Description

CAMDEN

TQ2883SE ALBANY STREET
798-1/82/31 (East side)
22/06/90 Regent's Park Barracks, Block K (The
Officers Mess)

GV II

Officers' quarters and mess in former cavalry barracks.
c1820-1, designed at the Barrack Department, built by Messrs.
Baker & Nicholson. 3 bays added to the north, one to the south
and some existing windows altered 1866-7. Yellow stock brick
with brick ridge stacks and slated hipped roof. Late Georgian
style.
PLAN: left-hand single-depth mess rooms, with to right
double-depth plan officers' rooms with axial central passage.
EXTERIOR: single storey and basement; 4-window left-hand mess
section 2 storeys and basement; 15-window range to right. Mess
section has tall windows with a central doorway with
flush-panelled door and overlight. Quarters section has main
entrance 2 bays from the left beneath a C20 canopy, to doorway
with fanlight and panelled doors; gauged brick flat arches to
sashes, south half has alternating blind windows.
INTERIOR: contains original mess dining room, ante rooms and
lower ante room, on a generous scale with original
plasterwork, and an interesting cast-iron Adam-style
fireplace; dogleg stairs with column newel, plain rectangular
balusters and mahogany rail.
HISTORICAL NOTE: this is the only surviving part of the
original barracks, intended to provide accommodation for about
450 officers and men and 400 horses. A barracks was laid out
by John Nash as part of the Regents Park scheme in 1811,
though the site was later changed to the present one backing
on to the 1816 canal cut. It is one of 4 new barracks
associated with Nash's Metropolitan Improvements at this time,
generally a period of retrenchment in barracks provision. The
rest of the barracks has been rebuilt, though following the
original plan. After that, at Deal, this is the oldest example
of a separate officers' quarters in England which is still in
its original context, and one of only 5 pre-Crimean War
examples.

Listing NGR: TQ2881383219

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q27086113

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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