Residents of the Garden Village in Richmond have collaborated with local organisations to fund and create a new plaque which commemorates the site of the Richmond Barracks and its rich history.
The unveiling took place earlier this month and was attended by representatives from Green Howards Association, the Western Front Association and The Green Howards Museum, as well as Garden Village residents.
Unveiling the plaque, Maj (Retd) Mike Scott, the Secretary of the Green Howards Association said: “This long overdue commemoration strengthens the golden thread that links the Green Howards and Richmond.
“For almost a hundred years and for thousands of the regiment’s soldiers, this place played a key role in their lives, either for training, returning home and moving on to new postings or deployments, or to become part of the staff here.”
Chris Robinson outlined the remembrance and educational purposes of the Western Front Association and how fitting it was for the WFA to have contributed to this wonderful initiative.
Now a residential area, the Garden Village is the site of the former regimental depot, built between 1875 and 1877 for the regiment which later became known as the Green Howards.
Gallowgate, which leads up to the base, was quickly nicknamed Barrack Hill and the site was referred to as the Depot.
The main part of the barracks closed in 1961, and the buildings were used as an approved school until 1972. In 1973 the Green Howards’ regimental HQ and museum relocated to their current location in Holy Trinity Church in Richmond marketplace.
Fiona Hall, communications and commercial manager for the Green Howards Museum, spoke of the generations of soldiers and their families linked to the site.
Fiona highlighted the QR code on the plaque which links to a wealth of material about the barracks on museum’s website.
“It’s been so interesting putting together the online exhibition, delving into the history of this special place and the people associated with it.
“One of the museum volunteers who helped work on the research actually completed his national service training at the barracks, so the links are still strong.
“If you’re passing the plaque simply scan the code, or you can find the Depot exhibition online at greenhowards.org.uk.”
From 1985 onwards, the site was redeveloped to become The Garden Village, incorporating some of the original buildings including the officers’ mess (now Nightingale Hall care home) and the barracks buildings (now residential apartments).
