c.1900 Guard house A single-storey building in red stock brickwork at the north entrance into Meeanee Barracks off Mersea Road. Based on information from Colchester Garrison: Historic Building Assessment, Ingram Consultancy (Ingram 2000) which considers this to be a building of limited significance within the Meeanee and Hyderabad Barracks group of buildings. [Garrison Buildings Group 8] Ingram: building quality B/C Ingram: group value D ----------------- Chbf: ----------------- Meeanee Barracks: [In 1866, Colchester became the headquarters of the Army's newly-formed Eastern District, and it was one of the Army's four 'great camps' in Britain (with Aldershot, Shornecliffe, and the Curragh near Dublin). In 1872, the Military Localisation Bill provided the blueprint for the reorganisation of the British Army, with 66 districts for infantry regiments, 12 for artillery and 2 for cavalry (Douet 1998); infantry, artillery and cavalry regiments were stationed at Colchester camp. The brick Cavalry Barracks at Colchester were built in two phases in 1862-4. The brick Artillery Barracks were built next to the Cavalry Barracks in the early 1870s, in the Army's great localisation programme after 1872. The infantry in Colchester were housed in the hutment barracks between Mersea Road and Military Road until 1896, from which date the huts were replaced by brick barracks (1896-1904, Hyderabad and Meeanee Barracks; Douet 1998). The hutted hospital was also closed and the brick Military Hospital opened in 1896. The building programme at Colchester camp of the late 1890s and early 1900s was funded by the Military Loans System established in 1890 by the Barracks Act. £4.1 million was raised, half of which was used to complete the reconstruction in 'permanent materials' of the 'great camps' of Aldershot, Colchester, Shornecliffe and the Curragh near Dublin, and to replace the huts on Woolwich Heath (Douet 1998). The size of the Army was increased in 1897/8 and 1899/1900. By the Military Works Act of 1899, more funding was allocated to the 'great camps' at Colchester and the Curragh near Dublin, and for the building of a new 'great camp' at Tidworth (Douet 1998). In 1899, the government bought some of the land of Barn Hall Farm in Colchester for the Army. Barrack design was improving with the rising standards expected for living accommodation and, during this building programme, barracks were built on a larger scale for corps-level concentrations of troops. In 1900-1901 there was a Commission into barracks accommodation and, in 1901, there was another Military Works Act. In 1904 there were General Reports which were presented to the Army Council and General Staff and, also in 1904, a wholly civilian Barrack Construction Department was formed (Douet 1998). In 1906, the Military Loans Programme was cancelled.] ----- [The Battle of Hyderabad was in 1843 and the Battle of Meeanee was also in 1843.] See ERO C249, 1892 Meeanee Barracks new entrance gates, drawings of H Everett & Son, builders See ERO C249, 1902 Meeanee Barracks??, Eastern Command, Colchester Married Officers Quarters Old postcard by kind permission of J Jephcott. British Pathe - Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1935 at Meeanee Barracks; see preview at http://www.britishpathe.com/video/trooping-the-colour-1/query/colchester Aerial photo. of Meeanee Barracks in 1927; http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw018547?search=colchester&ref=3 Aerial photo. of Meeanee Barracks and Hyderabad Barracks in 1920; http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw001857?search=colchester&ref=21