Description

BRISTOL

ST5672 SMEATON ROAD, Floating Harbour
901-1/41/1307 (South side)
03/05/88 B Bond Tobacco Warehouse

GV II

Bonded tobacco warehouse. 1908. Designed by the Docks
Committee engineer. Built by William Cowlin and Sons. Coignet
system reinforced concrete, patent red bricks, blue
engineering bricks, Pennant stone steps, terracotta details
and Welsh slate roof.
Open plan, in 2 equal parts separated by central spine wall. 9
storeys; 18-window range. Ground floor in black brick with a
low plinth, the remainder in red, with strings at 3, 5, 7 & 9
storeys, cornice, of black moulded brick, and stone parapet.
Wide clasping pilasters to corners, and to sides of projecting
central 4-window bay, raised above parapet with sunken panels;
rear elevation has central bay flat between the pilasters.
Ground-floor front has round-arched doorways and windows: from
the outside, one door, 2 windows and 2 doors either side of a
central door and flanking windows in the projecting block,
with Pennant stone steps up; the paired flanking doorways are
shaded by a cantilevered steel canopy and have sliding steel
doors.
Upper-floor windows are almost square with terracotta cills
and pronounced, chamfered keys and chamfered, stopped jambs,
1:2:1 in central bay and equally spaced either side between
the unpierced pilasters. Top floor is roof-lit only.
INTERIOR: entirely reinforced concrete. Central entrance lobby
to lateral staircase, giving each side on to 10x8-bay floor
with central lift shaft. Columns decrease in size to upper
floors, carrying deep primary and secondary beams, with
haunched connections; some levels with wood block flooring.
Steel truss north light roofs.
HISTORICAL NOTE: 'B' bond was the first important structure in
England to use Edmond Coignet's reinforced concrete system.
(Gomme A, Jenner M and Little B: Bristol, An Architectural
History: Bristol: 1979-: 341; Lord J and Southam J: The
Floating Harbour: Bristol: 1983-: 94).

Listing NGR: ST5685372192

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• B Bond Tobacco Warehouse at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q4836942

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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