Dale Barracks

The barracks are situated in the grounds of Moston Hall, a house built in 1789 for Richard Massey.[1] The house was acquired by the Swetenham family who sold it to the Lockett family in 1918.[2] During the First World War, the house was used as a military hospital.[3][4]

The rest of the site was occupied by a house known as The Dale which was built in the 1880s and was bought by the War Office in 1938.[2] The Dale became the depot of the Cheshire Regiment who arrived from Chester Castle in 1939.[5] During Second World War the Machine Gun Training Centre was established there and after the War it became a Primary Training Centre for infantry training.[5] Between 1956 and 1987 the Dale was used as a secure asylum after which it was returned to military use as the officer's mess for the barracks of the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment.[5]

The 1st Battalion Royal Welsh moved out of the barracks in April 2014[6] and the 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment arrived in July 2014.[7] The 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment itself left in Summer 2018 and was replaced by 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment which arrived in November 2018.[8]

In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would close in 2023.[9] This was later extended to not be before 2027.[10]