Details
1833/0/10238 SOUTH STREET
08-FEB-05 Newcastle
(East side)
Stephenson's Works - Erecting shops et
c. J T DOVE, Showroom, Nos 2-14
GV II
Railway works, now building trade warehouse and showroom. 1823, 1827 with later C19 and C20 alterations, burnt 1934.
EXTERIOR: Brick, rendered and painted brick, partly steel clad, with slate and steel sheet roofs. Single storey and two storey. Main entrance on Orchard Street has late C20 double-gabled facade with modern windows. To left, a single storey brick range with a slate roof and 9 large windows with concrete lintels. Further blind brick ranges beyond with some blocked openings and a partly glazed roof.
Blind north facade rendered and painted. South Street facade now rendered an painted, has large C20 access doorway to left with steel girder lintel and earlier cast iron lintel, now redundant above. Beyond to right, two small entrance doorways reached up two steps, with canopy. Beyond again to right, a two storey gabled section with various blocked doorways and an upper loft doorway flanked by two small windows. Beyond again, a blank wall topped by a continuous section of upper windows, then another large C20 access with steel lintel. Beyond a C20 casement with above round headed window retaining a fanlight, which may date from Stephenson's Works. Then a single, C20 casement on the ground floor and two similar windows above, a small timber-framed section with double doors below and a loft door above. Finally, the former office section, where Robert Stephenson had his office on the first floor (this has a C20 window, with a single door), and a further ground floor window beyond.
INTERIOR. The interior retains some sections of plain C19 timber roof structure, and the upper room used by Stephenson as an office is still identifiable, though none of its original features survive. Many of the surviving walls correspond with the walls visible on the surviving maps, but since so many are covered over it is very difficult to assess how many of the walls are likely to be original.
HISTORY: This building was used by George and Robert Stephenson as part of their original Railway Works, and thus possesses great historical significance as what is probably the world's first purpose-built locomotive factory. The 'Rocket' was built here is 1828-29. It has undergone considerable alteration, but originally it was in multiple use as a mill, fitting shops, furnaces, smithies, pattern shops etc. The earliest part of the building dates from c 1823, extended soon after in 1827: these are probably the earliest surviving parts of Stephenson's works. A severe fire in 1934 destroyed much of the upper structure.
SOURCES: The Stephenson Quarter, Newcastle upon Tyne, Conservation Plan and Archaeological Assessment, Oct, 2001; RCHME report, Robert Stephenson & Co Manufactory, 20, South Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, March 1996; Ken Smith, 'Stephenson Power. The Story of George and Robert Stephenson' 2003; information from the Robert Stephenson Trust.
NZ2478763640
