[1] The introduction of Long Term Service in 1853, however, prompted the Navy to look at providing more permanent quarters for seamen in home waters.

At first, they were almost invariably housed in hulks; it was only towards the end of the century that purpose-built barracks began to be constructed at each of the three principal Royal Navy Dockyards: Chatham, Devonport and Portsmouth.

[4] In September 1917, the barracks Drill Hall (which was being used as overflow accommodation) suffered a direct hit from two bombs, which killed over 130 men.

When the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, the regional operational commander appointment, was discontinued in March 1961, the barracks were being used as an accommodation centre for the re-fitting crews of the dockyard.

With the closure of the Dockyard and Naval Base in 1984, HMS Pembroke was also decommissioned; the barracks gates were finally closed on 31 March 1984.