St George's Barracks was a military installation in Orange Street, behind the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

History

The barracks, which were designed by John Nash and built as the main recruiting depot for the London area, were completed in 1826. Recruiting sergeants for the regiments based at the barracks tended to operate within a tight area defined by St. George's Barracks,

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

and

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. The barracks, which were also used as facilities to accommodate regiments of foot guards, were retained into the 20th century because of the need for troops to be at hand to quell disturbances in Trafalgar Square. They were ultimately demolished in 1911 and the site is now occupied by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

References

Sources

*{{cite book , last= Conlin , first= Jonathan, year= 2006, title= The Nation's Mantelpiece: A History of the National Gallery, url= https://archive.org/details/nationsmantelpie00conl , url-access= registration , place= London, publisher= Pallas Athene, isbn=978-1843680208 Barracks in London Installations of the British Army Demolished buildings and structures in London Buildings and structures demolished in 1911