The Keep Jellallabad Barrack

Details

TAUNTON MOUNT STREET ST 2224 SE 11/420 The Keep Jellallabad Barrack II GV

Gatehouse tower known as The Keep: entrance to military barracks. 1879 to 1881. Designed by Army Divisional Surveyor, Thomas Berry, with Major Crozier, RE as part of barracks for Prince Albert's Somersetshire Light Infantry (36th Brigade Depot). Red brick in English bond with some yellow brick three course bands, dressed stone details; flat asphalt surfaced roof, plain brick chimney stacks. An imposing, fortress-like block of four storeys with a pair of taller, projecting, rectangular towers flanking the street front and a single taller rectangular tower projecting from the north east corner on the inner or barrack yard front. A central carriage way with arch centries to both fronts. Crenellated parapets to main block and towers: widely spaced crenels with dressed stone sills. Parapets set forward on a dressed stone cornice band supported on closely spaced brick strip corbels. The outer corner of the parapet to the east tower on the street front is raised to provide anchorage for flagpole. Three dressed stone bands, one at window sill level on each upper storey, dressed stone lintols and sills to all windows on all elevations. Street front: the inner return walls of the flanking towers are curved with the corners of the upper stages above supported on elaborate corbelling. Each corbel has a moulded stone base and two dressed stone bands above alternating with brick offsets or vertical panels. The corbelled angle of the east tower is higher, in the third stage of the tower, than the corresponding corbel of the west tower. Battered plinth with moulded stone offset capping and two yellow brick bands, tne lower band at sill level and upper band at level of stone transoms in the two slit windows to either side of archway. Bands continue on the towers and in the slightly projecting wing walls to either side of towers. Wing walls have a lower stone capped plinth. Above ground floor lintols a continuous moulded stone string course. Recessed brick jambs and stone segmental arch in two orders to carriage-way with stone string course following extrados curve. The upper stone arch is painted blue-green with JELLALLAD inscribed in white. Double doors framed in three vertical panels with vertical boards: wicket door in the R.H. leaf. C4.strap hinges and top rail spikes. Within the arch a decorative pieced metal screen. On each upper floor of main clock, six narrow or slit windows with recessed casements. The flanking towers have similar slit windows and a two light casement with top light over transom to the front of the east tower, also pairs or single musket loops with stone sills and heads on each storey placed to give covering fire across entrance. The front to the barrack yard has similar archway to carriage-way, stone hoodmould with side drops. Irregular fenestration to either side and nine-slit windows with inset casements to each storey above. The tower to left has staggered slit windows lighting stair to the front and a musket loop for flanking fire across entrance on each stage of the return wall. Interior not inspected. The name of the barracks comnemorates the involvement of Prince Albert's 13th Light Infantry Regiment (from 1879 Prince Albert's Somersetshire Light Infantry) in the siege of Jellallabad Afghanistan 1841-42.

Listing NGR: ST2284224119

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

361621

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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