|
Naval college's colourful history |
|
|
 |
| The
Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth |
|
|
This
year marks the centenary of the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth,
and as part of the celebrations a book detailing the college's colourful
history has been published. |
|
|
|
|
Perched
majestically above the River Dart at Dartmouth, The
Britannia Royal Naval College is among the finest buildings in Devon.
Some would argue the Edwardian facade is THE finest. It's certainly
grand, and it comes as no surprise to learn the man behind it was
also responsible for the facade of Buckingham Palace.
Architect Sir Aston Webb was commissioned to design the naval officer
training college, which was opened in 1905.
Tenders
for the building of the new college were requested in 1900, and the
winning tender was £220,600. Imagine what the building must
be worth today!
But
why was the college built here in the first place? This is another
fascinating story.
The
building replaced the previous "home" of the training college
- HMS Britannia and HMS Hindostan, two ships which had been based
on the River Dart for 42 years (there are some great pictures of these
boats in the book).
 |
| Front
cover of the book |
As
early as 1875, mutterings had been made about switching naval training
onshore, after concern was expressed about the health of the cadets
- not to mention the standard of some of the training.
1905 was exactly 100 years after Admiral Lord Nelson's victory at
Trafalgar, but times had moved on and althouth Britain still ruled
the waves, a more modern system of naval officer training was needed.
That's
where Britannia came in. The BRNC (as it's referred to locally) is
these days part and parcel of Dartmouth and plays a huge role in the
town.
To mark its centenary year, a book about its colourful history has
been produced by two lecturers at the college, Dr Jane Harrold and
Dr Richard Porter.
The
lavish hardback - Britannia Royal Naval College 1905-2005 - is of
interest on several levels. Anyone interested in the Royal Navy will
love it, as will those who attended the college - and it's also of
great local interest.
 |
| Fieldgun
training at BRNC |
There
are some lovely photos and paintings of the building, from its early
days right up to 21st century.
There are sections covering every aspect of the college, and a look
at how it was utilised during WWII.
It
survived a bombing attack in 1942, when one person died, and the following
year, it was taken over by American forces in preparation for the
D-Day landings.
It's amazing to learn how many key navy figures and Admirals have
been produced at the college, and it has also been a favourite training
place for members of the Royal Family.
Prince Charles and Prince Andrew received their Royal Navy training
here, and legend has it that the Queen, as a young Princess Elizabeth,
first met Prince Philip on a Royal visit to BRNC in 1939...and it
was (so the story goes) love at first sight.
For details on how to purchase the book, see the section on the left
of this page.
This article first published: 10th March 2005.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| What's
on at Devon's theatres and in the world of art. |
| Hometowns
A-Z |
 |
| Take
a guided tour of Devon - there's no place like home. |
| Webcams |
 |
| From
stunning views to nature - take a webcam tour of Devon. |
BBC Devon
Broadcasting House
Seymour Road
Plymouth
PL3 5BD
(+44) 01752 229201
devon.online@bbc.co.uk
|
|
