The Royal Ordnance Depot is a Grade II* listed former barracks and military storage base in Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire.
Built between the period of 1804 and 1816, it is steeped in history. Surrounded by a 12ft high wall, with bastions at each corner and a canal running through the centre of the site, it has evolved over the years with later additions. It closed in 1965, before being sold in 1984 and today it is in private ownership. The storage units on the main site have been restored to offers workspaces to local businesses with a heritage centre for visitors.
Currently on the Heritage at Risk Register, an Historic England report identified the bastions condition as ‘poor with immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric’ and we were appointed as Lead Advisor to undertake their conservation and repair.
The bastions are substantial ‘L’ shaped single-storey, flat-roofed, brick structures built at the corners of the perimeter walls. Although all bastions are in a poor condition it was agreed that work to one bastion would be undertaken at this stage.
Many of the original features to the repaired bastion remain in place, although some further loss was required to stabilise it. The works onsite included brickwork repairs/ replacement, reinstating the brick steps, repairing the walkway and reinstating new gates and doors to the profile of the original arched openings.
Once all bastions have been repaired, they will significantly enhance the general aspect and presentation of the site. We have adopted a ‘sensitive approach’ to their conservation and put forward an overarching repair strategy for the bastions, as we felt it would be reasonable to consider that each be approached differently with varying outcomes. This will enable them to be brought into a condition from which a programme for their future inspection and maintenance can be implemented.
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Contact Soul Architects