Hartnells North West Barrack Block Former Bodmin Depot

Hartnell's North West Barrack Block, formerly part of the Bodmin depot, is a disused barrack block built in 1881. It was designed by Major H.C. Seddon of the Royal Engineers for the War Office. The building is constructed of squared rubble with stone dressings, featuring a rubble end gable, ridge and rear lateral stacks with shouldered sides, and a slate roof.

The barrack block is two storeys high and has a symmetrical front with an 8:3:8-window arrangement. It includes cill and lintel bands, coped end gables, and a central section that is set forward. The first floor has a central tripartite window with plate tracery that contains a clock, flanked by paired lights, and a central doorway. Some of the windows are 6/6-pane sashes. The rear matches the front and includes two square ablution bays in the central section.

Inside, the layout follows a standard design with barrack rooms on either side of a central staircase featuring an iron balustrade. There is an NCO's room at the front and an ablution room at the rear.

Historically, this building is an example of a standard barrack design for Localisation Depots, with each dormitory accommodating a company of 26 men. The Cardwell reforms aimed to redistribute barracks across the country to foster local connections and aid recruitment. This barrack block is one of a pair of matching structures and is part of one of the two most complete surviving depots, alongside Reading, which is notable for being built of stone and being attached to the former Militia armoury.