eastward, probably around 1900.

The north and south elevations of the mill share a similar functional arrangement with long rows of tall windows with relatively recent six-pane frames to each floor. On the north elevation this uniformity is interrupted by two pedestrian doorways to the ground floor, large loft doorways to the far left on the upper floors, and a relatively recent fire escape stair with associated doorways to the right. To the far right on the ground floor the elevation is abutted by the lean-to section of Block A.2. On the south elevation, the left side is abutted by the corridor link from Block A.4.1; towards the right of centre there is a narrow full-height projecting bay, which rises above eaves level into a small gable; and to the far right a narrow single-storey brick corridor links to Block B.3. The gabled roof is slated and has a row of large skylights along its entire length on both the north and south sides. To the east end of the north side of the roof there is a large flat-roofed brick dormer-like projection, probably containing a water tank.

Spinning mill extension (Block B.2)

The spinning mill extension lies to the east of the original mill. It is three storeys with a flat roof, in basalt and brick to the north and rendered to the east and south. Documentary evidence indicates it was built in 1870 and was originally two storeys; while the stonework coursing gives no indication of this, it does show that the building was extended eastward at some point, probably after 1900. The north and south elevations share the same functional, uniform character as Block B.1, with rows of tall brick-dressed windows with six-pane frames to each floor. There is a pedestrian doorway with a tall window-like fanlight to the far right on the ground floor of the south elevation. The north elevation has several rendered string courses, a brick eaves cornice, brick quoins to the east end, and rendered quoins. To the short east elevation there is a recent fire escape stair with associated doorways to the upper floors. The building has a flat roof.

Carding and machine rooms (Block B.3)

This irregular single-storey block covers a large area of ground to the south of the spinning mill (Block B.1), abutting Blocks A.4.1 and A.7.1 to the west. It is built entirely in red brick with some cream brick quoins and dressings, with a series of northlights, and evidence suggests it dates from 1880. In plan it consists of a large roughly square section with a wing to the west. Each elevation is generally featureless, with evidence of original door and window openings having been blocked; the remaining few window openings are mainly later insertions of around the 1950s–60s. To the north there is a long lean-to portion, possibly added in the mid-20th century, with a long bank of modern-style windows; in this area there is also a short brick corridor linking to the spinning mill. To the west there is a loading bay with a large mid-20th-century-looking flat-roofed canopy stretching over a loading ramp and associated large doorway. To the south-west corner the block has a short basalt rubble foundation.

Offices and ancillary buildings

Counting house, office, and yarn stores (Block C.1)

This block lies at the north end of the complex, on one side of a large yard bounded to the south by the spinning mill, and to the west by the workshop block and main gateway. It is two storeys, probably dating from 1870, and has a domestic appearance resembling a terrace of dwellings. The façade is mainly in rock-faced sandstone, and the roof is gabled and slated.

The front (south-facing) elevation has a left-of-centre segmental-headed doorway leading to the office and former counting house section, with smooth sandstone dressings including a keystone, a panelled double door, and a plain fanlight. To the left of this are three evenly spaced segmental-headed windows with sash frames (vertical glazing bars, 2/2), dressed as the doorway, as are all other openings. To the right of the doorway is a similar window, then a canted bay with a shallow lead-sheeted hipped roof, each face of the bay having a window similar to the others but with a plain sash frame. To the right of the bay is a large segmental-headed vehicle doorway, originally serving a small loading bay, with a timber-sheeted double door. To the right of this is another pedestrian doorway, similar to the first but with a panelled-and-glazed single door; then another window; then another doorway with a panelled door; then another window. To the first floor there are twelve windows all matching the ground-floor windows but shorter, positioned directly above the ground-floor openings, with a pair directly above the bay. To the west gable there are two windows to each floor, all corresponding to those on the front elevation. The east gable is in brick and was formerly abutted at ground-floor level by a large coal shed (Block C.2.1); only the front façade of this shed survives, and a small modern single-storey shed has been built within the area formerly covered by the large shed, abutting the gable.

