Former Office Buildings, Shotton Steelworks

A pair of modernist office and support buildings, dating from the mid-20th century, influenced by the design principles of the Festival of Britain, and set within a contemporary designed garden and landscape.

The buildings consist of two long, two-storey ranges with lower entrance wings, linked by a wide, flat central entrance arch. They are constructed of brown brick with a red brick plinth. The windows are a mix of six- and nine-pane designs, set within metal frames and surrounded by raised cement detailing. The main ranges have hipped roofs, while the lower entrance wings have flat roofs.

The building on the left hand side has twelve bays, and the building on the right hand side has six bays. Both feature continuous window ranges, separated by cement panels, with an overall surround apart from the outer windows which are separate. A main entrance door is located on the ground floor of the left hand building, flanked by windows and set within a raised cement surround. To either side of the central entrance arch are symmetrical, two-bay entrance wings, set back and lower than the main wings. These have ground floor doors to their outer bays and a wide concrete balcony with distinctive ballustrading and handrail on the first floor.

The arrangement of windows on the rear elevation mirrors that of the front, providing continuous glazing overlooking the garden to the rear. Each of the lower entrance wings has a three-window range on their internal elevation. The central entrance arch provides access to a small, open courtyard with a gateway and flanking walls leading to formal gardens and lawns at the rear. A pathway continues from this courtyard directly into the garden area. Attached to the side of the right hand wing is a further, two-storey, flat-roofed extension with a wide vehicular doorway to the ground floor.

The buildings were not inspected internally, but the lower central wings are understood to contain original staircases and other original detailing. The left hand building is said to contain a large canteen on the ground floor, and private dining rooms and training rooms on the first floor. The right hand building contains a large, open-plan warehouse on the ground floor, accessed by a large doorway at the right end, which may be a later alteration replacing original office space, and offices on the first floor.