Victoria Barracks, Ballater Explained

Victoria Barracks
Type:Barracks
Map Type:Scotland Aberdeenshire
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Aberdeenshire
Location:Ballater
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Built:1850
Used:1850-Present
Built For:War Office
Occupants:Royal Regiment of Scotland

Victoria Barracks is a military installation in Ballater, Scotland.

History

The barracks were built as temporary accommodation in 1850 to accommodate the Queen's Guard around the time that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert acquired Balmoral Castle.[1] A row of Tudor style cottages were converted into permanent barracks in 1869 and some flat-roofed oriental-looking buildings were erected on the site in 1904.[2] [3] Further modernisation, including the removal of some old huts, took place in 1969.[4] During the flooding caused by Storm Frank in late December 2015, families living in the worst affected parts of Ballater were evacuated to the barracks.[5] When Queen Elizabeth II resided in Balmoral Castle for three months each summer, the barracks housed the Royal Regiment of Scotland's Royal Guard.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Temporary Barrack at Ballater for the Queen's Guard of Honour. The Illustrated London News. 21 September 1850. 31 December 2015.
  2. Web site: Aberdeenshire Council Historic Environment Record - Aberdeenshire - NO39NE0117 - Victoria Barracks, Ballater. online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk.
  3. Web site: Victoria Barracks. Scottish Architects. 31 December 2015.
  4. Web site: Victoria Barracks, Ballater (Modernisation). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 14 May 1969. 31 December 2015.
  5. Web site: Ballater counts the cost of Storm Frank. The Press and Journal. 31 December 2015. 31 December 2015.
  6. Web site: Places of Interest - Ballater Community. 24 February 2021.