Description

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TIPNER
TIPNER POINT
Building immediately north of former powder magazines at Tipner Magazine

(Formerly listed as: TIPNER, TIPNER LANE, TWO STOREY BUILDING NORTH OF FORMER POWDER MAGAZINES AT TIPNER MAGAZINE)

22-NOV-79

GV
II
Cooperage, now derelict. 1798-1800, to designs of Colonel Mulcaster, CRE Portsmouth. Red brick in Flemish bond with grey brick headers. Flat roof concealed.

EXTERIOR: two storeys, seven bays. Main south facing facade has at centre a two-leaf thick round-headed door, each leaf with six flush panels set under gauged brick round arch. To left of entrance are three and to right one blinded window openings each with segmental gauged brick arch. The two outer left have flush brick infills coursed into jambs and the remainder have recessed brick panels. Brick band at first floor. On far right is a later brick external staircase with concrete steps at first floor level set under segmental gauged brick arch. At left of hatch are four and at right one blinded window openings with recessed brick panels each set under segmental brick arch. Over entrance is a boarded hatch, brick band and stone coped parapet. Rear elevation seven bays wide has two blinded window openings each with recessed brick infill, and first floor three 16-pane sashes set alternately between four blinded window openings with recessed brick infills, each set under gauged brick segmental arch.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

HISTORY: the recent war with France, and the invasion scare of 1779 led to concerns about the vulnerability of the arsenals and had exposed an alarming situation concerning the state of the nation's gunpowder. The former was foremost in the mind of the new (appointed 1782) Master-General of the Board of Ordnance, George Lennox the Third Duke of Richmond. Although his plan to enhance the landward fortifications of Portsmouth and Plymouth was defeated in the House of Commons in 1786, his other strategy - to divide and separate the magazines - was implemented at Portsmouth with the acquisition of land at Tipner Point between 1789 and 1791.

The original design for a pair of circular vaulted magazines was superceded by the present one for a magazine with groined arches and a copper-clad wooden roof. From 1805 until the mid 1820s Tipner acted as deposit magazine for the restoving of old gunpowder at Stamshaw nearby (demolished). The magazine accommodation at Tipner, Marchwood and Upnor was increased following appraisal by Lord Panmure, the Secretary of State for War, of the Committee on Magazines report of March 1856.

The southern extension to the magazine was built with parabolic arches, as used at Weedon Bec and Upnor. On the division of the ordnance depots between the two services in 1890, the site passed to the Army, and on conversion of the magazines into general ordnance storage the present iron doors were inserted.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26666900

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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