Hyde Park Barracks, London

Last updated

Hyde Park Barracks
London
Basil Spence Hyde Park Barracks from park.jpg
Basil Spence's tower
Greater London UK location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Hyde Park Barracks
Location within London
Coordinates 51°30′7″N0°10′0″W / 51.50194°N 0.16667°W / 51.50194; -0.16667
TypeBarracks
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence
OperatorFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Site history
Built1795; 1880; 1970
Built for War Office
In useSince 1795
Garrison information
Occupants Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

The Hyde Park Barracks are in Knightsbridge in central London, on the southern edge of Hyde Park. They were often known as Knightsbridge Barracks and this name is still sometimes used informally. The barracks are 34 mile (1.2 km) from Buckingham Palace, enabling the officers and soldiers of the Household Cavalry to be available to respond speedily to any emergency at the Palace, practice drills at Horse Guards Parade or beyond and conduct other more ceremonial duties.

Contents

History

Knightsbridge Barracks in 1959 Knightsbridge Barracks (1959).jpg
Knightsbridge Barracks in 1959
Semi-panorama north-east towards Hyde Park and the barracks Hydeparkbarracks.jpg
Semi-panorama north-east towards Hyde Park and the barracks

Its first buildings were constructed for the Horse Guards in 1795, and a riding school and stables designed by Philip Hardwick were added in 1857. [1] These were replaced with new ones designed by Thomas Henry Wyatt on which construction started in 1878 and was completed in May 1880. [2]

These were in turn demolished to make way for modernist buildings by Sir Basil Spence, completed in 1970. It was built to accommodate 23 officers, 60 warrant officers and non-commissioned officers, 431 rank and file, and 273 horses. The most prominent feature is a 33-storey, 94-metre (308 ft) residential tower, which is one of the two most prominent modern buildings as seen from Hyde Park along with the London Hilton on Park Lane. It was built by Sir Robert McAlpine between 1967 and 1970. [3]

The barracks are the base for the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which is horsed and carries out mounted (and some dismounted) ceremonial duties on state and royal occasions in London. These duties include the provision of a Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen at the Sovereign's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) in June each year. Other occasions include important ceremonies that take place during state visits by visiting heads of state, or whenever required by the British monarch. The regiment also mounts the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards, which consists of one squadron from each regiment. [4]

Reception

The building has been described by the magazine, Country Life , as "dramatically modern and uncompromising", [5] but many people have viewed it less favourably; it was voted number eight in a Country Life poll of Britain's "top ten eyesores". [5] Lord St John of Fawsley remarked that "Basil Spence's barracks in Hyde Park ruined that park; in fact, he has the distinction of having ruined two parks, because of his Home Office building, which towers above St. James's Park". [6] Critic A. A. Gill described the Barracks as the ugliest building in London, and said that Spence "managed to construct vertical bomb damage out of horizontal bomb damage." [7]

'I did not want this to be a mimsy-pimsy building', Spence is reported as saying. 'It is for soldiers. On horses. In armour'. He also felt that a tower would cut out less light to the park than a slab block, and would block fewer upper-storey views of the Royal Park from buildings to the south. [8]

In 2015 the C20 charity which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage applied to have the building listed. Their bid was endorsed by Historic England, but was rejected by Culture minister Tracey Crouch. [9]

Based units

The following notable unit is based at Hyde Park Barracks. [10]

British Army

Household Cavalry

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knightsbridge</span> District in central London, England

Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Knightsbridge is also the name of the roadway which runs near the south side of Hyde Park from Hyde Park Corner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republican Guard (France)</span> Military unit

The Republican Guard is part of the French National Gendarmerie. It is responsible for special security duties in the Paris area and for providing guards of honour at official ceremonies of the French Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honourable Artillery Company</span> Oldest regiment of the British Army

The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the world. Today, it is also a charity whose purpose is to attend to the "better defence of the realm", primarily through supporting the HAC regiment. The word "artillery" in "Honourable Artillery Company" does not have the current meaning that is generally associated with it, but dates from a time when in the English language that word meant any projectile, for example arrows shot from a bow. The equivalent form of words in modern English would be either "Honourable Infantry Company" or "Honourable Military Company".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trooping the Colour</span> Military ceremony in the British Army and other Commonwealth militaries

Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of the British sovereign. It is also known as the Sovereign's Birthday Parade. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. In the UK, it is, with the State Opening of Parliament, one of the biggest events of the ceremonial calendar, and watched by millions on TV and on the streets of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Horse Guards</span> British Army cavalry regiment

The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foot guards</span> Senior infantry regiments in some militaries

In some militaries, foot guards are senior infantry regiments. Foot guards are commonly responsible for guarding royal families or other state leaders, and they also often perform ceremonial duties accordingly, but at the same time are combat soldiers.

