Bye bye Woolwich Barracks

cafckev

Ya gotta love the good ol' MOD.
They have just pubished a review of its bases, and several to close really stand out including Woolwich Barrack and Maidstone REME. Its all about saving money.

It was pointed out to me the other day that you could fit all the British Army in Wembley!

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/14874058.Woolwich_barracks_marked_for_closure_in_MoD_cuts/?ref=mr&lp=1

DaveMehmet

Isn't it the longest building façade in the UK (or something like that)?

sam3110

Doesn't surprise me to be honest, barracks like this are sure to be closed before army bases etc. and it has had scaffolding etc up around many parts of it from a while now.

What with Woolwich becoming a hip area to live, and the nearby Royal Military Academy and the Royal Herbert Hospital becoming luxury houses to go along with the Royal Arsenal development, what's the betting that you'll soon be able to buy a luxury 2 bed penthouse apartment in a development known as "The Barracks"?

cafckev

And just in time for the new rail link into Docklands too

Addickted

Large Ghurkha population in Maidstone who are linked to the Engineers at the barracks - they are devastated.

guinnessaddick

DaveMehmet said:

Isn't it the longest building façade in the UK (or something like that)?

It was, I think it was over taken by the estate over the road from it on Woolwich common.

cherryorchard

DaveMehmet said:

Isn't it the longest building façade in the UK (or something like that)?

It has the longest continuous Georgian facade in the UK (and beyond I would imagine).

colthe3rd

Tories gonna Tory tbf.

Leuth

This isn't the Tories' fault, this lies entirely at the door of the young liberal arty types who've already started moving into the area

kentaddick

Leuth said:

This isn't the Tories' fault, this lies entirely at the door of the young liberal arty types who've already started moving into the area

Toy boy corbyn wants to cut the armed forces even more than the tories are. To the point where we wouldn't have much of an armed forces at all

Starinnaddick

How much did it cost to build the state of the art stabling for the RHA ?
Will they be going too ?

i_b_b_o_r_g

.

killerandflash

According to that link, it "could be closed by 2028", so nothing will happen soon

soapy_jones

What will we keep in all these barracks anyway? Army is heading part time. Sell and put the money into accomodation for serving service families.

JollyRobin

It's a beautiful building for sure, but in this day and age is it fit for purpose for a modern army? As we spend more time focusing or targeted drone strikes and other forms of technological warfare, and we rarely operate with troops on the ground, then a fall in troop numbers and thus the closing down of barracks is inevitable.

I'm sure the building will find something meaningful in its new existing, a modern military history museum for example?

i_b_b_o_r_g

Remember me dad would walk me up to the Rotunda museum on me bike, through the Deer Park (yeah weren't cheap), up Cemetery Lane down HaHa Road. Absolutely loved it in there, even drove round that way when I came back to UK once. Then, when I was a bit older, I'd go up the dry ski slope with me brother and our chum Rohan for the Summer Buzz during the 6 week holiday. Always remember the boot room stank of cheesy feet.

Spose it will all be gentrified now will it? Made into flats for Remainers to live in

charltonkeston

kentaddick said:

Leuth said:

This isn't the Tories' fault, this lies entirely at the door of the young liberal arty types who've already started moving into the area

Toy boy corbyn wants to cut the armed forces even more than the tories are. To the point where we wouldn't have much of an armed forces at all

It doesn't matter one jot what he might want. He's not likely to get a chance to put any of his plans or ideas into practice.

Addickted

kentaddick said:

Leuth said:

This isn't the Tories' fault, this lies entirely at the door of the young liberal arty types who've already started moving into the area

Toy boy corbyn wants to cut the armed forces even more than the tories are. To the point where we wouldn't have much of an armed forces at all

Corbyn wants to significantly increase our armed forces and fund it from the savings made with the abolition of Trident.

DRAddick

Beautiful building but probably not practical as a modern day army barracks though. Not that I believe that's really the reason for it's closure. Naturally it's just all about money. Definitely gonna become expensive flats like the site further up the road.

On a side note about MOD cuts and waste....When I was travelling around Europe a few years ago I met a couple of soldiers based in Bergen, Germany. I later met up with them again and was shown around the base and the town, and the Bergen-Belson concentration camp. The base had new out buildings which had been built to house armaments, tanks whatever. These had state of the art climate control and cost millions to build. They had never been used because there was a flaw in the design so were not fit for purpose, and were never going to be used as the base was closing which was known likely at the time they were being built. I was also shown newly laid roads that had been built to include roundabouts that had slip roads going into fields, which were to have new houses built on them. These roads were laid again despite the MOD knowing that they were leaving the base and the new roads and subsequent housing wasn't needed. Working for a government agency myself, it always astounds me the level of incompetence and waste there is at times and how private companies get away with taking the p by charging government depts far higher than they charge others.

On an even further side note but one that some people who like war history might find interesting....... In Bergen army camp is a small cemetery that was respectfully maintained by the soldiers. This cemetery was for prisoners who were killed by their fellow prisoners when the camp was liberated for being collaborators. I wonder what will happen to that?

PopIcon

Didn't take long for people to get precious about politics. This is inevitable whoever is running this mess.

Anna_Kissed

kentaddick said:

Leuth said:

This isn't the Tories' fault, this lies entirely at the door of the young liberal arty types who've already started moving into the area

Toy boy corbyn wants to cut the armed forces even more than the tories are. To the point where we wouldn't have much of an armed forces at all

Toy boy? What a strange thing to write. The Tories are running down the armed forces and investing in nuclear weaponry. Better, says Jeremy, that the Trident renewal money goes into the NHS and other public services.

Shame about the barracks closing. More gentrification on the way and another piece of local history becoming...history.

What of The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery? Does this affect them? They relocated to 'Napier Lines', Woolwich Barracks, in early 2012. I watched them process into the Woolwich parade-ground, with horse-drawn guns, following their relocation there from St John's Wood Barracks in north London.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Troop,_Royal_Horse_Artillery

ShootersHillGuru

JollyRobin said:

It's a beautiful building for sure, but in this day and age is it fit for purpose for a modern army? As we spend more time focusing or targeted drone strikes and other forms of technological warfare, and we rarely operate with troops on the ground, then a fall in troop numbers and thus the closing down of barracks is inevitable.

I'm sure the building will find something meaningful in its new existing, a modern military history museum for example?

Think The Imperial War Museum might be a bit miffed.

When this does finally go you can bet you mortgage on it being developed for housing.

iainment

If they don't need it why not sell it. That's the modern way after all. Monetise everything despite it's community value.

Raith_C_Chattonell

Woolwich barracks re-opened in 2015 following a two rear refit that cost 50 million pounds. Politicians and joined up thinking is something that simply doesn't exist I'm afraid.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/woolwich-barracks-a-home-fit-for-heroes-after-50m-refit-6510861.html

Tom

I've just commissioned loads of new water pumps there. They've built new boiler rooms and everything. Inside has had a right smarten up too. Surely they'll not sell it off now?

i_b_b_o_r_g

Tom said:

I've just commissioned loads of new water pumps there. They've built new boiler rooms and everything. Inside has had a right smarten up too. Surely they'll not sell it off now?

New bathroom, new kitchen, dab of magnolia + Tell tail signs its going on the market