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ARMY BARRACKS AND DEPOTS

MILLBAY BARRACKS

Updated:  02 February 2011 

Millbay Barracks was built circa 1794 to house prisoners-of-war.  [1]*

A description of the Barracks published in 1812 reads  [2]:

'Temporary barracks have been erected here capable of holding 1,000 men; apartments for the officers are stationed near them.  The first enclosure contains the guard-room for the prison, where a captain's guard is daily mounted, and various necessary appendages to the barracks are placed; in the second enclosure are the barracks and a hospital for the sick.  The prospect from this parade is a very fine one.  At present the Shropshire Militia are quartered here.'

Close by the Barracks was the Millbay Prison for prisoners of war.

The site was later used, in the 1870s, for the headquarters of the 2nd Devon Volunteer Corps and a huge drill-hall was built for them.

* This statement seems to have confused the Barracks with the Prison,
unless the Prison was originally built as a Barracks and the soldiers were
turned out to make way for the prisoners of war.  This question is yet to
 be resolved.


Sources:

[1]  ?

[2]  "The Picture of Plymouth", Messrs Rees and Curtis, Plymouth, 1812.

©  Brian Moseley, Plymouth, UK

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