“I’ve always loved doing projects and this one is certainly a project”, says engineering firm director Robert Sanderson.
He’s not wrong. We’re standing on the flat roof of the first reinforced concrete-framed building to be constructed in England, enjoying a spectacular 360-degree view of Hull. Beneath us are empty floors of what was once a huge workshop for one of the city’s oldest engineering firms, Rose Downs and Thompson Ltd.
Originally formed in 1777 when a foundry was established at the site to make cannons for the Royal Navy and parts for windmills, the company later became a major supplier of equipment to the global oil processing industry.
A pioneering construction using reinforced concrete
At the end of the 19th century, the company commissioned a new workshop built almost entirely from reinforced concrete, using a new construction system invented and patented in 1897 by French engineer François Hennebique.
Hennebique had created a method for reinforcing concrete with steel bars to create whole framed structures, initially constructing bridges before moving onto buildings. At the same time, he also developed a business model in Britain, which included regional offices housing teams of engineers and draughtsmen, together with over 50 licenced building contractors to deliver projects.
The construction of the Rose Downs and Thompson workshop was overseen by Louis Mouchel, who was Hennebique’s main licenced agent in the UK. Mouchel is also credited with inventing the term ‘ferro concrete’ to describe the systems he worked with. If the phrase sounds familiar, it can be seen on a commemorative plaque on Cleveland Street bridge, which once spanned Foredyke Drain. The road bridge was built by Rose Downs and Thompson in 1902 – a year after the workshop was opened – and was the first in Britain to be constructed with reinforced concrete.
The now derelict workshop in Cannon Street owes its status as a Grade II listed building to being the first of its kind in the country rather than boasting any architectural beauty. Aside from a sadly damaged rooftop clock tower, its muscular design is entirely functional as a place of industry.
Reviving the Rose Downs industrial heritage
My tour guide for the afternoon is determined to revive that heritage, having bought the old workshop and a disused neighbouring Victorian factory building last year. As a director of an established family-run engineering company on the opposite side of Cannon Street, Robert Sanderson had objected to a previous plan to convert the two buildings into apartments.
“We said at the time that introducing residential into an industrial area would be wrong and I stick by that. There has been industry here for 250 years. It’s where people work and where jobs are created.
“In the end, the opportunity came along to buy a piece of adjacent land which had been proposed for new housing, and during those negotiations we were offered the two buildings as well, so I swallowed hard and said ‘yes’.
“The choice was either to leave them rotting away for the foreseeable future or try to do something with them from an employment point of view.”
A new planning application has recently been lodged covering both buildings, seeking a more flexible approval for their use covering potential industry, storage, office space and even an upper floor restaurant.
Creating jobs for the future within the historic Hennebique
“I’m completely open-minded about what is possible here because there is a lot of space. It would be good to see some new workshops here or offices on the upper floors as we are looking to put in a new lift.
“Ultimately, it’s about helping create new jobs by re-using the buildings as creatively as we can and improving access for vehicles to the site, as well as showing them off a bit by opening up new views from the street.”
As well as the Hennebique workshop, the application also covers the former Bottom Shop factory building, which overlooks Caroline Street. The latter dates from 1874 and features rows of Roman-style round-windows set in red and orange brickwork. It’s a complete contrast to the concrete monolith next door and, standing inside, almost feels like being in a church.
“Personally, I prefer the appearance of the brick Bottom Shop to the Hennebique,” said Sanderson. “I used to joke that it might have been better if the Luftwaffe had bombed it during the war but it’s a very strong old building and now, as its custodian, I appreciate its history and importance.
“It’s up to me to give it a future and I’m determined to give it a good go.”
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