St John's Wood Barracks is a former military base in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Until 2012 it served as headquarters for

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...

troops responsible for (among other things) firing royal salutes in central London.

History

In 1804 a detachment of the Corps of Gunner Drivers (support unit for an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

brigade stationed in St James's Park) was billeted in farm buildings on the St John's Wood site. By 1810 the Board of Ordnance had decided to base the brigade in its entirety on the site, and negotiated a lease from the Eyre family who owned the land. A long two-storey barrack block designated ''the New Artillery Barracks'' was completed in 1812. In 1823 the Cavalry Riding Establishment moved in and a new

riding school An equestrian facility is created and maintained for the purpose of accommodating, training or competing equids, especially horses. Based on their use, they may be known as a barn, stables, or riding hall and may include commercial operations descr ...

was built for them by the Royal Engineers in 1825; they moved out to

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

in 1835. During the mid 19th century the barracks were occupied by the Foot Guards. In 1880 the

moved in and continuously occupied the barracks until February 2012 when (the lease on the property having expired) the

King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery 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-er ...

relocated to the

Royal Artillery Barracks Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, is a barracks of the British Army which forms part of Woolwich Garrison. The Royal Regiment of Artillery had its headquarters here from 1776 until 2007, when it was moved to Larkhill Garrison. History In 17 ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

. In November 2011, Malaysian

Ananda Krishnan Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan (Tamil: த. ஆனந்தகிருஷ்ணன்) (born 1 April 1938) is a Malaysian-Tamil businessman, the Chairman of Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd and founder of Yu Cai Foundation (YCF). Nicknamed A.K., he is es ...

, one of the richest businessmen in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, acquired the Barracks from the Eyre estate for £250m with a view to creating a prime residential development. The Grade II listed Riding School of 1825 was to be preserved, and there was a plan to accommodate a gym for residents' and community use. As of the end of 2019, there has been no action on the project.

References

{{reflist Installations of the British Army Barracks in London Royal Artillery National government buildings in London Barracks Military installations established in the 1810s Military installations closed in 2012