Pirbright Camp

Pirbright Camp stands on a heath in Surrey, a training ground for the British Army since 1875. The War Office bought 3,070 acres of sandy ridges known as Chobham Ridges to build rifle ranges, a depot and an encampment for the Brigade of Guards. Many of the brick buildings still in use were put up in the 1950s, with further expansion in the 1970s. The camp sits at the southern end of a long north–south ridge that stretches through the county. In April 2021 thousands of soldiers from cavalry, infantry and support units trained here for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

The camp houses the Army Training Centre Pirbright, where new recruits begin their military careers. Alexander Barracks and Elizabeth Barracks provide accommodation blocks for trainees and permanent staff. Brunswick Lines is a parade ground used for ceremonial drills watched by visiting dignitaries. The 3rd Battalion, Ranger Regiment, is also based on the site, along with centralised courses for the Household Division and the Parachute Regiment. In 2016 the camp appeared on television in the documentary British Army Girls, filmed across its parade squares and accommodation blocks.

Visitors to Pirbright Camp see wide heathland stretching away from orderly barrack blocks. The parade grounds are lined with flagpoles and neatly trimmed grass. Behind the accommodation buildings lie training areas where recruits practise drill and field exercises. The camp’s sandy soil and open spaces give it a distinctive Surrey heathland feel. From the camp’s edge, views extend across heather and pine to distant villages. The place remains a working military site, yet its layout still reflects the original 19th-century design.