Guard House And Attached Wall, Wyvern Barracks

The Guard House and attached wall at Wyvern Barracks, located on Topsham Road in Exeter, was built between 1800 and 1804 for the Ordnance Board. Originally serving as a stable and guard house, it has since been converted into a lock-up and store. The building features Flemish bond brickwork with a local red conglomerate stone base and an English bond extension, topped with a slate hipped roof.

The structure is two storeys high and has a four-window range, with a single-storey rear section that has a two-to-three window arrangement. The front of the former stable has small segmental-arched cell lights, and on the first floor, there are two additional lights flanking a central 6/6-pane sash window. A cantilevered granite external stair leads to a first-floor doorway on the right-hand side. The lower rear extension has a projecting three-window section, which is fronted by an iron four-bay verandah with three wide segmental-arched metal-framed windows above.

Inside, the building retains original cells with heavy doors. An attached high brick wall on a squared conglomerate stone base encloses a former exercise yard to the southwest, which includes a blocked entrance from the street. Historically, this site was shown on a mid-19th century plan as an officers' stable, and the later lock-up served as an important functional element within the barracks. It is part of the former Topsham barracks, recognized as the most complete small artillery barracks from the Napoleonic War era. The building is included for its historical significance alongside the Headquarters building and the former Royal Artillery Drivers' barracks.