Swale council and Historic England are to invest nearly £12,000 on a structural survey for the internationally important but derelict 162-year-old boat store in Sheerness Docks.

The Grade I listed building, which is on the Heritage At Risk Register, was built in 1860 to store and maintain small boats but has rarely been used since the Royal Naval Dockyard closed in 1961. It’s pioneering all-metal cast-iron frame paved the way for the world’s first skyscrapers in Chicago.

It is now the oldest surviving example of its type after a fire destroyed London’s Crystal Palace in November 1936.

To the dismay of historians, it has remained rotting behind the dockyard walls for generations.

Richard Goffin, Peel Ports’ director at Sheerness, said: “We’ve partnered with Historic England and Swale council to carry out a condition survey that will help us understand the restoration requirements of the boat store.

“The survey will recommend a schedule of repairs with estimated costs that we can use to collectively look at funding streams that will help us deliver the work.”

He added: “The boat store sits within a very busy working port with more than 200 workers, so we’ll need to carefully balance any future work with our International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) health and safety requirements.

“Historic England and Swale council are specialists in this area of conservation and will help us determine what the building needs and how we can secure funding to preserve this historically significant building.”

Emily Gee, regional director for Historic England in London and the South East, said she was pleased to be part-funding the survey and working with Peel Ports and Swale council.

She said: "A true understanding of the repairs needed at the boat store is the first step in planning for its reuse. We are keen to get it repaired and back into use to secure its future.”

Cllr Mike Baldock, cabinet member for planning at the council, said: “When we adopted our heritage strategy in 2020, addressing the long-standing poor condition of the boat store was a priority for us.”

He added: “We’re pleased to support the work of Peel Ports and Historic England as they work to understand the extent of restoration needed to ensure this important building survives into the future.”

The four-storey building took four years to construct from 1856 using cast-iron H-section columns.