Britannia Royal Naval College

Britannia Royal Naval College stands on a hill above Dartmouth’s port in Devon. Its present buildings date from 1905 and overlook the River Dart. Before 1905, officer cadets lived on two old warships moored in the river. The college has trained Royal Naval officers since 1863, when the first hulk called Britannia arrived from Portland. King Edward VII laid the foundation stone in 1902, and Sir Aston Webb designed the stone college that replaced the hulks. The college became the sole UK centre for naval officer training in 1998. The college’s history includes visits from future monarchs and royal cadets. King George V and King George VI trained here as young officers. In July 1939, Prince Philip met Princess Elizabeth during his cadet days. Charles III and Prince Andrew also attended, and William, Prince of Wales spent time at the college after Sandhurst. International cadets from Kuwait and Bahrain have trained alongside British officers. During the Second World War, bombing damage forced a move to Eaton Hall in Cheshire until 1946. Visitors find a large stone campus with parade grounds and lecture halls. The college still uses eight 15-metre Sea-class workboats for cadet training on the Dart. A former minehunter named Hindostan remains moored at Sandquay as a training ship. The college’s main block shows scars from wartime bombs that hit the quarterdeck. Despite Ofsted’s 2023 concerns about rot and mould, the site overlooks Dartmouth’s historic harbour and the rolling hills of Devon.