The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-03 00:00:00

KNIGHTSBRIDGE BARRACKS.

Monday morning a deputation waited upon. Sir
John Pakington at the War-office, for the purpose
of urging the desirableness of removing Knights-
bridge Barrack; the existence of which is alleged
to be a serious nuisance to the inhabitants of the
neighbourhood. The deputation consisted of the
following :—Earl Grosvenor, M.P., Lord Alfred
Spencer Churchill, the Right Hon. Robert Lowe,
M.P., Sir Anthony Sterling, K.C.8., Sir William
Stirling Maxwell, Lord William Compton, Mr. Ed-
ward Schenley, Mr. J. Barnes, Dr. Martyn, Mr.
W. It. Sandbach, Mr. Charles Wcsterton, Mr.
Thomas Banting, Mr. W. Gore Langton, Mr.
Alexander Western, Mr. John Elsworthy, and Mr.
H. Reeves.

Earl GuosvExon, in introducing the deputation,
after explaining that he was not the owner of pro-
perty in the vicinity of the barracks, and was there-
fore entirely disinterested, said the barracks was a
nuisance to the public thoroughfare of two impor-
tant districts, namely, Belgravia, and Kensington,
and asserted that so long as they remained where
they were the park would never be what it ought
to be.

Mr. LowE then addressed the right hon. gentle-
man at length. He said there was no finer situa-
tion in London than that occupied by Knights-
bridge Barracks, than which, in his opinion, there
was not a shabbier, uglier, or more unsightly build-
ing in the metropolis, and between which and the
locality there was an unpleasantly obvious incon-
gruity. The report of the Parks Commission in 1863
referred to the unsatisfactory condition of the bars
racks. The whole building was permeated with the
smell of the stables, the soldiers and their families
occupied the rooms over the stables, the rooms were
unventilated and uncomfortable in every way, and
in the hospital there was no thorough ventilation ;
the asbpits were in front of the building, and, in
short, the whole barracks was as badly constructed
as could well be imagined. Besicks that, it was a
great nuisance to the residents in the neighbour-
hood. He did not live close to it, but still he was
quite aware of the great evils arising from its exist-
ence. The locality abounded with prostitutes, and
contained publichouses of the lowest class. He really
thought a sacrifice should be made to transfer the
barracks to some other part, where, owing to the
state of the neighbourhood, the evils of which they
complained would inflict little comparative injury.
The district around the barracks.was acouit suburb
and was the finest entrance into London. There
was now the monument to the Prince Consort, and
the great hall of sciences—in fact, a new town of
gentlemen's houses was springing up. Between
them the barracks stood as an isthmus of barbarism;
but if it were cleared off—if the rookery were re-
moved, a beautiful place might be made of the site
on which it stood. He did not urge the removal of
the barracks on the ground of the value of house-
hold property—he did it on the principle of metro-
politan improvement. The place was the west side
—almost the show side—of the town ; and no one
coming to town from the Kensington side could
avoid seeing how this building marred the effect of
the neighbourhood. Then it came to the question of
what was to be done. He was informed on good
authority that if the barracks were pulled down the
price of land would pretty well recoup the expendi-
ture of building a new one. Indeed, in any case it
would be better to make a pecuniary sacrifice than
to have a pile of buildings which excluded the public
from the park. lie had for some years the manage-
ment of Chelsea Hospital, aspaymaster-general, and
he thought that what had been done with Green-
wich ought to be done with Chelsea. The building
could then be made available for the troops, and
the pensioners, when in the country, would make
recruiting agents amongst the village inns, where
they would give accounts, both true and untrue—
(laughter)—of their adventures. Ile believed no
greater improvement could be effected in London
than to get rid of Knightsbridge Barrac.ks.thel_ic:tt
deal of money would have to be spent in i
im-
provement, and still they would not
whavemanyiitihihnigs
like a Inndsome building ; and it
ou ,
with them, and to
orjuion, be far better to do away
take advantage of -Chelsea or any other place to
build a new one.
Lord ALFRED Ciitnicitim. then presented a memo-
rial in favour of the rerno.val of the barracks from
530 inhabitants in the neighbourhood of Knights-
bridge and South Kensington. The memorialists,
amongst other things, stated the barracks were no-
toriously unhealthy, and a great nuisance to the
neighbourhood, that their vicinity was occupied by
many objectionable houses, which at night caused
the assemblage of noisy crowds and persons of dis-
orderly, character, whose behaviour made the place
as unseemly as the Haymarket ever was. His lordship
also presented a petition from the Westminster Dis-
trict Board of Works, setting forth the inconvenience
arising. from the existence of the barracks in so great
Ia thorouglfare, and the interruption it caused toi
the carrying out o architectural and sanitary im.

