Waterloo Barracks

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Map of the tower with Waterloo Block (No. 3)
Waterloo Barracks as seen from the courtyard of the tower

The Waterloo Barracks , also called Waterloo Block, are a building in the inner fortress ring of the Towers of London . The building was originally built in 1845 as a barracks for 826 soldiers. It is the largest single building in the fortress. It is now mainly used as an office and administration building. It is internationally known, however, because the Jewel House , the depository of the British Crown Jewels , has been housed in its interior since 1967 .

The Waterloo Barracks came into being after a large fire destroyed parts of the inner fortress in the tower in 1841. At the same time, the large warehouse from 1691 (the Grand Storehouse ), which had previously occupied the place in the north of the inner fortress ring, went up in flames. The garrison of the fortress had been reinforced since the end of the 18th century, so that by 1840 there was a lack of space among the soldiers and their equipment.

The then constable of the Tower , Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , 30 years earlier the victor in the Battle of Waterloo , made use of the gap created by the destruction of the warehouse and had a new barracks built at this point. Together with the barracks, separate rooms were created for the officers, today the Museum of the Royal Fusiliers . According to Pevsner, the "grim and sinister" building in a pseudo-medieval style was probably designed by Major Alexander Lewis of the engineering department of the royal armory. Wellington laid the foundation stone on June 14, 1845. After the completion of the building, a statue of the general was erected in front of the barracks, which has stood in front of the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich since 1883 . Originally planned for 826 soldiers, the barracks housed more than 1,000 residents shortly after their completion.

The Jewel House in its current form dates from 1992-1993. It was designed by Siddell Gibson Partnership, and extensively modernized on the occasion of Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Parnell, p. 90
  2. ^ A b Simon Bradley, Nikolaus Pevsner : London, 1: The city of London. Penguin, London 1997, ISBN 0-14071092-2 , p. 370.

literature

  • Geoffrey Parnell: English Heritage Book of the Tower of London. Batsford, London 1993, ISBN 0-7134-6864-5 .

Web links

Commons : Waterloo Barracks  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 30.8 "  N , 0 ° 4 ′ 33.8"  W.