Description

BESTWOOD ST. ALBANS PARK ROAD SK 54 NE (south side) 4/14 Winding House and Headstocks at Bestwood Colliery II* Winding house and headstocks, 1873. Additions late C19. Concrete and brick with stucco quoins and moulded brick and ashlar dressings. Hipped slate and flat concrete roofs. Italian Gothic style. Moulded plinth, string courses and cornices. Rusticated basement and pilasters. 2 storeys plus basement, 3 bays. Square plan. Panelled west side has 3 blocked doorways. Above, keystoned central recess containing mullioned casement. Flanked by single recesses each with a casement. Above again, 2 rope holes and above them, central mullioned casement. Above again, blind gable with inserted blocked rope hole. North and south sides have each 2 transomed casements and above, 2 multi- keystoned double lancets. Above again, 2 paired casements. East side has adjoining service wing, 2 and 3 storeys, with parapet. To left, door. To right, flat roofed single storey addition with blocked opening and door. Above and above again, to left, a casement. Interior has cast iron stages with classical ornament and ashlar winder stair with square newel. Latticed iron minor stairs. Matchboarded chamfered queen post truss roof on corbels, with ornate iron reinforcement. In situ, 2 single-cylinder vertical winding engines with overhead drum and brake gear. Outside, trabeated concrete clad headstocks with iron lattice stays. In situ pulleys and cage guides. Vertical winding engines are unusual in Great Britain and these are said to be the sole in situ example. This building is notable for the early use of structural concrete.

Listing NGR: SK5562547379

External Links

• Winding House And Headstocks At Bestwood Colliery official website
• Wikidata Q17547491

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)