his views,
Sir J. PASINGTON said lie most readily admitted
that the vims and statements of soinfluential adepu-
t Won as he had then the honour of receiving were
entitled to the most rospec'tful consideration. Ile
must say they had been most fortunate in their se-
lection of their leading advocate, Mr, Lowe, who
had put the else before him in the clearest possible
way. With reference to the argument agtinst the
barracks, based upon the inconvenience of the inha-
bitants, they must allow him to say, and he
they would not dispute the accuracy of it, that
the residents catne to the barracks and the bar-
racks had not come to the residents. Those who
had built or bought their houses in that neigh-
bourhood had done so from the beginning with their
eyes open to•the fact that there were cavalry bar-
racks in Knightsbridge. It was true the barracks
was not a good one. Its especial deficiency was the
want of a yard, the present yard being altogether
inadequate for the accommodation which cavalry
barracks generally had ; but, having lately inspected
the barracks, he did not at all agree with the argu-
ment that it was not one capable of improvement.
It was by no means an unhealthy barrack, and
whatever might be its alleged dete-Ctih. Jusialik."
them it was the favourite barracks of the hoWOold.
brigade. (Laughter.) With regard to
tigurement of the building, he was by no means
prepared to contend that it was ornamental. •
(A laugh). It was unsightly no doubt, but be
thought Mr. Lowe had overstated its incapability
of improvement. The point which of all others was
the point of extreme importance with the Govern-
ment in all arrangements to be carried out by them
was the question of expense. He could not take
away the household brigade without giving them
adequate provision elsewhere ; and as regarded Mr.
Lowe's opinion that the sale of land would recoup
them for the expenditure consequent upon the erec-
tion of a new building, he very much doubted the
possibility of attaining such a result. He could not
at all agree with those who thought that the police
rendered the presence of cavalry unnecessary. They
had had in the course of the last 12 months several
broad hints that it might be convenient to have a
cavalry barracks, and upon a very recent occasion
it was a very satisfactory thing for the Government
to feel that there was a possibility of placing not
only an actual regiment, but a considerably larger
force for a considerable time, in a park so accessible
and so close to London. On these grounds, and
looking at recent events, which none of them could
ignore, he would ask whether it was not important
that wherever a barrack should be placed it
should be very handy—he meant close at hand.
The suggestion of Mr. Lowe with regard to
Chelsea, and which was perfectly true, he con-
fessed struck him very much, and he admitted
that it was one worthy of serious consideration.
However, his impression with regard to the success
of the Greenwich experiment was one of great
doubt, and he said so with a view of saying that
they must be a little cautious before they proceeded
hastily to adopt for Chelsea the plan that had been
tried at Greenwich. The present inclination of the
Government tended rather to the improvement of
Knightsbridge Barracks than to the removal of it,
but at the same time he was free to say that no de-
cision had been taken which, if they saw sufficient
reason or a sufficiently attractive alternative, they
were not in. a position to consider. He promised
that the representations of so influential a deputa-
tion, supported by so large an amount of public
feeling of the locality, should receive due attention
and consideration.
The deputation then thank-A the right hon. gen-
I tleman, and withdrew.