Cecily Hill Barracks is a former military installation in

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. The former keep for the barracks (known locally as The Castle, Cecily Hill) stands at the entrance to Cirencester Park.

History

The barracks were built in 1857 as the Royal North Gloucestershire Militia Armoury. In 1881, following the

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation was ...

, the barracks became the depot of the 4th Battalion of the

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

they became the local base for the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

. After the Army had no more use for the barracks, the Castle became a commercial building owned by the Bathurst Estate. Recently it was used by

Cirencester College Cirencester College is a sixth form college based in the town of Cirencester in the South Cotswolds. It is a specialist sixth form provider serving communities in Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. Cirencester Col ...

, who gave it the name 'The Castle'. Cirencester College moved out of the Castle in 2013 but the Castle is still used for commercial purposes. It is a Grade II* listed building.

References

{{reflist Drill halls in England Cirencester Gloucestershire Militia Grade II* listed buildings in Gloucestershire 1857 establishments in England