Council Depot, Eshiels, Peebles

Council Depot, Eshiels, Peebles

This railway building complex dates from circa 1905 and comprises a pair of attached rectangular arch-gabled train sheds of considerable height, with ventilation and windows to upper levels, a single-storey three-bay office block, and an adjoining ramp. The structures are built in red brick with red brick dressings, some ashlar skews to the arched gables, and visible iron girder construction to the interior. The design features a base, string and corbelled brick eaves course, giant angle pilasters linked to mutuled band courses, and semicircular and circular fenestration to the gables and sides.

The principal southeast elevation contains a high five-bay shed accessed by a sloped ramp that formerly held railway track. A central brick-voussoired engine pend breaks the upper band course, now blind, with a circular window above at the centre of the arched gablehead and a row of ventilation holes to the lower flanks. Angle pilasters and mutuled band courses flank the entrance pend, forming rectangular recessed panels divided by string courses between ground and first floor, each with paired semicircular windows. To the right stands a similar four-bay shed with a pilaster replacing the engine arch and a later small flat-headed pend to the ground floor left. The lower half of this elevation is concealed by the sloped brick retaining wall to the northeast.

The northeast elevation displays brick angle and dividing pilasters linked to eaves and base courses, forming recessed rectangles across a ten-bay span. Each originally contained a semicircular window to the upper level, though most are now infilled with brick; the eighth and tenth bays remain open for ventilation. A former entrance to the eighth bay ground floor has been infilled.

The northwest rear elevation shows, to the right, the high five-bay shed with a now-blind central double-height brick-voussoired engine pend breaking the upper band course. Blind circular windows sit above at the centre of the arched gablehead with ventilation holes below. The flanking sections contain angle pilasters and mutuled band courses forming rectangular recessed panels with paired semicircular windows above. This elevation is partially concealed by a later addition. To the left, a similar four-bay shed features semicircular fenestration with a pilaster replacing the engine arch; a small segmental-headed pend to the ground floor right is accessed by three concrete steps. A later timber, breeze-block and brick multi-bayed extension abuts the brick infill of the west train shed, with a brick-blocked yard to the southwest of the extension.

The southwest elevation mirrors the northeast in composition, with brick angle and dividing pilasters forming ten-bayed rectangular recesses, each originally with a semicircular upper window. All are now infilled except the first bay, which remains open for ventilation.

The second train shed, accessed from the northeast as the now-principal elevation, is a two-storey five-bay structure with visible girders dividing the fenestration. The ground floor contains two-leaf timber doors to bays one and two, a later garage-style door to the central bay, three windows to the fourth bay, and a window and door to the fifth. A slightly recessed timber first floor features an iron guard-rail extending the full length, with tripartite windows to the outer pairs of bays and a high bipartite window to the centre.

The southeast side elevation is a segmental gable-end with angle pilasters and mutuled band, eaves and high base course forming a pair of rectangular recessed panels. The southwest rear elevation has a sloped ramp rising to leave a single-storey elevation with a central two-leaf boarded timber door and long timber lean-tos on either side (replacing former platform canopies) entered by doors in the returns. The northwest elevation is a segmental gable-end similarly detailed with a later rectangular window to the ground floor right. A high brick-faced embankment wall supporting the former track bed adjoins this elevation and rises to join the paired sheds to the northeast.

The office is a single-storey three-bay square brick structure with a flat roof, detailed with brick pilasters forming recessed rectangular bays. The southwest entrance elevation contains a former arched window altered to form a doorway, with plain blind panels to the centre and left bays. The southeast elevation is similarly panelled with arched windows to the outer bays but is partially concealed by a timber shed. The northeast elevation has three similar panels with a central arched window and blind flanking bays. The northwest elevation displays a segmental-headed window to the central bay and arched windows to the outer bays with slightly lower sills.

Circular and semicircular windows to the sides of the sheds, likely originally open for ventilation, are now largely infilled with brick, though most later rectangular windows retain three-light glazing. Corrugated-metal roofs cover all sheds, with some opaque roof lights. Partially concealed cast-iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

The larger shed features tripartite windows with metal frames and plate glass glazing, some with opening top hoppers to the central panes. The smaller office and range have rectangular windows with segmental and arched lintels, some retaining multi-paned glazing in timber sash-and-case frames behind boards. The shed roof is corrugated metal on iron supports with opaque roof lights. The office range has a piended and pitched grey slate roof with splayed eaves, terracotta ridging and finials, a louvred roofline ventilator to the centre, and a cast-iron Carron light to the left of the main elevation. A flat roof rises behind a low brick parapet to the small office. Two high brick stacks—one at roofline and one at gablehead—feature band courses, concrete neck copes and plain yellow clay cans.

The interior comprises a large full-height double-width shed with central steel girders supporting segmental-arched roof supports. As of 2002, it has been in use as a council refuse, recycling centre and workshops.

Retaining and boundary walls with gatepiers mark the site. A yellow brick retaining wall to the west rises to follow the former track and bed, with iron stairs inset into the wall for access and an iron safety cage. It continues at lower height to the northwest with a pair of squared brick gatepiers (leading to the former track) topped with ashlar pyramidal caps. A brick boundary wall running northwest to southeast features ashlar copes and a gatepier at the southeast end. Yellow stock brick retaining and boundary walls with gatepiers complete the composition.