The Barracks And Attached Rear Perimeter Wall

The Barracks, now converted into flats, were originally built as militia barracks around 1860 and underwent conversion in the 1980s. The building is constructed from coursed and squared rubble with decorative polychromatic dressings, featuring ridge stacks and plain tiled cross-gabled roofs. It showcases a picturesque Tudorbethan Revival style and has a double-depth plan that forms one side of the former parade square.

The exterior is one-and-a-half storeys high and features a symmetrical arrangement of windows in a 5:11:5 configuration. The long range consists of four attached blocks, each with outer gables and half dormers, and central two-centre arched doorways. The outer blocks connect to the central double unit through linking walls that have archways. The central entrance is a steep pointed archway set within a buttress, with polychromatic shallow relieving arches above the two- and three-light mullion windows that have metal casements. Above the paired central gable, there is a square turret that is corbelled out and features a clock, topped with a pyramidal leaded roof in two sections. The rear elevations are similar, with small mullion lights positioned under the eaves.

The interior was not inspected. Additionally, there is an attached rear rubble wall that encloses gardens and forms the perimeter wall of the site.

Historically, the barracks were built following the Militia Reform Act of 1852 to provide secure storage for equipment, an armoury, and barracks for non-commissioned officers. Macclesfield's barracks are notable not only for their size but also for their picturesque design, which is a richly detailed composition of significant architectural creativity.