This is a design drawing in pencil on paper for the Blowing Engine House, Clarence Ironworks, by Philip Webb, 1873. The drawing shows a partial elevation of the door, set beneath an arch with stairs leading up to it. To the right of the elevation there is a section through the door, and beneath it there is a plan. The latter drawings are both annotated with dimensions. Verso is inscribed: Mr Bell's clock tower Clarence Ironworks.
Webb designed industrial buildings for Bell Brothers ironworks at Port Clarence in Stockton-on-Tees. He had already worked on two houses for Lowthian Bell, Rounton Grange and Washington Grange, but Webb was not accustomed to designing for industrial buildings. Nonetheless, he designed a clock tower, blowing engine house, and offices. The engine house was demolished in 1930, but several drawings for the project are in the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Philip Speakman Webb (Oxford, 1831-Sussex, 1915) was a prominent British architect who designed numerous buildings throughout Great Britain. Known for his contributions to British vernacular architecture, Webb was also a skilled draughtsman, and designer of tableware, tiles, stained glass, and furniture. He also designed gravestones and memorials for his friends and clients. Webb lent his hand to many collaborative projects and worked closely with his colleagues, namely William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne Jones. His precise drawings of animals, particularly birds, frequently adorn tiles, stained glass, textiles, and wallpaper produced by Morris and Co. Webb is best known for designing Morris’ Red House in Bexleyheath, as well as Clouds House, Naworth Castle, and several London town houses. Among his other accomplishments, Webb is attributed with laying the groundwork for the Arts and Crafts and Modern movements, establishing longstanding principles in historic preservation, and creating some of the most influential designs still studied and celebrated today.