Former Weedon Barracks, Outer Walls And North East Bastion

The former Weedon Barracks, located in Lower Weedon, features its outer walls and the north-east bastion, built between 1804 and 1810 for perimeter security. Constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, the bastion has a stone coping. It includes ten casemates arranged in groups of four and six along the angle of the perimeter wall, with a casemate at each end likely used for storing artillery pieces. A wall spans the angle and has a central segmental-arched entrance. The casemates have semi-circular vaults topped with a bomb-proof layer of sand and gravel, which is capped with bricks and a stone-flag walkway. Access is provided by ramps with stone-paved stairs and runways for deploying small artillery pieces, as noted in the 1830 Ordnance Return. One loophole was enlarged in the late 19th century, as this bastion was not well-suited for defending the Depot due to its limited field of fire. The structure features pintle hinges and fittings for doors, with 20th-century gates. Approximately 10 meters of the perimeter wall extends to the west, while the southern section leads to the East lodge, which includes a 1940 brick-faced concrete pillbox with machine gun embrasures facing the main site. There are brick piers for two sets of entrances, with the northern entrance added for a site railway in 1899. Other late 19th and 20th-century extensions along the eastern enclosure wall are not considered of special interest. This site is part of a unique planned military-industrial complex, complete with its own defensible transport system and surrounding walls. For further details, refer to the description of Storehouse No 2.