Cowley Barracks
| Cowley Barracks | |
|---|---|
| Oxford | |
|
Cowley Barracks showing the original keep | |
  Cowley Barracks Location within Oxfordshire | |
| Coordinates | 51°44′31″N 1°12′09″W / 51.74184°N 1.20243°WCoordinates: 51°44′31″N 1°12′09″W / 51.74184°N 1.20243°W |
| Type | Barracks |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator |
 British Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1876 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1876-1959 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry |
Cowley Barracks (originally Bullingdon Barracks) was a military installation in Oxford, England.
History
The barracks were built in the Fortress Gothic Revival Style at Bullingdon Green using Charlbury stone[1] as a depot for the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot and the 85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers) and completed in Spring 1876.[2] Under the Childers Reforms the 52nd Regiment merged with the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Oxfordshire Light Infantry in 1881. Following the Haldane Reforms the Oxfordshire Light Infantry became the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1908. Many recruits enlisted at the barracks during the early stages of the First World War.[3]
The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Museum was established at the barracks in 1925[4] and during the Second World War the barracks were used as a base for the Home Guard.[5]
The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry left the barracks in 1959 and, although the men's quarters were retained, the keep was subsequently demolished.[2] The museum collection moved from Cowley Barracks to the Slade Park Territorial Army base at that time.[6]
Between 1980 and 1992 the national headquarters of the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation was located on the site. Co-located with this organisation was the Headquarters of No 3 Oxford Group Royal Observer Corps. The site now belongs to Oxford Brookes University who have built student accommodation on the site.[7]
References
- ↑ "Parishes: Cowley, A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 5: Bullingdon hundred". 1957. p. 76-96. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- 1 2 "Cowley Barracks". Headington at War. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ "Ben Reeve". Life stories and memories. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ↑ "About the history of the museum". The Royal Green Jackets museum. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ "All quiet on the home front". The Telegraph and Argus. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ↑ "New museum honours county’s Army history". Witney Gazette. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ↑ "Oxford: ROC Group HQ No 3". Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 8 November 2014.