Preston Barracks

Last updated

Preston Barracks
Brighton
Preston Barracks, Lewes Road, Brighton.jpg
Former Officers' Mess, Preston Barracks, Lewes Road, Brighton
East Sussex UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Preston Barracks
Location within East Sussex
Coordinates 50°50′32″N0°07′17″W / 50.84220°N 0.12134°W / 50.84220; -0.12134 Coordinates: 50°50′32″N0°07′17″W / 50.84220°N 0.12134°W / 50.84220; -0.12134
TypeBarracks
Site information
Owner Brighton and Hove City Council [1]
Site history
Built1793 (1793)
Built for War Office
In use1793–2000
FateDemolished

Preston Barracks was a military installation on Lewes Road, Brighton. All of the buildings on the site (except for the Crimean War Building) have been demolished, most recently in 2018, with mainly student residences and a retail park built on the site.

History

The barracks were built in the regency style as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution and were completed in 1793. [2] The barracks were designed to accommodate artillery and cavalry units and included stables for up to 1,000 horses. [2] The structures included a building originally built as a canteen but which was converted into a military hospital in 1820: it went on to be used as a location for various military meetings, including courts-martial, chaired by Lieutenant-Colonel the Earl of Cardigan, who commanded the 11th Light Dragoons at the barracks in the 1840s and who then commanded the light brigade at the Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War. [2] This structure later became known as the Crimean War Building. [2]

Married quarters were added in the 1850s and a new officers' mess was built in around 1900. [2] The original regency barracks, at the southern end of the site, were largely demolished in 1990 and that part of the site is now occupied by the Pavilion Retail Park. [2]

The northern end of the site was used as a Territorial Army Centre until around 2000; it is now however largely derelict. However, the Crimean War Building survives and remains in Ministry of Defence ownership for use as an Army Cadet Force Centre. [3] The officers' mess is also still standing but is empty. [4]

The northern end of the site was acquired by Brighton and Hove City Council in 2002: there are plans to develop this part of the site for the University of Brighton’s Business School. [5] The university's vice chancellor, Debra Humphris, advocated for a £300m transformation of the barracks into student residences and the university's business school. [6] [7]

Construction Works at the Preston Barracks site in 2019 Construction Works at former Preston Barracks site, Lewes Road, Brighton (June 2019) (8).JPG
Construction Works at the Preston Barracks site in 2019

The Preston Barracks regeneration project, nicknamed 'The Big Build', will create 369 homes, 1,338 student bedrooms, a medical centre and pharmacy, an academic building for the University of Brighton, shops, cafes, sport and recreation facilities, car parking and a pedestrian bridge which will cross Lewes Road (the A270). [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton</span> Seaside resort on the south coast of England

Brighton is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located 47 mi (76 km) south of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hove</span> Seaside town in East Sussex, England

Hove is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. It is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moulsecoomb</span> Human settlement in England

Moulsecoomb is a suburb of Brighton, Sussex, England, on the northeast side around the A270 Lewes Road, between Coldean and Bevendean, 2+14 miles (3.6 km) north of the seafront. The eastern edge adjoins Falmer Hill on the South Downs. It is often divided into smaller sections on maps: North Moulsecoomb, East Moulsecoomb and South Moulsecoomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Brighton</span>

The history of Brighton is that of an ancient fishing village which emerged as a health resort in the 18th century and grew into one of the largest towns in England by the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England Quarter</span> Mixed-use development in Brighton and Hove, England

The New England Quarter is a mixed-use development in the city of Brighton and Hove, England. It was built between 2004 and 2008 on the largest brownfield site in the city, adjacent to Brighton railway station. Most parts of the scheme have been finished, but other sections are still being built and one major aspect of the original plan was refused planning permission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildings and architecture of Brighton and Hove</span>

