Warehouse at 33 Argyle Street/14-18 Henry Street

Late 19th Century 
Grade II 

This is a late warehouse complex, and illustrates the full flowering of the warehouse type, in which the functional detail of the building forms the basis for a conscious architectural treatment of the exterior. 

The four-storey warehouses are of dark brown brick with red and blue brick detailing and stone dressings. The Henry Street elevation has a symmetrical elevation of two three-bay gables arranged either side of a narrow, central bay. 

The recessed loading bay has pairs of metal doors, with the recess outlined in blue brick. Each bay has a decorated pointed arch to the head consisting of dentils, a motif that is repeated in more elaborate form below a moulded stone coping at the head of each main gable. 

At the junction of the two main gables, ground floor doorways lead to winder staircases arranged back-to-back.   

Internally there is a wide, shallow arched vaulting carried on iron flanged beams supported mid-span by cast iron columns. The roof structure consists of light sectioned metal, with tension rods, raking struts and metal laths. 

This, coupled with the metal doors to the loading bays demonstrates the use of a high degree of fireproofing to satisfy the regulations laid down in earlier Acts of Parliament.