1898 MEE17 Officers' Quarters Two storey building in Flemish bonded red brickwork similar to HYD 8 and fronting onto Mersea Road. The entrance porch has York stone dressings with balcony balustrade over Ionic style columns and capitals. Some original plaster and joinery survive and the general plan of the building is mostly unaltered. 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).]