The Household Cavalry (HCAV) is a corps of the Household Division, made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals. These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment stationed at Wing Barracks in Wiltshire, with an armored reconnaissance role, and the ceremonial mounted unit, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, garrisoned at Hyde Park Barracks in London. Both the HCMR and HCR are made up of elements of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. The Household Cavalry is part of the Household Division and is the King's official bodyguard. Although the Household Cavalry Regiment is armoured, it is not part of the Royal Armoured Corps, being assigned to the Household Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blues and Royals</span> Regiment of the British Army

The Blues and Royals (RHG/D) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel of the Regiment is Anne, Princess Royal. It is the second-most senior regiment in the British Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery</span> Ceremonial mounted unit of the British Army

The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, is a ceremonial unit of the British Army, quartered at Woolwich. It is a mounted unit and all of its soldiers are trained to care for and drive teams of six horses, each team pulling a First World War-era QF 13-pounder gun; six teams are used in the unit's Musical Drive. The Troop's duties include firing salutes on royal and state occasions, participation in parades, and the duties of the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards for one month each year. The unit provides the gun carriage and team of black horses for state funerals. The unit is most often seen providing gun salutes on state occasions in Hyde Park, and Green Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Guard</span> Military units charged with protecting the royal residences of the United Kingdom

The King's Guard are sentry postings at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, organised by the British Army's Household Division. The Household Division also mounts sentry postings at Horse Guards, known as the King's Life Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life Guards (United Kingdom)</span> British military unit

TheLife Guards (LG) is the most senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry, along with The Blues and Royals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse Guards (building)</span> Military headquarters, barracks and stables in London

Horse Guards is a historic building in the City of Westminster, London, between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade. It was built in the mid-18th century, replacing an earlier building, as a barracks and stables for the Household Cavalry. The current and previous buildings were, between the early 18th century and 1858, the main military headquarters for the British Empire. Horse Guards originally formed the entrance to the Palace of Whitehall and later St James's Palace; for that reason it is still ceremonially defended by the King's Life Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public duties</span>

Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow</span>

Cavalry Barracks is a former British Army installation located north of Hounslow Heath in Hounslow, west London. Hounslow was one of 40 new barracks established around the country in the wake of the French Revolution, to guard against the dual threats of foreign invasion and domestic sedition. The barracks later became a busy depot for the London military district. The barracks have been described by Historic England as 'one of the most significant and complete barracks in the country'; as of June 2021 the site is scheduled to be developed as a sustainable living project by Hounslow Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London District (British Army)</span> Command of the British Army

London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as Home District.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army tasked primarily with ceremonial duties. Part of the Household Division, it is classed as a regiment of guards, and carries out mounted ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. The HCMR is one of two operational units that form the Household Cavalry (HCav), the other being the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR), a formation reconnaissance regiment, with front-line combat duties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sefton (army horse)</span> British Army horse

Sefton (1963–1993) was a British Army horse who served for 17 years from 1967 to 1984, coming to prominence when he was critically injured in the Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings which, combined, killed seven other horses and eleven people. He recovered sufficiently to return to active service and was subsequently awarded "Horse of the Year". Sefton became one of the first horses to be placed in the British Horse Society's equestrian Hall of Fame, and with an annual award named after him.

The Household Cavalry Composite Regiment was a temporary, wartime-only, cavalry regiment of the British Army consisting of personnel drawn from the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards. It was active in 1882 for service in the Anglo-Egyptian War, in 1889–1900 during the Second Boer War, from August to November, 1914 during the opening months of World War I and in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavalry of the Empire Memorial</span> War memorial in Hyde Park, London

The Cavalry of the Empire Memorial, also known as the Cavalry Memorial, is a war memorial in Hyde Park, London. It commemorates the service of cavalry regiments in the First and Second World Wars. It became a Grade II listed building in 1987, and was promoted to Grade II* in November 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry</span> Musical artist

The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry is a British Army band which ceremonially serves the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR). The HCMR Band is the largest symphonic wind band in the British Army. It is one of the bands of the Royal Corps of Army Music (RCAM) and is currently based at Hyde Park Barracks and Combermere Barracks.

References

  1. "Knightsbridge North Side: Parkside to Albert Gate Court, West of Albert Gate', in Survey of London: Volume 45, Knightsbridge, ed. John Greenacombe". London: British History Online. 2000. pp. 53–63. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  2. "Knightsbridge Barracks: The Victorian Barracks, 1878–1965', in Survey of London: Volume 45, Knightsbridge, ed. John Greenacombe". British History Online. 2000. pp. 68–71. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  3. "A portrait of achievement" (PDF). Sir Robert McAlpine. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  4. "The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Britain's top 10 eyesores". BBC News. 13 November 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  6. "The Household Cavalry may seek new household". The Telegraph. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  7. Gill, A.A (13 October 2011). A.A. Gill is Further Away. ISBN   9780297863816.
  8. "Knightsbridge Barracks: The New Barracks, 1967–70 | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  9. "Listing refused: Minister ignores HE on Spence's Hyde Park Barracks". Architects Journal. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  10. Lancaster, Mark (29 November 2018). "Army:Written question - 194616". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 November 2018.