Regents Park Barracks, Block K (The Officers Mess)

CAMDEN

TQ2883SE ALBANY STREET 798-1/82/31 (East side) 22/06/90 Regent's Park Barracks, Block K (The Officers Mess)

GV II

Officers' quarters and mess in former cavalry barracks. c1820-1, designed at the Barrack Department, built by Messrs. Baker & Nicholson. 3 bays added to the north, one to the south and some existing windows altered 1866-7. Yellow stock brick with brick ridge stacks and slated hipped roof. Late Georgian style. PLAN: left-hand single-depth mess rooms, with to right double-depth plan officers' rooms with axial central passage. EXTERIOR: single storey and basement; 4-window left-hand mess section 2 storeys and basement; 15-window range to right. Mess section has tall windows with a central doorway with flush-panelled door and overlight. Quarters section has main entrance 2 bays from the left beneath a C20 canopy, to doorway with fanlight and panelled doors; gauged brick flat arches to sashes, south half has alternating blind windows. INTERIOR: contains original mess dining room, ante rooms and lower ante room, on a generous scale with original plasterwork, and an interesting cast-iron Adam-style fireplace; dogleg stairs with column newel, plain rectangular balusters and mahogany rail. HISTORICAL NOTE: this is the only surviving part of the original barracks, intended to provide accommodation for about 450 officers and men and 400 horses. A barracks was laid out by John Nash as part of the Regents Park scheme in 1811, though the site was later changed to the present one backing on to the 1816 canal cut. It is one of 4 new barracks associated with Nash's Metropolitan Improvements at this time, generally a period of retrenchment in barracks provision. The rest of the barracks has been rebuilt, though following the original plan. After that, at Deal, this is the oldest example of a separate officers' quarters in England which is still in its original context, and one of only 5 pre-Crimean War examples.

Listing NGR: TQ2881383219