NOTES: A huge warehouse, occupying some 210,000 sq. ft. (20,000 sq. metres), it was built to store tobacco, wine and spirits on imperforate floors. The building was conceived when cast iron was its infancy. Alexander used new methods of construction combining cast-iron and timber, where he used cast-iron columns to support timber roof trusses to produce clear spans of 16.5 metres. Later the warehouse was used to store furs and skins, with wines and spirits stored in brick vaults underneath. In 1984-1989 Tobacco Dock was converted into a shopping centre by Terry Farrell Partnership. See RIBA116649 for a black and white version of this image.
NOTES: The Tuscan style columns on the portico are made from cast iron, each column cast in two sections over 17 ft (5.2 metres) high, with the architrave a single casting. The Dock Traffic Office was designed by Philip Hardwick in 1848.