Guardroom And Adjoining Wall And Towers To Former Hillsborough Barracks

The guardroom, now a restaurant, along with the adjoining boundary wall and towers, dates from 1848 to 1854 and was originally part of the former Hillsborough Barracks. It was used as industrial workshops in the mid-20th century before being converted in 1990. The building is constructed from coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings and features a hipped slate roof with two coped ridge stacks.

The exterior includes a plinth, half-round eaves, and coped parapets. It is two storeys high with a six-window range, primarily consisting of glazing bar sashes. The front façade has six windows and a full-width loggia and balcony supported by six segmental pointed arches and square piers, topped by a coped parapet. Under the loggia, to the left, there is a window flanked by double doors with overlights, and to the right, two windows and a similar door. The left return features a barred round-headed window above and a blocked door below, while the rear has six segment-headed cell windows.

The adjoining boundary wall to the southeast is approximately 75 meters long and has half-round coping. At each end, there are two-storey octagonal crenellated corner towers with rifle slits on each floor, which contain stone spiral staircases. Attached to the inner face is a similar wall that encloses the guard room yard and storage buildings. To the north, there is a lower boundary wall approximately 50 meters long.

Historically, the perimeter wall reflects the defensible nature of the barracks, built in response to concerns about civil unrest. It is one of the earliest examples of the historicist, castellated barracks style, following its contextual use at the Tower of London in 1845. Despite its conversion, much of the original site remains, including the officers' quarters, barracks, stables, riding school, hospital, and guard house.