Drill halls Options

[Graeme Fisher]

Bolton used to have two drill halls/TA barracks ,one for the artillery (part of 1st East Lancs/42nd Div in WW!) and one for the infantry of 5th Loyals (1/5 LNR in 1st West Lans/55 Div & 2/5LNL 57th Div).

The Artillery was based at the Silverwell St drill hall in the town centre.The 5th Loyals where based at Fletcher St, I think it was called Quebec Bks.

The artillery moved to Fletcher Street some time after WW2 and the Drill Hall became a sports centre and was in use into the 1990's

The artillery are now in a modern TA centre, there is no longer a TA infantry presence in Bolton.

Fletcher St Bks are I beleive currently being redeveloped as social housing but I understamd some of the buidings including the facia on Fletcher Street are being retained and converted.

I will try and get a photo.

Superb info - thanks for the offer of a picture which I'll take you up on

Graeme

[PBI Friday]

Hello Graeme,

What a great thread you have running here. I haven't had a chance to look through it all yet, but I was just wondering if you knew about the old drill hall for F/Coy of the 1/7th Manchesters on Cromwell Road opposite the old Public Baths in Eccles, Greater Manchester.

F/Coy consisted of more than 120 locally recruited Patricroft (Peel Green and Winton too) men with the rest being Wigan Recruitees.

There is a great site done by some local historians/enthusiasts in Eccles to which I have provided a link below. The Drill Hall is pictured about half way down the page. In modern times it has been used as a Cub Scout HQ (for the 10th Eccles I think) and more recently as a gym.

http://freespace.virgin.net/paul.cesnav/misc.htm

enjoy,
Dave PBI

[Dragon]

Thanks for this, Dave and for the information on the Company. Apologies for the delay in responding.

Both Graeme and I have visited the drill hall in Eccles and last time I saw it, it was in a very sad state indeed. Is it still standing, do you know?

Gwyn

[Charles Fair]

Gwyn, Graeme

Pleased to hear that you received the photos I took of ths Sandwich Drill Hall in Kent.

I also did some more research into the Falmouth drill hall when I was down in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago. Its still for sale (put perhaps under offer) and the agent's website says that it is a mere £495,000. I have sent you some more photos and the particulars with some maps to come.

BTW, did you get the photos of the Newport IOW drill hall for the IOW Rifles that I sent sometime before Xmas (I think)? If not, I can resend.
Charles

[T8HANTS]

BTW, did you get the photos of the Newport IOW drill hall for the IOW Rifles that I sent sometime before Xmas (I think)? If not, I can resend.

Charles did you get a picture of the artillery drill hall across the road, before it was demolished, as I missed its going.

Gareth

[Dragon]

Falmouth drill hall ... still for sale ... a mere £495,000. I have sent you some more photos and the particulars with some maps to come.

BTW, did you get the photos of the Newport IOW drill hall for the IOW Rifles that I sent sometime before Xmas (I think)? If not, I can resend.

Hello Charles

Thank you; I have replied (in some detail!) about Falmouth.

In case others are interested, I quoted from the Cornwall Historical Characterisation for Regeneration survey, 2005. In the survey's section on Archeological Potential, it says that one of the negative features of Falmouth is 'the current derelict appearance of the Drill Hall, potentially one of the area's architectural jewels.' [My italics]

The survey recommends:
'Ensure the long term retention, refurbishment and beneficial re-use of the Drill Hall, on the corner of Berkeley Vale and Brook Street. This is a building of striking design and, if refurbished, would serve as a spectacular landmark at a key entry point to the town's central core. Given an appropriate use - one which reflects the quality of the building and location - it has the potential to act as a focus for further regeneration. In particular, its distinctiveness and sense of significance should inspire comparable responses in designing replacements for the poor later twentieth century developments in its immediate vicinity.'

Excellent thinking.

I would be very interested to read anything about the original construction of the premises.


I can't find any emails at all about IoW and I'm pretty methodical.

The project is deeply appreciative of your continuing interest; thank you! (The organ grinder is not available at the moment, so you have the monkey.)

Gwyn

Gareth - I know you were speaking to Charles, but I had a quick look in the project database and couldn't spot any photos for you.

[Charles Fair]

Gwyn - I will dig out the photos of the IOW Rifles DH and send. I took them last October, but perhaps didnt send them at the time.

Gareth - sadly not. Was it standing opposite the IOW DH where there is now a car park? Wish I had paid more attention as I have been on the IOW quite regularly over the last few years.

