The barracks opened here in 1843, having previously occupied a site on Crickets Lane. At that time there was quite a bit of civil unrest when it was felt better to move the soldiers away from the town.
The barracks were renamed Ladysmith Barracks to commemorate the part the Manchester Regiment played in the Siege of Ladysmith in the Boer War.
The barracks closed in 1963 but the splendid gateway, with the golden lettering above the arch spelling out "Ladysmith Barracks", is all that now remains. The name "Ladysmith" is also used by a pub and a shopping centre in the town.
See Google Street View of this location.
.jpg)
Great post!! Boom & gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteHistory! Wonderful history!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see.. many thanks for sharing the history.
ReplyDeleteAfter the freedom loving peoples of the United States got their independence and then the French, it's was expected that Britain would be next. So the government built barracks all over northern industrial towns to keep the freedom loving working peoples in check.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the gate was the handsomest part of the barracks, too. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteK
Terrific.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating snippet- thanks! Lovely looking gates too.
ReplyDelete