Royal Marine Barracks South Block And Attached Basement Railings

This is a block of officers' accommodation within the Royal Marine Barracks, constructed between 1780 and 1783 for the Ordnance Board by Messrs Templer & Parlby. It was extended around 1860, designed by Colonel G Greene, Director of the Admiralty Works Department. The building is constructed of Plymouth limestone rubble with limestone dressings, featuring a dry slate hipped roof concealed behind a coped rubble parapet. There is an ashlar stack over a cross wall towards the right and a lateral stack behind. Truncated remains of stacks rise above the other two cross walls, and a dormer window is present at the far right.

The building has a rectangular plan, encompassing six rooms plus three stair towers at the rear, and it stands three storeys high above a basement. The facade has a 16-window range. Most windows are 20th-century replacements, imitating earlier horns and containing multi-pane glazing bars within plain stone architraves. Three former doorways are visible, their jambs blocked and topped with stepped keystones beneath a cornice linked to a plat band. Several have plate glass overlights and planked doors, although the doorway on the right now contains a window. A cast-iron moulded hopper at the front bears the inscription "GR 1780".

The interior was largely rebuilt in the mid-20th century. Late 19th-century wrought-iron railings, latticed and scrolled, surround the forecourt and flank the steps. Historically, the eastern end of the block represents the only remaining part of the original officer's quarters, housing the Commandant's House and that of his deputy, with additional officer's quarters in between. It was extended westward to accommodate eight further Captains as part of Greene's extension to the barracks, which enclosed the 18th-century parade ground. The barracks themselves were built for the Marine regiments, and this is the only one of the original three (located at Chatham, Portsmouth, and Devonport) to survive. Stonehouse represents the oldest and most significant barracks in England not integrated into a fortification, showcasing a rare example of 18th-century planning and a complex of considerable historic importance.