The rear elevation is in fieldstone (probably basalt) rubble with brick dressings to openings. To the left of centre on the ground floor are two small window openings, one with a sash frame and the other boarded over with corrugated iron. To the first floor, to the left, are five windows of various sizes and a doorway; the doorway and three or perhaps four of the windows appear to be boarded up; the window furthest to the right has a sash frame with security bars. The doorway formerly led via a metal walkway to the higher ground immediately to the north, where the mill pond was once located. The gabled roof is slated, with parapets with lead sheeting and three sandstone chimney stacks to the ridge (two to the gables).

Coal shed (Block C.2.1)

A large single-storey coal shed of around 1880–90 formerly abutted the east gable of Block C.1, but now only its front façade and part of its east wall remain. The front (south) façade is in red brick with several cream brick string courses and is symmetrical. To the centre is a large segmental-headed vehicle opening with a brick label moulding and a rendered keystone. To the left is a tall window-like recess with a head and label moulding as the vehicle opening, and an identical recess to the right. Above the doorway and recesses is a projecting string course, above which is a plain parapet topped with a plain rendered coping. In the centre of the parapet there is a small square rendered panel. To the far left, the east wall is in brick matching the front. Beyond the line of a projecting gate screen, what remains of the east wall and the rear wall is in fieldstone rubble. Within the area formerly enclosed by the shed (against the gable of Block C.1) there is a small recent-looking flat-roofed timber shed. Several crude breeze-block garages and sheds now abut the east wall, and to the north of these the wall is abutted by the former stable block (Block C.2.3). The roof of the shed has been removed, and the outline visible on the inside of the south wall shows it was curved, presumably of the Belfast Truss type.

Coal and gas store, governor house, retort house, gas meter house, and lime house (Block C.2.2)

To the east of Block C.2.1 is a relatively large single-storey hipped-roof block in brick with small projecting sections to the east and west, also probably dating from around 1880–90. This block formerly contained a gas and coal store, with the governor house in the small west projection and the gas meter and lime house in the larger east projection. To the rear there originally stood a tall brick chimney stack, removed sometime prior to 1971. The block is now used as a forge.

The main section's front (south) elevation has a large segmental-headed vehicle doorway to the left of centre, with a timber-sheeted double door with glazed panel and a brick label moulding with a rendered keystone. To the left are two tall segmental-headed windows with relatively recent multi-pane frames and brick label mouldings. To the right of the vehicle doorway is a similar window, then a tall pedestrian doorway with a timber-sheeted door and a broken fanlight, with label moulding as before; then another window and another pedestrian doorway, much the same. The elevation has three cream brick string courses, continuing across the south faces of both projections, along with a brick eaves course and a stepped base. To the short west elevation there is a small hipped-roof projection whose east face has a pedestrian doorway with a recent roller shutter, and which connects via a small gate screen to the east wall of Block C.2.1; the west and north faces of the projection are blank. To the east end of the block is a slightly larger hipped-roof projection; its east face has two pedestrian doorways similar to those on the south front of the main section but without fanlights; the east and north faces are blank. The rear elevation of the main section is blank, except for the remains of a lean-to projection to the left of centre, probably once connected to the former chimney stack. All sections of the roof are slated, and the south side of the main roof has three rooflights. A gasometer that once stood to the north-east of this block was removed sometime prior to 1970.

Stables, hayshed, and harness room (Block C.2.3)

This plain two-storey gabled brick block lies immediately to the east of the former coal shed and to the north of Block C.2.2. To its south elevation there is a large doorway to the left on the ground floor, with two blocked-up former window openings to the right. To the first floor there are four small windows, one of which is now boarded up, with remains of frames to the others. The east gable is blank. The rear (north) elevation could not be inspected, but plans suggest it is also blank.

Store or garage (Block C.3)

To the east side of the yard, at the north-east end of the complex, is a large single-storey timber shed with a curved Belfast Truss roof. This may date from the early 1900s and may have served as a store or possibly a garage. It is largely featureless, with long timber east and west façades and rendered breeze-block gables (undoubtedly rebuilt at some point). The timber east and west sides are supported internally by actual tree-trunk posts. The structure is in very poor condition and the timber walls are leaning badly.