Humyak House

Reasons for Designation

Humyak House, 13 Duke Street, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * It is a relatively unspoiled example of a mid-C19th warehouse that still retains its original plan form, timber floors, cast iron columns, stairs and many of its original cast iron window and door shutters * It is a good example of a relatively small warehouse built at the time of Liverpool's ascendancy to a port of international significance * It further enhances Liverpool's already significant warehouse population.

Details

392/0/10318 DUKE STREET 24-JUL-08 13 Humyak House

II A warehouse of four storeys with basement and `jigger loft' built in 1864.

MATERIALS: Brick beneath a slate roof with stone copings. Most window and door openings have cast iron shutters.

PLAN: Rectangular with a slight kink to the east.

EXTERIOR: The front elevation has two loading bays to four-storey height beneath round-headed arches, with iron catheads dated 1864. The ground floor loading bays have flanking timber buttresses to offer protection against damage by vehicles loading and unloading. All doors and windows have cast iron shutters and all window openings are barred for additional security. There are five centrally-placed windows, one to each floor with the upper one lighting a small `jigger loft'. A large plaque bearing the words `HUMYAK HOUSE 1864' in relief is affixed to the wall between the first and second floors. Entrance is through a round-headed ground-floor door arch which leads into a stairwell illuminated by three narrow window openings. The front elevation is finished by a parapet topped by stone copings. The right return has windows, some of which retain their cast iron shutters whilst others have been bricked up. The left return has an attached building to third floor height. Modern additions to the front elevation include external lights, alarm systems, a satellite dish and a `no parking' sign affixed to the wall.

INTERIOR: There are stairwells to the front and rear right sides of the building with cast iron spiral stairs. The interior retains its original timber flooring and cast iron columns which support the heavy timber floor and ceiling beams. The top floor has a small `jigger loft' housing the pulleys and winding machinery. All warehouse shelving is modern.

HISTORY: Humyak House, 13 Duke Street, is a warehouse that was constructed in 1864. It is located close to the site of the world's first enclosed dock (now Canning Place) and forms part of an area of warehouses and associated housing, the street pattern of which was fully developed by 1810. This was the area of the earliest commercial development in relation to the growth of the port of Liverpool and by the time of Humyak House's construction the port had attained international significance. Warehouses such as Humyak House were built on long, thin plots with narrow street frontages and multiple storeys because of the high demand for land. At an unspecified date the warehouse's front elevation was rendered. The ground floor was latterly used as a joinery workshop up until about 2004. A small amount of machinery and internal partitioning relating to this use still remains. The upper floors are still used as a warehouse.

SOURCES: The Architectural History Practice Ltd., Liverpool World Heritage Site: Review of the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (2006), 60-61. Colum Giles and Bob Hawkins, `Storehouses of Empire: Liverpool's Historic Warehouses' (English Heritage: 2004), 33-34.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: Humyak House, 13 Duke Street, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * It is a relatively unspoiled example of a mid-C19th warehouse that still retains its original plan form, timber floors, cast iron columns, stairs and many of its original cast iron window and door shutters * It is a good example of a relatively small warehouse built at the time of Liverpool's ascendancy to a port of international significance * It further enhances Liverpool's already significant warehouse population.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

504273

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Giles, C, Hawkins, B, Storehouses of Empire Liverpools Historic Warehouses, (2004)

End of official list entry

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