Gymnasium, Royal Military Academy

SU86SE 674-1/18/300

SANDHURST LONDON ROAD (north west side) Royal Military Academy Gymnasium

08/07/98

GV II

Gymnasium. c1910, probably by H.B Measures, Director of Barrack Construction at the War Office.

MATERIALS: brick and render with Bath stone ashlar dressings, and slate roof.

PLAN: rectangular gym with corner stair towers, south side changing rooms and central north fencing room with flanking store and boiler room and chimney.

STYLE: Edwardian Baroque style.

EXTERIOR: externally three storeys, thirteen-bay range. Gabled with banded rustication to lower section and clasping quoin strips, and mullion and transom bottom hung casements with metal framed windows, three-stage corner towers with quoin strips finishing in swagged caps, first floor cornice and segmental pediment to top, with copper clad dome and finial, doorways in gables have brackets to segmental arched canopies, and double half-glazed doors, with 9/9-pane first floor windows. End gables have ashlar band, wide tripartite window above cill band with cill blocks, banded jambs and cornice and central three-light and outer two-light windows, keyed oculus to top of gable flanked by banded pilaster strips, with swan's neck pediment with swag to top. South side has central two storey gabled porch two bays deep with wide segmental arch to pair of double doors, flanking small lights, three 6/6-pane sashes above, and a keyed oculus in gable, each side single storey, four-bay range with three-light windows with rubbed brick heads and blocking course, in front of two storey aisle, has smaller three-light windows beneath cornice. Rendered gym has four three-light lunettes under eaves each side of porch. Similar north side has central gabled wing four-bays deep with gabled porch and three cross windows, with three-bay service ranges either side with garage doors and roof lights and square battered chimney with cornice and coping.

INTERIOR: bowed roof with concrete beams, galleries both sides with metal balusters, and dogleg stair up from lobby.

HISTORY: part of early C20 expansion of the College, styled as the New College (qv). Though following same plan, this is most architecturally developed of late C19, early C20 expansion of Army gyms with fine decorative use of materials and interesting in conjunction with the old gym, now the Library(qv).