More information : SJ 4468 6912. The former Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries
Buffer Depot or food store at Mickle Trafford lay in Home Defence
Region 10 and was allocated depot number 344F. The depot is
situated 5km northeast of Chester, at the junction of the Chester to
Warrington railway line and the line to Northwich. Although the
depot was not directly served by the railway the depot lay adjacent
to the approach road to the station and goods yard. Road access was
by a minor road between Mickle trafford and Guilden Sutton.
The depot occupied a rectangular site approximately 90m x 60m
delimited by a low post and wire fence with concrete posts. The
depot building is a three aisled structure, each aisle is covered by
a pitched roof supported on a standard A frame truss clad by
asbestos sheeting and is ventilated by a clerestory. The walls are
brick, laid in English garden wall bond. The western elevation is
pierced by a number of metal framed windows serving the office
accommodation. The current occupier commented that the office walls
were reinforced with concrete and steel plates. Perhaps suggesting
the offices either contained a small armoury or could act as an
integral air-raid shelter or refuge. Access to the internal bays
was from one of five sliding doors ranged along the north side of
the building. The door openings to either side are protected by
bull nosed, dark grey engineering bricks. The northern and eastern
elevations are blind. Guttering and downpipes are made of asbestos,
the lower segments of the downpipes encased in a protective skin of
concrete. A number were also protected by a square sheet of metal
fixed horizontally around the pipe just above head height - probably
placed as a barrier to climbing vermin. No internal inspection of
the building was made.
Brick footings along the southern edge of the depot mark the position
of a narrow rectangular emergency fire pond shown on aerial
photographs. (1-1b) |