Six sections of boundary wall

Six sections of boundary wall

This listing comprises six sections of boundary wall forming parts of the perimeter of a mid-18th-century barracks site.

Section 1 forms part of the north boundary wall, running approximately 55 metres west of the north entry gate. This is original mid-18th-century barrack wall constructed in red brick laid in Flemish bond, with regular piers and a heavy pyramidal brick coping. The brickwork follows the downward slope of the land from east to west. The coping has been removed in places and additional courses have been added above, laid in level courses, which lifts the height of the wall and creates a stepped head. The wall is approximately 2.5 metres high.

Sections 2 and 3 form part of the east boundary wall, running approximately 70 metres north of Amherst Hill. These two sections of original mid-18th-century barrack wall are separated by a later opening. Both are constructed in red brick laid in Flemish bond with regular piers. They retain a heavy pyramidal brick coping in parts and a flat coping in other parts. Both sections are approximately 3 metres high, although part of section 2 rises to approximately 4.5 metres and has been buttressed with additional brickwork.

Section 4 forms part of the east boundary wall, running approximately 20 metres south of Amherst Hill near the south-east corner of the barracks site. It is heavily covered in undergrowth, but sections of red brickwork with shallow piers remain visible. A garden wall adjoins this section to the west, associated with the former Commanding Officer's house, but this is not included in the listing.

Section 5 forms part of the south boundary wall east of where the original south gate stood, running approximately 70 metres. This section of original mid-18th-century boundary wall is heavily covered in undergrowth, though sections of red brickwork laid in Flemish bond remain visible. The lower courses follow the slope of the ground rather than being levelled, consistent with the northern sections. The wall terminates approximately 30 metres short of where the south-east corner of the site would have been.

Section 6 forms the north-west corner of the barracks site. The north boundary wall running west from the north gate to the north-west corner dates to circa 1860 and is constructed in yellow stock brick laid in level courses in English bond. The exterior face is blank for the first 20 metres, which was the back wall of the straw shed as shown on a plan dated 1864. Beyond this, the wall contains seven small high-level windows reflecting seven cells which survive on the inside (not of special interest). Further west are piers marking the internal location of a pair of racquet courts, now used as garages (not of special interest). A single blocked doorway with a flat gauged brick head is present.

The north-west corner is curved and forms part of an 1872 theatre extension to the Soldiers' Institute, built in matching style. The front elevation of the Institute forms the most northerly section of the west boundary. The Soldiers' Institute was originally a two-storey Italianate building; only the ground floor front elevation survives. It is constructed in cream gault-type brick laid in English bond, seven bays wide with rusticated pilasters separating the window openings and a brick modillion course running below a parapet. The window openings, now bricked up, have gauged flat arches with stone sills and brick modillions below. A central rusticated porch with a pediment is decorated with a carved laurel wreath and intertwined initials VR in the tympanum. A rendered dwarf wall runs along the front, following the line of the original boundary wall.

South of the Institute facade for approximately 50 metres, the wall is red brick laid in Flemish bond with shallow piers. Several window openings, later insertions now bricked up, are present. This stretch forms part of the original mid-18th-century boundary.