BRNC Dartmouth

BRNC Dartmouth was designed and built between 1899 and 1905 by Sir Aston Webb, the Architect of Admiralty Arch and the front elevation of Buckingham Palace. The College was a land based replacement for the hulks moored in the Dart which served as training ships for naval cadets from 1863. The Sanatorium was built first as a response to an outbreak of disease on the hulks. The foundation stone of the main college was laid in 1902 by Edward VII. A later addition was built in 1914.

The plan of the building is Palladian, consisting of a central entrance block flanked by long wings which terminate in asymmetrical pavilions. The central block contains senior officer’s offices; the south west contains the Gun Room and Officer’s Mess, and the north east the Chapel and Captain’s House. At the rear of the central block is a rear wing containing the Great Hall flanked by classrooms. The upper floors provided dormitories for the cadets, now converted to individual rooms. The exterior of the building is in the style of Wren, with rusticated stonework to the ground floor and red brick to the upper stories with stone dressings.

Castria has been responsible for the production of Quadrennial Inspections of the building for the last eighteen years, and has also produced a detailed description of the architectural qualities and features of the interior. As a consequence of these inspections, the company is commissioned to undertake complex repairs to the pediments, chimneys and roof flashings of the building. This work has been progressed to the tender stage, including liaising with English Heritage, South Hams District Council’s Conservation Officer, and obtaining Listed Building Consent.