Former Torpedo Works

1910-12, with later additions and alterations. Two tall single-storey, multi-bay, roughly rectangular factory buildings with gabled roofs and round-arched windows, built as part of Torpedo Works for Royal Navy (see Notes). Buildings set at a slight angle to each other. Coursed, bull-faced red sandstone and artificial stone with ashlar dressings; some brick. Ashlar copes; long and short ashlar quoins and window margins; predominantly round-arched transomed and mullioned windows; prominent tall keystones to most round arches.

BUILDING TO W: long rectangular range composed of 11 adjoining 3- bay gabled sections orientated E-W; 2 gables at S end are probably a later addition, being broader with slightly different window margins. Gables to E elevation all originally the same: wide central entrance with arched tripartite fanlight over; transomed, mullioned round-arched windows flanking to each side; long tripartite window to gablehead. Many windows now bricked up. Gables to W (rear) predominantly fenestrated with 3 round-arched windows and tripartite gablehead window; 2 with central projecting stacks; 3 unfenestrated; some windows bricked up. 6-bay N and S elevations fenestrated with round-arched windows.

BUILDING TO E: irregular-plan building composed of 4 different sections. Large range to NW composed of 13 single-bay, gabled sheds with asymmetrical gables to E and W elevations; snecked red sandstone a to W elevation; red brick with sandstone ashlar dressings to N nd E; large round-arched windows to W (mostly bricked up); discontinuous cill course; irregularly fenestrated 7-bay N elevation with 2 large round-arched openings with scroll-ended hoodmoulds; strip rooflights to N-facing roofs. Large gabled shed orientated N-S adjoining E elevation of NW range; irregularly fenestrated gabled to N with coursed grey false stone; cement-rendered E elevation rises to a number of asymmetric gables similar to those on W elevation. These are the remnant of an earlier building that adjoined this one to E.

Similar gabled shed orientated E-W adjoining NW and E ranges to S; coursed false stone; large arched entrance to W; similar entrance and 3 windows to S. M-gabled red sandstone section orientated E-W advanced from S

elevation of previous section and forming front (road) elevation of building: 5 arched windows to front (S); irregular fenestration to gables (E & W).

Predominantly corrugated iron or asbestos roofs supported on steel trusses.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATE PIERS: random rubble boundary wall to road, heightened in false stone with corniced, bull-faced red sandstone gatepiers.