Brighton and Hove, a city on the English Channel coast in southeast England, has a large and diverse stock of buildings "unrivalled architecturally" among the country's seaside resorts. The urban area, designated a city in 2000, is made up of the formerly separate towns of Brighton and Hove, nearby villages such as Portslade, Patcham and Rottingdean, and 20th-century estates such as Moulsecoomb and Mile Oak. The conurbation was first united in 1997 as a unitary authority and has a population of about 253,000. About half of the 20,430-acre (8,270 ha) geographical area is classed as built up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regency Square, Brighton</span> Square in Brighton, UK

Regency Square is a large early 19th-century residential development on the seafront in Brighton, part of the British city of Brighton and Hove. Conceived by speculative developer Joshua Hanson as Brighton underwent its rapid transformation into a fashionable resort, the three-sided "set piece" of 69 houses and associated structures was built between 1818 and 1832. Most of the houses overlooking the central garden were complete by 1824. The site was previously known, briefly and unofficially, as Belle Vue Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round Hill, Brighton</span> Inner suburban area in Brighton, UK

Round Hill is an inner suburban area of Brighton, part of the coastal city of Brighton and Hove in England. The area contains a mix of privately owned and privately rented terraced housing, much of which has been converted for multiple occupancies, and small-scale commercial development. It was developed mostly in the late 19th century on an area of high land overlooking central Brighton and with good views in all directions, the area became a desirable middle-class suburb—particularly the large terraced houses of Roundhill Crescent and Richmond Road, and the exclusive Park Crescent—and within a few decades the whole of the hill had been built up with smaller terraces and some large villas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cemeteries and crematoria in Brighton and Hove</span>

The English coastal city of Brighton and Hove, made up of the formerly separate Boroughs of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, has a wide range of cemeteries throughout its urban area. Many were established in the mid-19th century, a time in which the Victorian "cult of death" encouraged extravagant, expensive memorials set in carefully cultivated landscapes which were even recommended as tourist attractions. Some of the largest, such as the Extra Mural Cemetery and the Brighton and Preston Cemetery, were set in particularly impressive natural landscapes. Brighton and Hove City Council, the local authority responsible for public services in the city, manages seven cemeteries, one of which also has the city's main crematorium. An eighth cemetery and a second crematorium are owned by a private company. Many cemeteries are full and no longer accept new burials. The council maintains administrative offices and a mortuary at the Woodvale Cemetery, and employs a coroner and support staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Keep, Brighton</span> Archive in East Sussex

The Keep is a purpose-built archive and historical resource centre which stores, conserves and gives the public access to the records of its three managing partners: The East Sussex Record Office, The University of Sussex Special Collections, and the Royal Pavilion and Museums Local History Collections. The Keep also houses the library and office of The Sussex Family History Group, functions as headquarters of Friends of The Keep Archives, and holds the Historic Environment Record database for East Sussex. From November 2018, it has also functioned as the South East Hub for the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project for The British Library. It was funded by East Sussex County Council, the City Council of neighbouring Brighton and Hove and the University of Sussex, and was built on land close to the university in the Moulsecoomb area of Brighton and Hove. The building, constructed with a budget of £19 million, opened on 31 October 2013, superseding the former East Sussex Record Office in the county town of Lewes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic House</span> Historic site in Brighton and Hove , United Kingdom

Gothic House is a Gothic-style building in the centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Although it has been in commercial use for more than a century, it retains some of its original appearance as "one of the most fascinating houses" built by the prolific partnership of Amon Henry Wilds and Charles Busby. It is the only Gothic Revival building they are known to have designed: they typically adopted the Regency style, sometimes with Classical or Italianate touches. The building is Grade II listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bear Road, Brighton</span>

The Bear Road area is a largely residential area in the east of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Centred on the steep west–east road of that name, it is characterised by terraced houses of the early 20th century, but Brighton's main cemeteries were established here in the 19th century and there is also some industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prestonville, Brighton</span>

Prestonville is a largely residential area in the northwest of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It covers a long, narrow and steeply sloping ridge of land between the Brighton Main Line and Dyke Road, two major transport corridors which run north-northwestwards from the centre of Brighton. Residential development started in the 1860s and spread northwards, further from central Brighton, over the next six decades. The area is characterised by middle-class and upper-middle-class housing in various styles, small-scale commercial development and long eastward views across the city. Two Anglican churches serve Prestonville—one at each end of the area—and there are several listed buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elm Grove, Brighton</span>

