Printing Works, 42 Union Street, Wick

The Printing Works at 42 Union Street in Wick is a mid-19th century terrace consisting of three linked, rectangular-plan, gabled buildings of varying heights, set into a bank. The north-facing end of the terrace is bowed, and the exterior features coursed Caithness stone slabs.

The principal elevation is a single-storey, three-bay structure with regular window placement and a door located to the left. The roof is pitched to the left. The rear elevation is obscured by the bank, while the north side elevation abuts another building. The south side elevation has a single window. The windows throughout are 6-pane sash and case types, and the roof is covered with grey slates and lead flashing, with cast-iron rainwater goods.

The second part of the terrace features a three-storey, six-bay printing office with a tall, coped wallhead stack at the center. This elevation also has regular fenestration and a door located in the second bay from the left. The rear elevation is a single-storey, five-bay asymmetrical shop front with bull-faced sandstone margins around the openings. It includes a broad recessed door at the center, large plate glass windows in the bays to the right and immediate left, a recessed door to the left, and a canted window on the outer left. The eaves course is detailed with a castellated and corbelled parapet above the door and the canted outer left bay. The side elevation is obscured by adjoining buildings. The windows here are 12-pane sash and case types, with grey slates, lead flashing, bull-faced coping to the skews, and gable end stacks, along with cast-iron rainwater goods.

The final section of the terrace is a two-storey, four-bay building featuring long and short ashlar quoins around the openings. It has regular fenestration with a door positioned to the center right. The rear elevation is a single-storey, four-bay structure with regular window placement, although all windows are blocked except for the outer right window. The north side elevation is bow-fronted with a coped wallhead stack at the center and regular fenestration, though the upper storey windows are blocked. The upper storey has a 12-pane sash and case window, while the ground floor features fixed plate glass. The roof is also covered with grey slates, lead flashing, and cast-iron rainwater goods.

The interiors were not seen during the last inspection in 2001.