The Colchester Royal Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks Commemorative Monument

This monument, constructed with the support of the Essex Heritage Trust, commemorates the history of the Royal Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks and stands as a tribute to the men of the Royal Artillery who left there 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 Barracks would have looked preceding the Great War. 

It consists of all the original 1874/75 Royal Artillery Barracks buildings along with others built between 1875 and around 1904. This followed the Barracks being rerolled as a much larger Royal Field Artillery Barracks at the turn of the century, following a major reorganisation of the Royal Artillery in 1899.

The model also shows the archaeologically important Colchester Roman Circus starting gates, 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 XIV (14) Brigade Royal Field Artillery leaving the barracks for France at the outbreak of the Great War. 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 Barracks were renamed. 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 worldwide 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 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.  

Here is a link to the unveiling ceremony souvenir booklet