Listed Building record MDR10404 - Former Preparation Building, Cart Shed, Cottage and Workshop, Old Lane, Derby

Former preparation building, cart shed, cottage and workshop, Old Lane, Derby, built c1790. 'Preparation Building and Cart Sheds, Old Lane, Darley Abbey. Two storey, seven bay brick range with Welsh slate roofs, aligned NW/SE, having remains of a three bay return to the SW later converted to cart sheds, all dating from the 1790s. The interior is an early example of a degree of fire resistant construction with the timber floors supported on cast-iron columns and the timber covered in plaster to provide protection. These techniques were developed by William at Derby and Belper, and by Benyon Bage & Marshall at Shrewsbury.' (1) 'Buildings forming north side of mill complex. Long two-storeyed range, gabled east-west. Ground floor incorporates a number of large arched openings allowing carts to pass in and out of the building. Of outstanding importance is its fire-retarding construction with plaster covering timber beams, a precursor of fire-proofing, which suggests a building date in the early 1790s. The angled east end is continued by the rear wall of a later single-storeyed open-fronted range, probably cart-sheds.' (2) 'The mill closed in the late 1960s but still flourishes after a fashion, split up into smaller industrial units.' (3) 'Preparation Building, also known as Proto-fireproof building, Ellison's Metal Products. Long two-storey range of 1797-1801, containing the earliest surviving fire-proof structure in the Derwent Valley. Originally described as "Buildings in Wood Yard" and "New Shops". Brick range with slate roofs. Ground floor has cart entrances and first floor has two external flights of stairs to well-fenestrated workshops. A number of cast-iron windows survive, with later timber windows. Building attached to south of Preparation Building. This six-bay range started life as "Shed in Woodyard", built 1799-1800, extended by two bays to the south between 1811 and 1846. Formerly fully open-fronted, it remains so in part. Building currently in use as a car repair garage.' (4) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 33 OLD LANE 893/0/10098 Darley Abbey Mills (North Complex) 13-FEB-67 Preparation Building, Cottage,Workshop and cart sheds to north of site (Formerly listed as: OLD LANE Darley Abbey Mills (East Mill, Middle Mill, Long Mill, West Mill, Gassing Shed, Plishing Shop, Dyeing Shop, Boiler House, Chimney, Canteen)) (Formerly listed as: OLD LANE 1-5 Cottages) (Formerly listed as: OLD LANE Darley Abbey Mills (East Mill, Middle Mill, West Mill, Finishing House, Enquiry Office, Toll House, Cottages and Other Buildings)) GV II* Range of buildings forming northernmost part of extensive, multi-phase cotton textile factory, partially in use as small industrial estate at time of inspection. c.1790, altered late C19 and late C20. Built by the Evans family of Darley Abbey. MATERIALS: Red brick with slate roof coverings. PLAN: Complex forms an L-shaped range defining the extreme north end of the site and now comprising a PREPARATION BUILDING, COTTAGE and WORKSHOP in a continuous range, with CART SHEDS comprising the return to the south. PREPARATION BUILDING: EXTERIOR : 7 bay, 2 storey range of c.1790 aligned north-west/south-east with remains of a 3 bay return to south-west latterly converted to open cart sheds. The north-facing elevation, originally forming the northern boundary of the site has small windows, possibly later insertions. The southern elevation has a number of large arched openings on the ground floor and a brick built external stair to upper level. Irregular fenestration pattern to upper floor, most openings with multi-pane frames. INTERIOR: 2 timber-floored to the west of the range, the remaining part of the first floor with brick jack-arches springing from massive timber beams with timber skew backs and tied by wrought iron rods. These beams are covered in plaster to provide protection against fire and are supported by tall, rounded cruciform section cast iron columns with crudely cast capitals. Roof carried on timber queen-post trusses with cambered collar beams. HISTORY: The northern building at Darley Abbey is shown with its return range to the south on the 1811 map and likely to date to the 1790s as this accords with the other recorded examples elsewhere (see below ). The internal structure of the first floor is of great significance. This arrangement of fire-retarding construction was the earliest developed by William Strutt in his mills at Derby (1792-3), West Mill (1793-5), Belper, and The Warehouse, Milford (early 1790s); as such it was the starting point from which fire-proofing construction ( without the use of wooden components) at Ditherington Flax Mill, Shrewsbury (1797), developed. The Strutt buildings no longer survive and the building at Darley Abbey is now the only known example of this pioneer arrangement. The cast iron columns have a sectional form similar to those known to have been used in the 1790s Strutt buildings at Derby, Milford and Belper and still surviving North Mill at Belper, a rebuild of 1804. COTTAGE AND WORKSHOP: EXTERIOR: 7 bay north-western section of the range under the same roofline and probably also dating from the 1790s. Westernmost 3 bays occupied by a dwelling and the remainder by a workshop. A variety of windows, some sash frames, the others with cast-iron frames below shallow brick arched lintels. INTERIOR : not inspected. CARTSHED: EXTERIOR : 3 bay eastern wall forms the return of the northern range shown on the 1811 map but the present arrangement of open cart shed is later. This complex of structures forms part of the textile manufacturing site at Darley Abbey which traded under the name of Boars Head Mills. The complex as an entity is exceptional in its completeness of survival, and displays important aspects of the development of fire-proofing technology for textile factories. The site forms part of the closely related network of pioneer textile manufacturing sites in the Derwent Valley; Thomas Evans was an associate of Richard Arkwright of Cromford and the Evans family was related by marriage to the Strutt family who had mills in Belper, Milford and Derby. Darley Abbey sits alongside these settlements in terms of both historic and architectural significance. The mill complex retains all of its major early buildings as well as the C19 additions many of which are distinguished by the use of iron roofs. Source. English Heritage Architectural Investigation Report NBR 33050.' (5)