4.4.1 The west wing of the penitentiary is north-west to south-east aligned though for ease of reference this report refers to the orientation of the long axis as north to south.

4.4.2 Of five bays, the building is brick built, of two storeys with a gable roof of slate in diminishing courses. The west elevation has windows like those in the north wing with a doorway in Bay 1 with a plain stone lintel but no door jambs. The majority of the original cast iron 20 light casement windows have been blocked up or replaced. The lower ground floorwindow of Bay 5, a later insertion, has a brick segmental arch with a concrete cill and a 6 light timber casement window. The unevenly fired bricks of the elevation measure 9¼ - 9½ inches x 4½ inches x 2½ inches and are laid two stretchers to one header. At the southern end of Bay 5 however, where the building kinks to the south-east, there is a clear building join where the bricks are of a superior quality, measuring 9½ - 9¼ inches x 4½ inches x 2½ - 2⅞ inches and are generally laid in stretcher bond, with the occasional header, becoming Flemish bond near to the gable, indicating that the building has been extended to the south or that the southern end has been rebuilt.

4.2.3 The west wall of the former refectory, later becoming a fitter’s shop by 1921, abuts the south gable of the west wing. It is constructed of bricks measuring 9½ inches x 4½ inches x 2⅞ inches laid two stretchers to one header. A doorway is present that retains its timberframe and a two-light window.

4.4.4 The south gable has two large ground floor arched openings with two square windows above on the first floor. The windows have plain lintels and cills like those on the west elevation. Timber casement windows partially survive though holes for iron bars are present in the lintels suggesting that when the building was extended the site was still operating as a house of correction or prison. The bricks measure 9½ inches x 4½ inches x 2⅞ and are laid in Flemish bond.

4.4.5 The east elevation is built of bricks measuring, and laid the same as, those of the south gable. The windows have stone cills as elsewhere but have segmental arches of brick. The frames, of six lights, appear to be original and are of timber. The first floor loading door, which appears to be an original opening, retains its timber door frame. The three large ground floor doors were inserted when the site became a haulage yard and reuse softwood ceiling beams for their lintels. As no building join with the east wall of the house to the north is present, and as they both use identical bricks, it is likely that these two buildings are contemporary. The line of a former lean-to roof is clearly visible at the southern end of the elevation with whitewash still adhering to the brickwork.

4.4.6 Internally the ground floor is currently divided into two by a later wall, the bricks suggesting that it is contemporary with the south gable, though originally the ground floor was divided into five rooms. The north room has a modern concrete floor and boarded ceiling. A single champhered ceiling beam is supported by a central Sampson post. In the north-west corner is a four panelled door which is likely to be a later replacement though the window shutter in the wall between the two rooms may relate to when the building was a prison. The south room has a north to south aligned drain in the concrete floor in the south-east part of the building. The ceiling above has been partially boarded, the exposed timbers comprising machine sawn softwood that all appear contemporary suggesting that the ceiling was inserted at the time that the building was extended to the south or at a later date. Of importance is the fact that the north wall (the south wall of the house), is later than the west wall which it abuts.
This later wall, based on brick sizes and bonds used, is contemporary with the east wall and south gable of the west wing and the east wall and north-east wall of the house, which it forms an integral part.

4.4.7 Above on the first floor there are four trusses creating five bays. The north part of Bay 1 was inaccessible. The trusses are of queen post construction with a strainer beam between the posts. Two struts extend from the shoulders of the queen posts to the principal rafters. The queen posts are bolted to the tie beam below. Empty mortices, two on each principalrafter, are for former purlins. The current purlins are trenched. A post extends from the apex of the principal rafters supporting the plank ridge. The common rafters are embedded in the wall. Baltic timber cargo marks are present on the tie beam of Truss 4. Of note differences in the paint work on the west wall indicates the location of former prison cells as on the second floor of the north wing. If there were cells either side of a central passage the west wing would have held 10 cells. No original fixtures and fittings were found in situ associated with lace production with the exception of three timber planks extending down the west wall which had large numbers of nails protruding from their faces which would have originally held the cotton bobbins that fed machinery.

4.4.8 It is therefore clear that the west wing has undergone considerable change from its construction in 1818. The west wall certainly remains from this period. The building was subsequently extended to the south with the north and east wall rebuilt at this time. The ground floor, originally of five small rooms was reconfigured so that it was of two large rooms. The ten cells of the first floor may have been rearranged at this time but bars in the south gable window indicate that it was still a prison when the alterations were made. Though the roof has been altered, as indicated by the empty mortices in the principal rafters for no longer extant purlins, it is likely that not only are the actual trusses original but that they are in their original position; the roof has simply been raised slightly by trenching new purlins to the principal rafters and altering the common rafters accordingly. The date when the building was remodelled is unknown but cartographic evidence suggests that it happened between 1841 and 1884. As the prison of 1818 was largely superseded by the new block in 1867 it would have to be argued that a likely date for the work was between 1841 and 1867. Though labelled as a workshop on the 1921 plan the upper floor was certainly used at some point to manufacture textiles. (1)

The foundations of the outer foundation wall and internal wall were recorded, both of which associated with the 19th century house of correction, and similarly associated area of brick surface and threshold was exposed (2)

A brick surface was exposed and interpreted as original brick flooring surface, representing multiple phases of development originating with the 1867 house of corrections. The original bricks were sitting on and covered by hardended black clinker. The clinker overlays the wall foundation cuts. The later surface was likely laid down over the original surface to provide repairs or simply as a fresh new surface, and possibly associated with a later phase of expansion that could have included the repair work to a damaged surface. This later surface was laid at a slight angle to the original surface. (2)

A boiler room was recorded during the watching brief phase of works, which took place in September, 2016. The boiler room dated, at its earliest, to the 1867 house of correction, with possible reuse and conversion into the furnaces used in the lace factory. The boiler room included the brick chimney and coal chute, along with three possible bays for ovens (2)

The remains of a possibly vaulted brick cellar were exposed. The barrel vault of the cellar was partially exposed on the surface with brick chimney or chute exposed in the centre of the vaulted area. It sits approximately 4m east the boiler house and associated bays, and may have been associated with either the house of correction, or the later transition and reuse of these structures as a lace factory. (2)

<1> Trent & Peak Archaeology, 2016, The Rainbow Depot, The Burgage, Southwell, Nottinghamshire: Historic Building Record (Unpublished document). SNT5202.

<2> E. Stammitti, 2016, The Rainbow Depot, The Burgage, Southwell, Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SNT5275.