Colewort Barracks


Colewort Barracks was a military installation at Portsmouth, Hampshire. It was also known as St Mary's Barracks.

History

The facility were originally built as a garrison hospital in 1680 and converted into a barracks in 1694. The barracks were named after a type of wild cabbage which was prevalent in the local area. The barracks were home to the Army Service Corps, responsible for supplies, transport and accommodation, during the First World War. After the war, the barracks fell into disrepair and were demolished to make way for an expansion to Portsmouth Power Station in the late 1920s.

Description

The barracks were described in the Chronicles of Portsmouth as:
The aforementioned 'cabbage garden', which gave the barracks its name, was still in use as a burial-ground in the early 19th century, long after the conventual chapel of St Mary had been demolished.