Buildings at Ballykinler Army Base

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Ballykinler army base lies close to the northern coast of Dundrum Bay, next to the small hamlet of Ballykinler, a few miles E of Dundrum itself. The base covers a large area and includes large open areas used in the training of the modern soldier, including a firing range. The buildings on the site are grouped relatively closely together and all appear to have been built in the later 1930s, or shortly afterwards. The three major buildings are the officers’ mess, the sergeants’ mess and the ‘Sandhurst’ block (the main residential block). All of these are in a roughly similar ‘institutional Queen Ann revival’ style, with red brick facades, multi-pane windows, and tiled hipped roofs.

The officers’ mess is two storey and roughly U shaped, having two long returns to each end. Its front façade is symmetrical and in three bays, with that to the centre projecting slightly. To the centre of this bay is a classical portico in Portland stone. The window openings are largely domestic sized flat headed examples, though some to the ground floor front are segmental headed. All have PVC frames. The rear of the building (between the wings) has been extended in recent years.

The sergeants’ mess is a much smaller two storey building, much like a large suburban (Queen Ann revival) house with three bays with square-ish windows with PVC frames, some small half-dormers (to front). To one side is a small single storey wing.

The ‘Sandhurst’ block is a very large three storey complex which appears to be made up of two U shaped blocks linked by a central section. The façade is largely plain with large square-ish windows with PVC frames. The ground floor windows to the front of the central linking section are larger and have semicircular heads. Like the other buildings its roof is mainly hipped, but some sections are flat roofed. Above the entrance doorway (which is set within a projecting porch) there is a Portland stone panel with the monogram of King George VI..

Historical information

The site of the this army base has a long military history, having apparently been used as a mustering place for local militia as far back as the 1680s. Up until the 1920s-30s, however, there were no permanent structures in place, the site being entirely tented. The present main buildings all appear to have been constructed shortly after 1937 (the officers’ mess appears to date from 1938).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Group of army barrack buildings, consisting of a large two storey officers’ mess, a smaller two storey sergeants’ mess and very large three storey troop residential block. All are in a largely functional ‘institutional Queen Ann revival’ style, having brick facades and tiled hipped roofs. The windows now all have PVC frames and all appear to have been extended to a greater or lesser extent. They are of limited architectural interest.