Monument record TR 34 SW 1124 - Site of the former Connaught Barracks

Connaught Barracks covered a site with an area of 13.5 ha. and was constructed in the early part of the C.20 to replace Fort Burgoyne. It saw service throughout the World Wars and finally closed in 2006 when the Parachute Regiment departed. It was the last of the Dover barracks to close. (1)

The standing remains include barrack blocks, stores, mess rooms and a parade ground. It also included an area for training purposes. (1)

The site is currently (2016) earmarked for residential development. A historic building survey of the 27 buildings at that time still standing concluded that the majority of the structures were built between 1957 and 1967 with relatively little change in form or function since then. The buildings were constructed in a modular fashion with less repetition than in earlier barracks (2)

A watching brief carried out in 2016/17 exposed the remains of modern waste pits, a concrete training bunker, two vehicle inspection pits and a series of brick foundations and floor surface, concrete footings and landscaping features related to former structures associated with Connaught Barracks. Detailed plan of watched area and buildings not currently available. (3)

<1> Dover District Council, 2013, Dover District Heritage Strategy (Bibliographic reference). SKE31372.

<2> WYG Environment, 2016, Homes and Communities Agency, Historic building recording of Connaught Barracks Main Site, Dover (Unpublished document). SKE52866.

<3> Headland Archaeology, 2016, Archaeological Watching Brief, Connaught Barracks, Dover, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE52327.