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Roussillon Barracks

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Former barracks in Chichester, England

Roussillon Barracks
Chichester
Roussillon Barracks
Roussillon Barracks is located in West SussexRoussillon BarracksRoussillon BarracksLocation within West Sussex
Coordinates50°51′03″N 0°46′48″W / 50.85094°N 0.78001°W / 50.85094; -0.78001
TypeBarracks
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
Operator British Army
Site history
Built1795
Built forWar Office
In use1795-2005
Garrison information
OccupantsRoyal Sussex Regiment
Royal Military Police

Roussillon Barracks was a military installation in Chichester.

History

The barracks were originally established as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution in tented accommodation in 1795 and were enhanced by the use of wooden huts in 1803. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the Cardwell Reforms and the barracks became the depot for the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot, the 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot and the Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia. The keep, built in the Fortress Gothic Revival Style, and chapel were added in 1875. Following the Childers Reforms, the three regiments amalgamated to form the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1881, with its depot in the barracks.

Further enhancements to the barracks took place in the 1930s when the wooden huts were removed. The name of the barracks, given in 1958, commemorates the actions of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot in putting the Regiment Royal Roussillon to flight at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the Seven Years' War. The barracks were demoted to the status of out-station to the Home Counties Brigade depot at Howe Barracks in Canterbury in 1959.

Extensive building took place from 1960 until 1964 to accommodate the Royal Military Police who arrived from Inkerman Barracks and took over the site in 1964. Lieutenant-Commander Alfredo Astiz, an Argentine commander, was questioned at the barracks in June 1982 about the murder of Swedish and French nationals. The Royal Military Police left the site in September 2005 and planning permission for housing was granted in 2011.

The keep was retained as an army careers office, and, in 2019, it was converted for use as a Joint Cadet Centre and began to host a detachment of the Sussex Army Cadet Force (No. 7 Chichester Detachment).

References

  1. ^ "Roussillon Barracks". Royal Sussex. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Training Depots". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  3. Army List, various dates.
  4. "The Royal Sussex Regiment". Royal Sussex. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  5. "Britain sends home Argentine commander suspected of torture". The Montreal Gazette. 11 June 1982. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  6. "Planning permission granted for Roussillon Barracks development". Homes & Communities Agency. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  7. "Annual Re-union Dinner – Lewes". Royal Sussex Regimental Association. 11 September 2010. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  8. Rupel, Joss (24 March 2022). "Chichester Army Cadets' Fresh New Digs". Sussex Express. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
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