Permanent barracks were first established in Canterbury when William Baldock initiated construction of "St Gregory’s Barracks", an infantry barracks on Sturry Road, as part of the British response to the threat of the
French Revolution, in 1793. Sir Edward Hales completed construction of the cavalry barracks slightly further up Sturry Road in 1795 and artillery barracks were built on land between these sites around the same time. Following the
Childers Reforms, the regiment evolved to become the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) with its depot in the barracks in 1881. They were named after Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Howe, a former commanding officer of the Buffs, and went on to become the regional centre for infantry training as the
Home Counties Brigade Depot in 1960. They also became the depot and Regimental Headquarters for the
Queen's Regiment in 1966, for the
Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in 1992 and for the 5th Battalion, the
Royal Regiment of Scotland (the
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) in 2003.
The Queen visited the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Howe Barracks in
Canterbury in June 2013 to mark their relocation to Scotland. The barracks were also the home of reservists serving with 3rd Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. The barracks closed in February 2015. ==References==