Multi-award-winning developer Weston Homes has acquired the former Military Headquarters in Aldershot, Hampshire, a historically significant site, with plans to develop the Grade II Listed Victorian building into a £12.3 million (GDV) premium collection of 34 converted apartments and cottages set in landscaped grounds.
Located on Steeles Road, the nineteenth century red brick building was originally designed in the 1890s as part of the regeneration of Aldershot, possibly one of many buildings designed by Royal Engineers officers and was built by Martin Wells & Co, to be the headquarters for the senior officers of the formations in Aldershot. The foundation stone was laid on the 28th March 1894 by HRH Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, the son of Queen Victoria, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Aldershot and the District Surveyor Thomas Jerome. The building was completed in 1895.
The Headquarters features a grand central entrance portico and Portland stone columns with a Royal crest to the pediment above. The building has rubbed brick and terracotta dressings and a slate roof, with many of the rooms in the main wing benefitting from large sash windows and high ceilings.
Alongside elegant offices, of which The Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur, was the first GOC to occupy as well as his staff, the building has an impressive entrance hall with a central iron staircase, mosaic flooring bearing the coat of arms of the Command centre and a trio of magnificent arched windows letting in an abundance of natural light.
Weston Homes plans to transform the historic site into a collection of apartments and cottages, the converted homes will enjoy a bright and airy ambience, with large windows and generously sized living spaces.
During World War Two the building served as the headquarters for Aldershot District and later Aldershot and Hants District. In 1940, Operation Sealion was a Nazi Germany codename for their planned invasion of Britain, which saw major preparations undertaken just nine months after the start of the war. To counter this, if the invasion had taken place, Aldershot Garrison would have played a key role in the Allied defence of London and the southeast of England under top-secret defence plans, codename ‘Plan Julius Caesar’.
Throughout the war, as the country’s largest military centre Aldershot was expected to be a significant target for German bombers. Surprisingly, Aldershot suffered relatively little damage with the local belief being that Nazis wanted the Garrison left intact for their own use if they ever did invade.
In 1995, the building became headquarters for the 4th Division which became Support Command in 2011. The headquarters then moved from the building to Montgomery House on 1st April 2014.
The Headquarters is located close to Gun Hill Park, an existing development by Weston Homes, the former Cambridge Military Hospital now a residential address of 140 homes. The scheme is finished and 95% sold, with buyers appreciating the preserved historic details and high-quality specification of the homes.
Both the Headquarters and Gun Hill Park sit on the Wellesley estate, led by Grainger plc, the redevelopment of the 255 hectare former Aldershot Garrison site in Hampshire into a new residential community.
Bob Weston, Chairman of Weston Homes says: “The acquisition of the Military Headquarters in Aldershot will enable Weston Homes to deliver a new collection of converted homes and help preserve this historic site’s legacy. The parts of the garrison which have been given up for civilian use are undergoing extensive renovation to reinvigorate these military buildings for a new community and we are proud to be delivering another element of the estate’s wider regeneration.”
Suzanne Aplin, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Weston Homes says: “We are delighted to have acquired the former Military Headquarters in Aldershot, which is located close to our conversion of the Cambridge Military Hospital into Gun Hill Park. We have seen strong demand with buyers enjoying the estate’s heritage and we look forward to bringing this new scheme to life in due course.”
For further information on Weston Homes please call 01279 873 333 or click here.
