Royal Marine Barracks South West Block And Attached Front Basement Railings

The Royal Marine Barracks South West Block, along with the attached front basement railings, is a significant building located on Durnford Street in Stonehouse, Plymouth. Built around 1860 and designed by Colonel G Greene, who was the Director of the Admiralty Works Department, this structure originally served as married officers' quarters and has since been converted into flats in 1907.

The building is constructed from Plymouth limestone ashlar with limestone dressings and features dry slate hipped roofs behind stone parapets that have moulded cornices. It has tall ashlar stacks topped with moulded entablatures and segmental-roofed dormers. The layout is L-shaped, consisting of single-depth apartments with a staircase in the re-entrant.

The exterior stands three storeys plus an attic over a basement, with a total of four storeys over the basement. It has a 1:5:3-window arrangement, complete with a plinth, rusticated quoin strips, and a mid-floor string course above the ground floor. The late 19th-century horned sash windows are set within plain stone architraves. The left bay features tripartite windows above a segmental-arched carriage entrance, which includes a small-paned overlight. There are blocked pilastered doorways with moulded entablatures centrally located in the next five bays and also in the taller three-bay block on the right. Similar architectural details are found on other elevations.

Inside, the former apartments are divided by an axial passage and retain some original four-panel doors and plain stone fire surrounds. A notable feature is the cantilevered open well stone staircase, which has curved ends and iron balusters located in the rear angle.

The late 19th-century wrought-iron railings, which are latticed and scrolled, surround the forecourt and flank the steps leading to the entrance. Historically, this block was part of the expansion of the barracks in the 1860s, designed to accommodate 13 officers and closing off the south-west side of the 18th-century parade ground. Stonehouse is recognized as the oldest non-garrison barracks in England and represents a complete complex of significant architectural and historical value.