Hms Drake Howard Building

The Howard Building at HMS Drake in Plymouth is a Grade II listed officer's accommodation, now serving as an administration block. It was constructed between 1879 and 1886 under the supervision of Superintendent Engineer Lieutenant Colonel P Smith, Royal Engineers, and was extended to the southwest in 1929.

The building features rusticated Plymouth limestone at the basement level, with the upper sections made of limestone brought to course and adorned with limestone dressings. It has a dry slate mansard roof hidden behind balustraded parapets, which are flanked by attic storeys that include three pilastered and segmental-pedimented dormer windows. The design is in the Free Classical style.

The structure has a rectangular plan with small projections at the center of each end. It stands two storeys plus an attic over a basement, with a symmetrical facade consisting of a 1:3:1 bay arrangement. The basement is characterized by keyed segmental arches and a band, with pilasters dividing the bays. Above, there is a mid-floor entablature and roundelled balconies supported by shaped brackets. The openings feature architraves, with moulded hoods on consoles above the French windows, and a moulded parapet entablature. The attic storeys are divided by pilasters, with the side bays being blind. The building retains its original 12-pane horned sash windows, French windows, and panelled doors at the central doorway, which is topped by a segmental pediment on shaped brackets. The other elevations exhibit similar details where visible.

Historically, this building served as the original accommodation for officers when the barracks was first occupied. Officers later moved to the Wardroom upon its completion in 1902. Initially, sailors lived on hulks until barracks were established in Devonport, Chatham, and Portsmouth, all following similar designs, but HMS Drake is notable for being the only one built in ashlar. This building is part of one of the finest and most complete barracks complexes in England, reflecting the status and importance of the Royal Navy during that period.