The Colchester Royal Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks Commemorative Monument

Welcome to the Colchester Royal Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks Commemorative Monument. 

This monument commemorates the history of the Colchester Royal Artillery Barracks and also stands as a tribute to the men of the Royal Artillery who left here to serve their country in many conflicts overseas. Sadly not all returned.

Mounted on the top of the monument is a bronze scale model showing how the Royal Artillery Barracks would have looked around 1904.  It consists of all the original Royal Artillery Barracks buildings of 1874/75, together with others built between 1875 and 1904. This followed the Barracks being repurposed as a much larger Royal Field Artillery Barracks at the turn of the century.  

The model also shows the archaeologically important Colchester Roman Circus Starting Gates, which were discovered in 2004 in what was the front garden of the Officers’ Quarters.

A bronze frieze in relief runs around the base of the model of the barracks.  The front elevation shows VIV (14) Brigade Royal Field Artillery leaving here for France at the outbreak of the The Great War, World War I.   

The frieze on the right elevation shows the brigade in France bringing its field guns up to the frontline of battle. 

 The rear elevation depicts the Battle of Le Cateau, after which the Royal Artillery Barracks were renamed following World War I.  

The left elevation shows the Brigade returning home to Colchester, its duty done.

The brick pier on which the monument is mounted replicates the signature architecture found in the Royal Artillery Barracks buildings. It is likely that the style signified the importance of the Royal Artillery, or British world-wide interests during that period.

The parts of the Barracks that survive today are of both local and national importance.  Many of the buildings are Grade II listed because of their historic architectural design.  

The Roman Circus starting gates are an important part of the only Roman Circus to be discovered in the United Kingdom and are thus part of a Scheduled Monument.

**The Colchester Royal Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks Monument is a privately funded project. Please contact Paul Knappett, Colin Knowles or Linda Green at [email protected] for further information.