Officers Mess

Officers Mess, McMunn Barracks

Officer's Barracks and Mess Hall, built in the mid-1930s with minor 20th-century alterations. The building is constructed in red and brown brick laid in Flemish bond, with red brick to quoins, cornice and window openings. Segmental window arches are in rubbed red brick. Portland stone is used for the entrance porch, linking colonnades, window cills and keyblocks. Red tile hipped roofs with brick stacks capped in stone complete the exterior. The design follows the neo-Georgian style, influenced by the Royal Fine Arts Commission.

The plan comprises a main rectangular block with projecting wings to the rear at each end, flanked by a pair of open C-shaped pavilions with rear service blocks. These pavilions are joined to the main block by colonnades.

The exterior features a two-storey-plus-attic central block divided into five parts. At each end stand corner parapet towers of two window bays to the main elevation and two bays to the returns, with slightly advanced corner pilasters capped with Portland stone cornices and urns. The central range contains eleven window bays across all floors, with four bays to each side of a central Portland stone porch. The porch has a stone balustrade accessed by a central first-floor door flanked by paired thin 4-over-6 sashes. Below, the porch is supported by four pairs of stone columns, with those at the corners as piers. The porch frieze features triglyphs, metopes and exaggerated dentils. Segmental arch windows appear to both ground and first floors: ground-floor examples are 12-over-16 sashes whilst first-floor examples are 8-over-12 sashes. The attic storey contains eleven dormers with hipped roofs and casements (replaced in the late 20th century). Thin and deep chimneys straddle the ridge with stone cornices, with two over the central bay and one each to the inside of the corner towers. The rear elevation features similar multi-pane sashes and irregularly arranged dormers to accommodate interior spaces. Venetian-style sashes of 1-over-1 lights appear to the first-floor centre. A projecting rear wing to the south has a domestic facade with a flat-roof porch to the central entrance flanked by 4-over-4 sashes and below by 4-over-4, 6-over-6 and 4-over-4 sashes.

The colonnades linking the main block to each pavilion are single-storey structures of three bays, formed by four pairs of stone columns—those at the ends are engaged piers, whilst those to the back are engaged pilasters to brick walls with a central arch to the rear yards. The frieze matches that of the main porch, with triglyphs, metopes and exaggerated dentils. The pavilions on each side comprise two storeys of ten 6-over-6 sashes, slightly taller to the ground floor. The outside arm of each pavilion angles forward with four windows, and a central window appears to each floor of the end elevations. Square brick chimneys, one to each arm of the pavilions straddling the ridge with stone cornice caps, and one to the rear, complete the pavilion design.

Internally, the main block features a glazed vestibule accessed by double glass doors with wood mullions and overlights with oval and diamond motif details; the inner entrance is similarly detailed. A central hall with a skylit spine corridor to each side opens to a dining room to the south and sitting room to the north. Both rooms have pilasters to inner and outer walls linked by panelled box beams, with a cornice and deep frieze at picture-rail height wrapping the pilasters. A classical-style wood fireplace in the sitting room leads to the Officers' bar. Service and meeting rooms are located to the rear of the spine corridor. A wood stair at the back of the central hall features turned balusters and, at the landing, a tall round-headed 12-over-8 sash with fanlight flanked by 4-over-4 sashes. Secondary stairs serve the rear projecting wings. The upper floors contain dormitory rooms off the spine corridor, with wash rooms in the rear wings. A communal room to the front centre opens to the porch and includes built-in cupboards. Door surrounds throughout feature Art Deco style stepped design. The colonnades form a partially open linking corridor to the pavilions. Each pavilion floor provides four suites of rooms, divided internally by built-in panelled cupboards, with a rear block containing washrooms. Corridors feature coved cornicing.