OLD DEVONPORT . UK
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©  Brian Moseley, Plymouth
Webpage created: May 03, 2017.
Webpage updated: May 06, 2017

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ROYAL DOCKYARD  |  NORTH YARD

CENTRAL OFFICES

At the beginning of the Twentieth Century the offices of the various Dockyard Departments were scattered all over South Yard and North Yard.  It was considered desirable to bring them all together into one building.  The Civil Lord of the Admiralty even visited a proposed site in what was now known as North Yard, pretty well half way between Mutton Cove and the north end of the Extension.  But the estimated cost of £100,000 was considered excessive and the plan was shelved until March 1909, when the Admiralty accepted a tender from Mr A Carkeek, of Redruth, Cornwall, in the sum of £16,000.

The site, inside North Yard between the Royal Naval Engineering College and the Saint Levan Gate, had already been cleared of older buildings and the work started immediately on the new offices.  The building was to be of a similar architecture to existing Dockyard buildings in North Yard and constructed of similar materials.

In October 1911 the Central Offices were occupied by the Electrical Engineer's staff, who were followed by the Captain of the Dockyard and then the Engineering Manager's staff.  It was thought best to leave the Admiral-Superintendent and the Constructive Manager's Department until after the launch of HMS "Centurion" on November 18th 1911.

The Admiral-Superintendent and his staff were the last to move in to the Central Offices, between Wednesday January 24th and Saturday February 3rd 1912.

As a result of these moves, the Admiral-Superintendent's office at the end of The Terrace in South Yard was taken over by the Constructor in charge of the building slips, although the first floor was retained as an emergency Admiral's Board Room.