The barracks were originally established as part of the British response to the threat of the
French Revolution in tented accommodation in 1795 and were enhanced by the use of wooden huts in 1803. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the
Cardwell Reforms and the barracks became the
depot for the
35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot, the
107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot and the
Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia. The keep, built in the
Fortress Gothic Revival Style, and chapel were added in 1875. Further enhancements to the barracks took place in the 1930s when the wooden huts were removed. The name of the barracks, given in 1958, commemorates the actions of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot in putting the
Regiment Royal Roussillon to flight at the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the
Seven Years' War. The barracks were demoted to the status of out-station to the
Home Counties Brigade depot at
Howe Barracks in
Canterbury in 1959. The Royal Military Police left the site in September 2005 and planning permission for housing was granted in 2011. The former guardroom and gatehouse known as The Keep was retained as an army careers office and, after a period of it not being used, it was transferred to the reserve estate. As a result, in 2019, the building was converted for use as a Joint Cadet Centre and began to host a detachment of the Sussex
Army Cadet Force (No. 7 Chichester Detachment). ==References==