Elevation of Ballast Office, Aston’s Quay and Westmoreland Street by Henry A. Baker.

This is the second design by Henry A. Baker for the building at the corner of Westmoreland St. and Aston Quay, which subsequently became the Ballast Office. The first design was executed in 1799 as one of a number of elevations for the building on the south side of the river, facing Carlisle Bridge. (See WSC/Maps/160). That first design was for a five-storey building, nine bays wide, with plain fenestration in all upper storeys. A range of shops, with rectangular windows and separate business and residential entrances, was provided at ground level, with space for a colonnade leading into Westmoreland St. The second design is for a five-storey building, which is six bays wide, with plain fenestration in the upper storeys except for the addition of architraves above the windows on the first floor. Once more, there is a range of shops at ground level, but this time the colonnade has been omitted. Pilastered door cases have been added, with an ornamental frieze above, to correspond to the final design which had been approved for the west side of Westmoreland St. (See WSC/Maps/195/2). This design was approved by the Commission in July 1800 and the Ballast Office was completed in 1802. It was extended and re-modelled during the 1860’s and was demolished in 1979. The modern office block which replaced it has a replica façade based on this design by Baker. Scale: 5’ : 1” Size: 16 ½ “ x 16 ½ “ - 42 ½ cms x 42 ½ cms Paper (1 sheet, no watermark); ink; watercolours