The Society urges the owners of the Grade I-listed building seek inspiration from the way former naval buildings are re-used at Chatham Dockyard to find a future use the building.
Grade I-listed, 1856, G.T. Green and William Scamp
This disused boat store at Sheerness is the world’s earliest surviving example of a multi-storey iron-frame and panel structure, following the destruction of the Crystal Palace and the first South Kensington Museum. The all-metal frame, made rigid by portal bracing, was pioneering for the time, and was subsequently adopted by early skyscrapers in Chicago and New York City, and almost universally for modern steel-framed buildings. Without the techniques demonstrated at Sheerness Boat Store, contemporary architecture might be very different, but the boat store is not treated as a significant heritage asset, and remains in desperate need of a use. The Isle of Sheppey is one of the south east of England’s more remote areas, but the redevelopment of the nearby Chatham Dockyard, which incidentally includes a boat store, shows that naval buildings can be adapted for new uses.
Director of the The Victorian Society, Christopher Costelloe, said: ‘We’re grateful to everyone who nominated Sheerness Boat Store. Like all the buildings included in this year’s Top Ten The Boat Store is a listed building meaning that the Government has recognised its national importance. But the Grade I listed Boat Store has worldwide importance – it is an architectural pioneer. It deserves better than its current anonymity. I urge the public to share the Top Ten list, and Griff’s message, to help raise awareness of these buildings and help find the solutions they so desperately need.’
Status Update / March 2026
In 2022, Pick Everard were commissioned to complete a condition survey of the building, a process which involves mapping and evaluating the material fabric, and providing recommendations for the repair and adaptive reuse. The building’s owner, Peel Ports, was involved in the project, as well as the local authority and Historic England, and all parties demonstrated concerns with regards to the building’s condition, but nothing has happened since. It remains on the heritage at-risk register, with its condition still ‘very bad’ and ‘declining’. The Duke Voyagers Shipyard commissioned an architect to conduct a functional fit assessment of the building in 2024, which suggests that plans are under consideration, but action must be taken before it is too late.