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Greater London, Westminster, Hyde Park Cavalry Barracks, Stables (Block A)
Stable (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Greater London, Westminster, Hyde Park Cavalry Barracks, Stables (Block A)
Classification Stable (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Knightsbridge Barracks; Hyde Park Barracks
Canmore ID 286795
Site Number TQ27NE 12.01
NGR TQ 2755 7972
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/286795
- Council Not Applicable
- Parish Westminster
- Former Region Greater London
- Former District Westminster
- Former County Greater London
Building Notes
The Stable Block at Hyde Park Cavalry Barracks (Block A) provides accommodation for 273 horses and is located at the eastern end of the site. To save space on the site the block is arranged over two floors which are linked by external, gently sloping ramps. The ramps have built-in heaters to prevent ice forming in winter and therefore stop the horses slipping.
The horses for the Blues and Royals are accommodated on one floor and the Life Guards on the other. Every troop line has its own forage stores, food boilers and saddle and tack rooms. The upper level stabling opens onto a balcony overlooking Knightsbridge Road which is where the horses are groomed in good weather. The Stable elevation on South Carriage Drive is characterized by horizontal concrete panels which are finished in hammered concrete and jut out above the building line.
Archive Details
The drawings in the Sir Basil Spence Archive show designs for the dung chutes installed at the end of each troop line. These carried waste from both levels to a collection chamber in the basement. The chutes saved the soldiers from having to transport the waste through the stables and were especially convenient for those on the upper level.
The Archive contains reports and images about water penetration, which occurred after the scheme was completed and which caused the stable floor to degrade. The material includes research on the effects of horse urine on different types of materials and ways to counteract such problems.
Archive Summary
The Sir Basil Spence Archive holds 547 drawings specifically relating to the Stables Block. The building is also shown on a number of drawings for the whole scheme. The Archive holds 182 manuscript folders and 809 photographs relating to Hyde Park Calvary Barracks. The photographs include a series of construction photographs, taken month-by-month, of the whole site.
The Archive also includes details of the temporary stabling at Wellington barracks which was designed by the firm to accommodate the horses while building work was carried out at the Hyde Park site.
This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.
