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

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...

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 ...

. 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 rem ...

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 consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

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 The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

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 de ...

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

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

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 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 171 ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, 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 mainta ...

. In November 2011, Malaysian Ananda Krishnan, one of the richest businessmen in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, acquired the Barracks from the Eyre estate for £250m with a view to creating a prime residential development of 133 homes. The

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

Riding School of 1825 was to be preserved, and there was a plan to accommodate a gym for residents' and community use. Work began on the project in October 2022 with an anticipated completion date of 2028. The old barracks buildings were demolished by June 2023 with the exception of the former Riding School. In August 2023

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings ...

formally approved the name "St John's Wood Square" to refer to the site of the new development.

References

{{reflist Installations of the British Army Barracks in London Royal Artillery National government buildings in London

Barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

Military installations established in the 1810s Military installations closed in 2012