Casemate barracks

Casemate barrack block, constructed between 1888 and 1894. Altered and extended in the late C20 and early C21; now a bar and restaurant. The early-C21 extension to the north-east is excluded from the List entry.

MATERIALS: constructed of red-brick with granite dressings, with glazed timber screens to the north-east elevation.

PLAN: rectangular in plan, orientated north-west to south-east and facing north-east.

EXTERIOR: the barrack block is single storey and constructed of red-brick. It is eight bays north-west to south-east, with each bay defined by a segmental brick arch. The block is partially built into the north-east face of the central rampart with a flat roof protruding above the main elevation on that side. A through passage in the south-east bay is partially blocked with a concrete-block wall, forming a store. The former accommodation bays are defined by a timber-framed, glazed screen above a brick plinth with granite dressings, fitted into the brick arch; these are now internal due to the construction of a single-storey function-room extension (excluded from the List entry). One timber-planked door, complete with War Department furniture, survives to a former chapel at the north-west end; all other door openings have C20 or C21 timber doors. At right-angles to the elevation by the former chapel is a small concrete structure with a pitched roof.

INTERIOR: the interior comprises five spaces of identical size with red-brick partition walls, fitted out as a bar and restaurant through the building. The vaulted roofs (casemates) and walls are exposed red-brick. The north-west room, formerly a chapel and reading room, remains divided from the former accommodation but is not accessible. The furthest north-west space is open to the front, is shallower than the other spaces and has a concrete floor.