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Brock Barracks, Reading

Postcard - 1904

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The Keep from Oxford Road

The 20-acre barracks, on a site beside the Oxford Road, were built between 1877-78 just on the Reading Borough boundary. They were built as part of the Cardwell reforms, which redistributed barracks around the country to encourage local connections and assist recruitment. This image shows The Keep.

One block for the 49th Regiment of Foot was named 'Isaac Brock' after Major-General Sir Isaac Brock. Brock was a brilliant and courageous soldier. He joined the 49th Foot in 1791 (90 years later, this regiment united with the 66th Foot to form the first and second battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment). It wasn't until 1934 that the depot was formally named 'Brock Barracks'.

The barracks were the home of the Royal Berkshire Regiment until 1959. In that year they were amalgamated with the Wiltshire Regiment to form the Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment. Early in 1977, the old Royal Berkshire Regiment’s museum in Brock Barracks was dismantled and removed to the new regimental museum in Salisbury. Today the barracks are home to the Berkshire Army Cadet force, Reading Sea cadets, Reading Air Cadets and the 7 Rifles, a reserve infantry battalion.

Museum object number REDMG : 1986.83.7

See related topic: Reading landmarks

Website of The Wardrobe, regimental museum of the Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire