Kempston Barracks

Kempston Barracks
Kempston

Kempston Barracks keep
Kempston Barracks
Location within Bedfordshire
Coordinates 52°07′28″N 00°29′01″W / 52.12444°N 0.48361°WCoordinates: 52°07′28″N 00°29′01″W / 52.12444°N 0.48361°W
Type Barracks
Site information
Operator  British Army
Site history
Built 1875–1876
Built for War Office
In use 1876-Present
Garrison information
Occupants Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment

Kempston Barracks is a military installation at Kempston in Bedfordshire.

History

The barracks were built in the Fortress Gothic Revival Style and completed between 1875 and 1876.[1] Their creation took place as part of the Cardwell Reforms which encouraged the localisation of British military forces.[2] The barracks became the depot for the Bedfordshire Regiment in 1881 and for the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment in 1919.[3] The building was used as a convalescent centre during the Second World War.[1] The barracks were closed when the regiment was merged with the Essex Regiment to form the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot) on 2 June 1958; much of the site has been developed for residential use and the keep is now occupied by a Masonic Lodge.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Kempston Barracks". Bedford County Council. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. "Echoes of the past in these Army cuts". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  3. "Kempston Barracks". Roll of Honour. Retrieved 26 May 2014.