Railings To Former Chelsea Barracks

The railings are part of the former Chelsea Barracks, built around 1860-63 to a design by George Morgan, and are designated at Grade II for their architectural, historic, and townscape interest. These cast and wrought iron railings, approximately 450 metres in length, curve from Chelsea Bridge Road into Pimlico Road and Ebury Bridge Road. The design incorporates a rounded granite plinth, a lower rail, a middle rail, and a double upper rail. The uprights are square, turned at 90 degrees, with alternated short uprights featuring simple spike heads and barbs. Square piers with rounded uprights, topped with conical spikes, are highlighted by projections in the plinth.

The barracks themselves were constructed as a result of concerns over overcrowded and insanitary conditions in earlier military housing, fueled by the Crimean War. An architectural competition was held, and George Morgan won the design for the infantry barracks. The original complex featured a long frontage on Chelsea Bridge Road with a central gatehouse flanked by Romanesque-Byzantine style towers, with further buildings arranged around the site and a central chapel at the rear of the parade ground. The barracks housed four companies of Guards. In 1960-61, the barracks were demolished, except for the chapel and railings, and replaced by a new development, designed by Tripe and Wakeham. The site was vacated in 2008, and the troops relocated to the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. The railings are notable as a virtually intact example of boundary features to a major London barracks and a tangible reminder of the military presence in Chelsea.