Former Orchard Works
River Court, Station Road, Sawbridgeworth, CM21 9PX
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1177594
- Date first listed:
- 02-Oct-1981
- List Entry Name:
- Former Orchard Works
- Statutory Address:
- River Court, Station Road, Sawbridgeworth, CM21 9PX
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-05-22
- Reference:
- IOE01/03042/06
- Rights:
- © Ms Elaine Allen . Source: Historic England Archive
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Official list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1177594
- Date first listed:
- 02-Oct-1981
- List Entry Name:
- Former Orchard Works
- Statutory Address 1:
- River Court, Station Road, Sawbridgeworth, CM21 9PX
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- River Court, Station Road, Sawbridgeworth, CM21 9PX
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Hertfordshire
- District:
- East Hertfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Sawbridgeworth
- National Grid Reference:
- TL 48739 15019
Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 29 May 2026 to amend the name and address and reformat the text to current standards
TL 4874
1502:2/13
STATION ROAD (south side)
River Court
Former Orchard Works
(Formerly listed as Orchard Works 40 yds to east of No 98, STATION ROAD)
GV
II
Mid-late C19 yellow gault brick malting. Outlier of an extensive range of similar C19 brick listed maltings to the south of Sawbridgeworth Station on the opposite side of the Stort Navigation in Sheering Parish, Essex.
Imposing tall pilastered block fronting north onto road with ornamental gables to west and east. Slate roof. Cranked on plan following bend in road. Deeper part of building at west end. Pilasters define twelve bays from west up to bend. Five bays beyond. Broad giant order pilasters with splayed base offsets and expanded caps. Panels between have four splayed offsets at base and a corbelled eaves band. Windows in alternate bays.
From west to east the facade illustrates the stages of the malting process. The first 3 bays are surmounted by a projecting timber framed weatherboarded slate roofed lucam at roof level carried on elaborate scrolled brackets. This is for hoisting the barley into the building where in the deeper section it was stored and then steeped to begin germination. The next nine bays have rows of shallow windows under two ring header arches for the low malting floors where the germination continued under controlled conditions. The wall anchor plates in the first two bays past the corner supported the kiln floors on which the grain was heated to produce malt. The last bays are where the malt was bagged and stored for despatch. The kiln roofs have been removed and the lower malting floor. The wide span timber king post roof trusses remain exposed. The five bay east gable and six bay west gable continue the pilastered treatment but also have elaborate triangular pediments with dentilled and corbelled courses and heavy chamfered bargeboards. There is a wooden 9+9 paned Yorkshire casement in the tympanum in the west gable. Industrial steel small paned windows have been inserted and do not detract from the building's character.
Formerly owned by the firm of H A and D Taylor and called Orchard Malting. A distinctive feature of the approach to the town from the east.
Listing NGR: TL4873915019
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 160874
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 25-Jun-2026 at 06:08:52.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.