Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow
[2] The area around Hounslow Heath has been used for centuries to garrison armies of the Crown, because of its proximity to London, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace.James II also camped his troops here to hold military exercises in an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate the Parliament in London shortly before the Glorious Revolution.In 1792, plans were drawn up by Pitt's government for six barracks, strategically placed on the outskirts of provincial industrial towns, to house cavalry units which could, if required, be mobilised to maintain public order.[1] In 1818, the War Department (prompted by concerns at the effect of a recent inclosure act on the availability of public open space) acquired some 300 acres (120 ha) of Hounslow Heath to serve as a training ground.[8] In My Early Life, Winston Churchill recalls travelling on the Underground Railway to Hounslow Barracks two or three times a week whilst living at his mother's house in Knightsbridge, around 1896.Hounslow was the first time the troops had been formed together as a battalion since their formation in May 1940, having been scattered in small units in and around London guarding Vulnerable Points (VPs).[17] In 2007, MPs expressed concern in a report that some of the Victorian buildings at Cavalry Barracks were so bad that troops staying in tented camps in Afghanistan had better living conditions than those at Hounslow.[20] This was later extended to 2021,[21] and the 1st Battalion Irish Guards moved to their new home at Aldershot Garrison in June 2021, while the barracks, acquired by Hounslow Council, will be developed as a sustainable living project.[25] At Hounslow, small coach houses (later used for forage) were provided at each end of the stable blocks,[28] and to the east of the main square (in line with the officers' quarters) was a riding school and a hospital.[26] In the wake of the Crimean War, a Commission for Improving Barracks and Hospitals was set up (under the chairmanship of Sidney Herbert, a close associate of Florence Nightingale).
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