Description

SJ 36 SE PULFORD

34/2/10001 The Cuckoo's Nest

II

Railway terminus and repair yard complex. By John Douglas, architect, of Chester for the Duke of Westminster. The complex includes a SUPERINTENDANT'S HOUSE to north, a TIMBER-WORKING RANGE, AND A BARN, SMITHY AND WORKSHOP RANGE adjoining to the south with further OFFICE RANGE AND ATTACHED WALLS adjoining to the east.
SUPERINTENDENT'S HOUSE: Red brick to ground floor with brick quoins to upper stage and pebble-dash, with some decorative timber framing, plain tile roof and brick stacks. Irregular plan. 2 storeys, two first-floor windows. Central range breaks forwards and is gabled, with decorative timber-framing. 3-light casement window, otherwise casement windows to upper floor. Ground floor has mullion windows and hoodmoulds. Entrance to rear. Tall decorative stacks with cornices and pots.
TIMBER WORKING RANGE: Pink-red brick with slate roofs, brick stacks; stone copings. Irregular L-shaped complex of single tall storey and 2-storey buildings. Main range has 6 first-floor openings, that to left a plank door, otherwise 4-light, multi-pane, straight-headed windows. Ground floor has steps to upper door, at left, then a series of cambered relieving arches with plank doors and renewed casement windows. Right gable end has 4-light, multi-pane window with cambered head to first floor and cambered arched opening to ground floor. Stack to rear with oversailing course and pot. To left a double-pile range abuts. The left part of this has 3-light casement window to upper stage and inserted garage door, with 4-centred-arched opening at right, with gothick glazing bars to head and louvres below; kneeler to left and coped gable. Left return has two upper-stage 12-pane windows and wide, truncated end extraction shaft. Abutting range at right has two first-floor openings with 3-light, multi-paned windows and cambered heads; ground floor has entrance to right a plank door with elliptical arch at right. Tall, wide multi-pane window with cambered head. Right return has multi-pane, straight-headed windows and first-floor plank door.
BARN, SMITHY WORKSHOP AND OFFICE RANGES: Pink-red brick with barge boarding to barn, slate roofs and brick stacks. Irregular U-plan. Barn range a single tall storey, otherwise one- and one-and a-half storeys, with 2-storey office range. Barn has central gable to street facade and right part set back. Double plank pitching doors with multi-pane window over and cambered arch in gable, remains of hoist; to ground floor a plank door and further, blocked opening. To right part are upper floor breathers and additional plank to ground floor. Right return has barge boarding with upper plank doors and lower garage doors. Range of buildings abutting at right angles have plank doors, some with elliptical arches, multi-pane casements where original, stacks to rear and catslide roof in part. Office range at right has plank door; first floor has 3-light multi-pane casement window with cambered arch, and clock to raised gable over with bell turret. To ground floor a bay window with replacement casement windows. Left return has multi-pane casement window. Truncated stack to rear. Flanking walls: pinkish-red brick with stone copings. Approximately 2 metres high.
Interiors: not inspected.
This complex, constructed for the Westminster Estate is a rare survival of a scale of operation planned by only the most ambitious and wealthy estates in the late C19, and undertaken by an architect of national reputation. The complex was designed to service a private railway line from the Chester-Wrexham road to the Duke's main residence at Eaton Hall.

Listing NGR: SJ3828060411

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26656442

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

• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
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  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)