The barracks were built between 1842 and 1848 as a base, initially at least, for the 2nd Battalion 60th Rifles, following the chartist riots.

[1] In 1861, an incident took place when Private Patrick McCaffery shot both the Commanding Officer and the Adjutant of the base: he was hanged for the offence.

[1] The barracks, which went on to become the regional centre for infantry training as the Lancastrian Brigade Depot in 1960,[4] became the depot of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment in 1970 as well as Headquarters North West District in 1977 and the headquarters of 42 (North West) Brigade in 1991.

On 28 February 2023, the regiment was disbanded as part of the Army 2020 and Future Soldier integrated reviews.

[14] Current units stationed at the barracks include: British Army Community Cadet Forces