Sections from Quadrangle Storehouse at Sheerness Dockyard, England, 1824-1979

Two bays of floor beams, one adjacent to wall and one internal bay, from the fourth floor level of the Quadrangle Storehouse at Sheerness Dockyard, overall size 340’ x 220’ with inner open court, five stories plus basement, designed by Edward Holl and John Rennie, built 1824-1829 and demolished in 1979. Consists of four main beams; twelve cross beams; four columns supporting the beams down to the third-floor level; two stub columns over columns one and two (there are none over columns three and four); stub main beams projecting past columns one and two on the fourth-floor level; two stub roof support beams over the main beam at the wall; one run of five York paving slabs to span between the main beams; as well as 18 accompanying bolts with nuts, and a sling.

These parts are from the quadrangle storehouse once at the Sheerness dockyard, which was originally built between 1824 and 1829. The storehouse is architecturally significant as an early example of a structure which used a system of secondary iron beams to span between main grids, a crucial step in the development of modern buildings.

To accomodate the rapidily expanding naval forces and maritime trade of the still growing British Empire, the old 17th century Sheerness Dockyard was closed in 1815 to begin what is now called 'the Great Rebuilding', with John Rennie the Elder successfully proposing a radical and entirely new metal framework dockyard more than double the size of the original. Mostly complete by 1832, the dockyard was a marvel of the early Victorian period, with a singular design and aethetic vision shared by John Rennie and Edward Holl, and was at the time one of the most expensive engineering and architectural projects of the century. A proof of concept for many new construction methods, building materials and engineering practices, the Sheerness Dockyard paved the way for even grander constructions both in the UK and beyond.