Albany Street Barracks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Albany Street Barracks, officially known as the Regent's Park Barracks, is a British Army barracks located on Albany Street, London, near Regent's Park.

The barracks were built in the early nineteenth century. Since 1896 the Royal Horse Guards have been based here. The charity "The Queen's Royal Hussars Collection Trust" is also based here. The War Office relocated to here the day before the second world war broke out. On Sunday mornings the horses are given some exercise, by being ridden around Regent's Park. In 1971 an anarchist group called The Angry Brigade bombed the barracks. One of the members was held here for a time. Over the top of the entrace there is the legend "Regents Park Barracks", but outside of officialdom, it is almost always referred to as the Albany Street Barracks. There is often a guard at the gate, occasionally with a machine gun.

[edit] Albany Street Barracks in popular culture

The music hall comedian Ida Barr, whose real name was Maud Barlow, was born in the barracks on 17th January 1882, the daughter of a sergeant-major in the Life Guards. In H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds", there is a mention of it: "the sound of drumming and trumpeting came from the Albany Street Barracks". Somehow associated with the building is the bomb disposal squad, but the exact details are obviously kept secret.