Wellington Barracks (Westminster)
Brief Description
The land was originally part of St James's Park. Wellington Barracks date from 1833-4 although from c.1810 the site was already partly in use by the Guards. The main range was designed by Col. Sir Frederick Smith of the Royal Engineers and architect Philip Hardwick, with later buildings added in the C20th, such as the New Barracks dating from 1979-85. In front of the Royal Military Chapel or Guards' Chapel is a memorial garden laid out in the 1980s and consists of lawn, shrubbery, a fountain and planting in the shape of the Brigade insignia. To the north-west is a bronze statue to Field Marshal The Earl Alexander of Tunis (1891-1969) by James Butler (1985). The modern chapel of the 1960s by Bruce George of George, Trew and Dunn replaced the earlier chapel, which was largely destroyed by a German flying bomb in 1944. The railings of the neighbouring Barracks are C19th.
Practical Information
- Site location:
- Birdcage Walk
- Postcode:
- SW1
- What 3 Words:
- leans.eaten.atomic
- Type of site:
- Institutional Grounds
- Borough:
- Westminster
- Open to public?
- No
- Opening times:
- private
- Special conditions:
- Facilities:
- Events:
- Public transport:
- Tube: Victoria (District, Circle, Victoria)
- Research updated:
- 01/11/2007
- Last minor changes:
- 14/07/2022
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news.
Full Site Description
Sources consulted:
Harold Clunn, the Face of London (c1950), p. 217; Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993), p.936; Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 6: Westminster', (Yale University Press, 2003) p690/1
Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
- Grid ref:
- TQ292795 (529250,179550)
- Size in hectares:
- Site ownership:
- Ministry of Defence
- Site management:
- Date(s):
- 1830s
- Designer(s):
- Listed structures:
- LBII*: Royal Military Chapel. LBII: Wellington Barracks East Guardhouse, West Guardhouse, Main Centre Block with East and West Wings; C19th railings and East and West Gates to Birdcage Walk
- On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:
No- Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:
No- Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:
No
Local Authority Data
The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.
- On Local List:
- No
- In Conservation Area:
- Yes
- Conservation Area name:
- Birdcage Walk
- Tree Preservation Order:
- No
- Nature Conservation Area:
- No
- Green Belt:
- No
- Metropolitan Open Land:
- No
- Special Policy Area:
- No
- Other LA designation:
- None
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.