The Peninsula Barracks are a group of military buildings in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

History

The barracks, which were originally known as the Upper Barracks, Winchester, were built in the early 20th century on the site of King's House, an unfinished palace designed by

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was acc ...

for Charles II, which had been used for barracks from 1794 until it was destroyed by fire in 1894.Michael Bullen, John Crook, Rodney Hubbuck & Nikolaus Pevsner, ''The Buildings of England: Hampshire: Winchester and the North'', London: Yale University Press, 2010, , pp. 84, 691–2. Some parts of the barracks remain Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s in their own right including the Green Jackets Headquarters and the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum, the Gymnasium, the Main Entrance Gate Piers, the Gates and Flanking Railings and Piers, the Royal Hussars Museum (former Militia Stores), the East Block, the Guardroom, the Chapel and Schoolroom, the Mons Block, the North Block, the Weapons Training Shed and the West Block. The barracks became the depot of the

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

and the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

in 1858. The barracks went on to become the regional centre for infantry training as the

Green Jackets Brigade The Green Jackets Brigade (known as O Group until 1948) was an administrative brigade of the British Army from 1946 to 1966, that administered the English rifle regiments. History After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry ...

Depot in 1960. The name of the barracks was changed from Upper Barracks, Winchester to Peninsula Barracks in 1964. The 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) returned to the barracks on 21 April 1964, from Bushfield Camp, near Winchester, where they had moved in 1961.The Gorget 1964, p. 11 On 22 May 1964, General Sir Gerald Lathbury, Colonel Commandant of the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) and also

Quartermaster-General to the Forces The Quartermaster-General to the Forces (QMG) is a senior general in the British Army. The post has become symbolic: the Ministry of Defence organisation charts since 2011 have not used the term "Quartermaster-General to the Forces"; they simply ...

, whose responsibilities included all Army buildings, took the first passing-out parade in the rebuilt barracks.

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the youngest ...

, Colonel-in-Chief,

3rd Green Jackets, The Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, Reconnaissance, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon ren ...

, officially opened the new barracks on 28 May 1965. The barracks closed in 1985 and military training was moved to Sir John Moore Barracks. In 1994 the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

sold most of the barracks for private flats, retaining some space for Winchester's Military Museums, a complex of museums that are grouped but operated separately. The barracks also house the Regimental Headquarters of

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

, and the Regimental Headquarters (South) of the

King's Royal Hussars The King's Royal Hussars (KRH) is an armoured regiment of the British Army formed in 1992. Based at Tidworth it serves as one of the armoured regiments of the 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). History The regiment was formed on 4 Decem ...

References

Grade II listed buildings in Hampshire Buildings and structures in Winchester Barracks in England Military history of Hampshire {{UK-listed-building-stub