Royal Citadel Junior Ranks Club

PLYMOUTH

SX4853NW THE BARBICAN 740-1/67/874 Royal Citadel: Junior Ranks Club 08/07/98

GV II

Junior ranks mess. 1898-1900, by T Rogers Kitsell, architect to the War Office. Plymouth limestone brought to course; dry slate roofs with coped gable ends; axial stone stack towards right and larger gable stack to taller front part of rear wing, both with moulded entablature. Overall L-shaped plan plus C20 extension at rear. EXTERIOR: single storey except for rear wing which is 2 storeys; 5:1:2-bay front. Tall windows on left with eaves transoms and rising above as stone gabled dormers with alternate round and plain gables. Wide rusticated round-arched doorway right of this and slightly-projecting front gable end of cross wing at far right with gable ventilator over pair of sash windows. All original windows with glazing bars. Right-hand return has entrance porch on left, then a 2-bay open round-arched arcade to 2-storey part which has projecting gable end at far right. INTERIOR: not inspected. HISTORY: a garrison had been based at the Citadel since the late C17. The old quarters were rebuilt under the 1890 Barracks Act and it is, with the Peninsula barracks in Winchester, a rare example of an architect-designed barracks. Junior messes were part of the improvements made to late C19 barracks, and this is a rare example. (Woodward FW: Citadel: Devon: 1987-; Saunders A: Fortress Britain: Portsmouth: 1989-).

Listing NGR: SX4811253924