Dockyard Museum, Former Office (SO 32)
DOCKYARD MUSEUM, FORMER OFFICE (SO 32), SOUTH YARD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1388408
- Date first listed:
- 13-Aug-1999
- List Entry Name:
- Dockyard Museum, Former Office (SO 32)
- Statutory Address:
- DOCKYARD MUSEUM, FORMER OFFICE (SO 32), SOUTH YARD
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1388408
- Date first listed:
- 13-Aug-1999
- List Entry Name:
- Dockyard Museum, Former Office (SO 32)
- Statutory Address 1:
- DOCKYARD MUSEUM, FORMER OFFICE (SO 32), SOUTH YARD
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:
- DOCKYARD MUSEUM, FORMER OFFICE (SO 32), SOUTH YARD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- City of Plymouth (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SX 44972 54625
Details
SX 4445 NE PLYMOUTH SOUTH YARD, Devonport Dockyard
740-1/95/208 Dockyard Museum, former Pay
Office (SO 32)
GV II*
Pay office and guard house, now museum. c1780. Roughly coursed limestone rubble with tooled ashlar dressings, a different limestone for the top floor, and hipped Welsh slate roof; truncated stacks. T -plan with central rear wing.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys; symmetrical 7 -window range. Rusticated quoins, plat band and deep eaves, segmental-arched plat surrounds to C19 door one bay from left and original panelled door on right with 2-pane overlights and C19 horned 6/6-pane sashes. Similar fenestration to 2-window returns and to rear, the wing has a left-hand side doorway with 4-panel door.
INTERIOR: upper floors have raised ovolo panelling with dentil box cornice, the S ends divided into two rooms with eared architraves to fireplaces, the main rooms with large S fireplaces with reeded architraves, and segmental-arched architraves to panelled doors and shutters. Ground-floor has quadripartite vaulting with (later) cast-iron columns and panelled window shutters set in moulded architraves. Rear wing has two opposing flights of stone dog-leg stairs with iron balusters and wreathed handrails. First-floor has safe room with iron door.
HISTORY: the small first-floor rooms were for the Chief and Assistant Cashiers. The c1808 Pay Office at Portsmouth, possibly designed by Samuel Bentham, and the 1828 Sheerness Pay Office ( qv) were also fireproof buildings, with similar plans. A remarkable example of a specialist C18 office, of special interest as an early fireproof design combining pay office and guard house, which reflects the scale and complexity of the operation of the Dockyard in the late C18.
(Sources: The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989: 651; Coad J: The Royal Dockyards 1690-1850: Aldershot: 1989: 48).
Listing NGR: SX4497254625
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 476419
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Devon North, (1952), 651
Coad, J G, The Royal Dockyards 1690-1850: Architecture and Engineering Works of the Sailing Navy, (1989), 48
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 05-Jun-2026 at 22:26:27.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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