Lancer Barracks is a historic military facility and grounds in

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is the longest continuously operational military facility in Australia since colonial settlement. Lancer Barracks is located on Smith Street in the Parramatta CBD, opposite Parramatta Railway Station. It has been home to the

1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers The 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers is an active Australian Army Reserve Light Cavalry regiment. The regiment has its headquarters at Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, a suburb in Western Sydney, New South Wales. Lancer Barracks is the oldes ...

, an armoured cavalry unit, since 1885.

History

Construction of Lancer Barracks commenced in 1818 and was completed in 1820. It was constructed to replace earlier buildings that were in a state of disrepair. Governor

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...

wrote to Earl Bathurst in 1817, stating that "a new barrack for the troops being also necessary at parramatta, the old one being almost in ruins and consequently very dangerous to be any longer inhabited by the soldiers, I purpose to have a new barrack erected there as soon as the hospital has been completed". After construction, Lancer Barracks was home to a number of different British infantry regiments while the colony expanded. When British troops were withdrawn in the 1850s, it was used by the police and government, until it became home to the

Lancers A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

in 1891. The barracks became a hub of the regiment and the city, being the base from which the Lancers trained to travel first to England, and then to fight in the Boer War. Slowly, the barracks was modernised and preserved as a distinctive part of the area's colonial and military heritage. A number of memorials have been consecrated on the site to remember those who served at Lancer Barracks and were killed in conflicts. The buildings were heritage listed as protected against demolition in 1977. A heritage management plan is place to preserve the barracks.

Buildings

The Barracks, in its current form, consists of a number of operational buildings and workspaces. Of note, these include: * The Two-Storey Building, or '100-Man Block' * Bob's Hall, a single-story colonial building * Linden House, home to the Regiment's Museum and Association * Regimental Headquarters (Vernon House) * The Drill Hall & Frank Tattersall Stables (the Other Ranks bar) * The Officer's Mess Building * The Sergeant's Mess Building * Parade Ground *

The Lancer Band The Lancer Band is a band within the Australian Army, serving as the Regimental Band of the 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers. The band is an organic formation of the regiment and is co-garrisoned at Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, Sydney ...

Rehearsal Studio

Museum

The Barracks is home to the Lancer Association Museum, in historic Linden House. It is open to the public on Sundays, and is run by the Lancer Association. A group of volunteers help to maintain and preserve the historic documents, artefacts, and armoured vehicles. The Museum Building was commemorated in 1981 as a memorial to all those who served with the

References

External links

{{Commons category, Lancer Barracks Barracks in Australia Buildings and structures in Parramatta 1820 establishments in Australia