Elm Grove is a mainly residential area of Brighton, part of the English coastal city of Brighton and Hove. The densely populated district lies on a steep hill northeast of the city centre and developed in the second half of the 19th century after the laying out of a major west–east road, also called Elm Grove. Terraced houses, small shops and architecturally impressive public buildings characterise the streetscape: within the area are a major hospital, two churches and a former board school, as well as Brighton's oldest council houses and an interwar council estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libraries in Brighton and Hove</span>

The English coastal city of Brighton and Hove has a long and varied history of libraries going back over 250 years. Subscription libraries were among the earliest buildings in the resort of Brighton, which developed in the late 18th century; by the 1780s these facilities, which were more like social clubs than conventional book-borrowing venues, were at the heart of the town's social scene. The Brighton Literary Society, its successor the Brighton Royal Literary and Scientific Institution and its rival the Sussex Scientific Institution between them established a "very fine collection" of publications by the mid-19th century, and these books were donated to the town when a public library was founded in 1871. Neighbouring Hove, originally a separate village, established its own public library in 1890.

The Brighton Herald was a weekly newspaper covering the boroughs of Brighton and Hove in southeast England. Founded in 1806 as the first newspaper in the fashionable seaside resort of Brighton, it survived until 1971 and was one of England's "leading provincial weekly" newspapers—being the first publication in the country to report several important international events, such as Napoleon's escape and the start of the July Revolution. Based in the centre of Brighton throughout its 165-year existence, it moved in 1934 to new premises at Pavilion Buildings, near the Royal Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Level, Brighton</span> Park in Brighton, UK

The Level is an urban park in central Brighton, on the south coast of England. The park is a triangle of 8.05 acres (3.26 ha) bounded by Union Road to the north, Richmond Terrace (A270) to the east, and Ditchling Road (A23) to the west. In the past, the land has been used as a cricket ground for the Prince of Wales and as a setting for large-scale dinner parties to commemorate events such as the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte and the coronation of Queen Victoria.

Debra Humphris is an English academic and nurse who has been the vice chancellor of the University of Brighton since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public services in Brighton and Hove</span>

Brighton and Hove, a city and unitary authority in the English county of East Sussex, has a wide range of public services funded by national government, East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and other public-sector bodies. Revenue to fund these services comes partly from Council Tax, which is paid annually by residents: this tax provides the city council with nearly 20% of its income and also helps to fund the local police force, Sussex Police, and the county's fire service, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. Some of Brighton and Hove's utilities and infrastructure are provided by outside parties, such as utility companies, rather than by the city council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewes Road, Brighton</span> Major road in Brighton, England

Lewes Road is a major road in the English seaside city of Brighton and Hove. It was part of the A27 cross-country trunk route until the Brighton Bypass took this designation in the 1990s; since then it has been designated the A270. The road runs northeastwards from central Brighton through a steep-sided valley, joining the A27 at the city boundary and continuing to Lewes, the county town of East Sussex.

References

  1. "Preston Barracks Regeneration Scheme". Brighton and Hove City Council.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Preston Barracks, Lewes Road". My Brighton & Hove. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  3. "Planning Brief: Lewes Road (Preston Barracks and University of Brighton)" (PDF). Brighton and Hove City Council. p. 11. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  4. "Supplementary Planning Guidance: Preston Barracks" (PDF). Brighton and Hove City Council. p. 3. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  5. "Preston Barracks £150m regeneration scheme unveiled". BBC. 22 April 2016.
  6. Vowles, Neil (22 April 2016). "First images of £150 million redevelopment of former army barracks revealed". The Argus. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  7. Walton, Josh (28 September 2017). "£300m plan for Preston Barracks site in Lewes Road, Brighton, approved". The Argus. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  8. "Preston Barracks Construction". www.prestonbarracksconstruction.com. Retrieved 1 April 2022.