Inside the Big Space

No. 3 Slip. When it was built in 1838, it was the largest wooden building in the world. It has a linked truss structure and was originally covered in tarred paper, which was quickly replaced with a zinc roof. Ships were constructed in the slipways, which were covered to prevent ships rotting before they had been launched. The slip was backfilled around 1900 and a steel mezzanine floor was added. It became a store house for ships boats.