The Woolwich Division of the Royal Marines was established, as part of the response to the threat created by the Napoleonic Wars, in 1805.

[1] New barracks for marines, who provided a military presence in the Dockyard, were established east of Frances Street in 1808.

[5] They were of an enlightened design for their time, built to provide even the lowest-ranked inhabitants with sufficient light, space and fresh air.

[7] After the closure of the Dockyard and the consequential disbanding of the Woolwich Division of the Royal Marines in 1869,[8] these Royal Marine Barracks were renamed Cambridge Barracks, after the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, and used by the British Army as additional troop accommodation.

[9] Having become surplus to requirements, the barracks were demolished in 1972,[10] but the heavily rusticated gatehouse arch remains on Frances Street, serving as a community centre and police office.