Winston Barracks

Winston Barracks
Lanark
The redeveloped accommodation block at Winston Barracks
Winston Barracks Location within South Lanarkshire
Coordinates	55°39′40″N 03°43′48″W / 55.66111°N 3.73000°W / 55.66111; -3.73000Coordinates: 55°39′40″N 03°43′48″W / 55.66111°N 3.73000°W / 55.66111; -3.73000
Type	Barracks
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	British Army
Site history
Built	1930s
Built for	War Office
In use	1930s-1994

Winston Barracks was a British Army base, located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Lanark, Scotland. It was situated in the fork of the A73 and A70 trunk roads, close to Lanark Racecourse. The site occupied a total of 55 acres (22 ha) and incorporated barrack blocks, officers' quarters, non-commissioned officers' quarters, stores, boiler houses, medical block, gymnasium, assault course, and firing and rifle ranges.^[1] The site was decommissioned in 1994, and some of the buildings have been renovated as part of a housing development.

History

Winston Barracks was built in the 1930s to accommodate the Depot of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), whose previous deopt at Hamilton was becoming inadequate. The buildings were designed to "embody all the latest devices of permanent construction"^[2] and the cost was estimated to be in the region of £150,000. The buildings were mainly in Neo-Georgian style, the most prominent being the main H-shaped barrack block on the north side of the parade ground. Most of the buildings were constructed between 1935 and 1939 with completion of the complex in 1940, as attested by the dates on the rain water hoppers found high on the south elevation of the main barrack block. In 1939, with the Regiment about to move to its new accommodation, the Second World War broke out.

Instead of housing the Cameronians, 26 Primary Training Centre was established at Winston Barracks. The nearby racecourse was utilised during the war as a training area, for overflow camp accommodation and for practice trench-digging.

After the war, the Cameronians took up residence in 1947, alongside various training units. From 1961 the Barracks were shared by the Royal Highland Fusiliers and the Cameronians. Both regiments moved to the Lowland Brigade Depot at Glencorse Barracks, Edinburgh, when it opened in 1964. The 52nd Lowland Division took over the barracks until it closed in 1967. The married quarters were still in use in the early 70s, accommodating the families of soldiers stationed in Ritchie Camp, the barracks adjoining RAF Kirknewton.

At around the time (c. 1960) that RAF Kirknewton housed an American signals intelligence unit, Winston Barracks was known as RAF Lanark. Winston Barracks, like Ritchie Camp, was earmarked during the Cold War as an emergency 1,000-bed hospital for the US Navy.

Responding to a Commons Written Question on 26 February 1987, the Secretary of State for Defence stated that "We have recently agreed in principle to make these sites (Winston camp, Lanark, and Ritchie camp, Kirknewton) available to the United States forces for use as peacetime medical storage facilities and as hospitals which would be activated in the event of war."^[3] It was handed back by the US to the UK on 3 December 1991.

Redevelopment

In 1994, the Ministry of Defence relinquished all control of the site and sold it to a development company. In 2000, four of the buildings were listed: the Sergeants' Mess and the Accommodation Block were protected at category B,^[4][5] while the Officers' Mess and Guardhouse were protected at category C(s).^[6][7]

In 2008, planning permission was granted for the demolition of all of the barracks buildings, with the exception of the four listed buildings, and construction of 348 houses on the site. The four main buildings were to be converted into 45 luxury apartments.^[8] As part of the redevelopment, the conversion of the category B listed "Sandhurst" Accommodation Block has created 20 townhouses and 16 two-bedroom apartments.^[9] The former Sergeants' Mess is a now a luxury detached house.

References