[Dragon]

Charles, thank you. I'd be very grateful. Something somewhere has a capricious notion of spam, so periodically decides I'm not grown-up enough to view emails and decide for myself.

Public thanks too for that fantastic selection of material. My Inbox was singing.

Gwyn

[T8HANTS]

Charles
Gareth - sadly not. Was it standing opposite the IOW DH where there is now a car park? Wish I had paid more attention as I have been on the IOW quite regularly over the last few years.

Not quite, the car park is the site of the once extensive M/T and Gun Sheds, the drill hall itself was fronted by the rather pretty rubbed red brick facade, with arch topped central door, that was directly opposite the entrance to the Rifles drill hall.

Gareth

[Graeme Fisher]

Gareth

If anything crops up, I'll pass it on.

Meanwhile, the mere confoirmation that it's gone, and its position, is very valid information

Thanks, chaps

Graeme

[Charles Fair]

Gwyn, Graeme

Today I found the location of the drill hall in Sandgate, Kent. It was at 2 Castle Road, next door to Sandgate Castle. I went into the archives of the Sandgate Society a short distance away and found maps and photos which they said that you would be welcome to have on the website. Emails to follow.

The bad news is that the building was demolished only 2 weeks ago. In the few months that I have been living in this part of the world I have walked or driven past it several times without realising. It was boarded up, fenced off, and in a very poor state. Had I only known I would have taken photos weeks ago.... b***ocks!

[Dragon]

Thank you for all your efforts, Charles. The maps and photo will be greatly appreciated.

I'm gutted about Sandgate. I was supposed to be able to go to Kent a few weeks ago, but I couldn't travel with pneumonia, so I missed the opportunity.

Would your excellent idea of a 'drill halls at risk' page have encouraged someone to go and photograph it? Who knows. Maybe. We hear about these proposals too late. Don't reproach yourself.

Gwyn

[Dragon]

Wistaston Road, Crewe. Does anyone know if the drill hall exists still?

I've found information which says that this building has been demolished, but the site is used by the Gas Board as a depot.

Gwyn

[kebabking]

Graeme
I live in Hastings and have searched thread for "Hastings" "St. Leonards"
I dont know if you had any feed back from Sues report on East Sussex
If you havent would be happy to reseach and visit possible sites here if you havent had any info
Also on reading cinemas in hastings fairly sure a number were used as Drill Hall at one time (not the big ones but small local ones)
Let me know if of any interest to you and I will start searching if it helps

[chrisharley9]

From "A Half Crown Holy Boy" by Ronald Coxford

6th (Cyclist) Bn Norfolk Regt

There was a Coy at Watton

Chris

[kebabking]

Greame
Have contact with 73 year old who knows and used Rock a Nore Hastings
Outside your time frame?? Shall I pursue???

[Dragon]

Hello kebabking

Graeme originally defined the scope of his project as broadly the drill halls of the Territorial Army 1908 - 1914, although it has expanded somewhat and we have been very grateful for information and photos outside that period. A lot of the early drill halls are well before 1908. We've excluded drill halls that were constructed after the Great War (with a couple of exceptions).

We have reference in the database to Kelly, 1911, listing the left section of the 5th, and part of the 6th Sussex Batteries, 2nd Home Counties Brigade Royal Field Artillery at the drill hall in Rock-a-Nore road; also to Middle street. Without trying to search through nearly a thousand pictures, I can't tell you whether we have any photos or not, (Graeme would know), but we're very happy to have up to date or archive ones, and any information is very gratefully accepted and added to the resource.

The reminiscences of someone who remembers a drill hall in use would sit very nicely in the Memorabilia section, where we have people's memories (including a couple of Forum friends' recollections). It adds to the validity of the project as social history and shows ways in which communities valued their drill halls. So -speaking for myself - I'd say that your friend's memories would be valued and respected.

Thank you for your interest!

Gwyn


Chris - I sent you an email. Thanks.

[kebabking]

Dragon
Middle street demolished for new shopping centre (along with Cricket Ground bequethed to town!!!!!!!)
Have read recollections of woman who lived there early this century.Will get again from library.
Do I take that as yes for me to research Hastings and St. Leonards then??????
EDIT Silly me! read that as "last century"

[Dragon]

Do I take that as yes for me to research Hastings and St. Leonards then??????

Take it as "Gwyn doesn't know", please, because we have some St Leonard's pictures and I don't know where / who they came from; and I don't want you to waste time. Photos are up-to-date records, and the reminiscences you mentioned would be unusual and interesting, but I'm not sure what documents, etc, anyone else has sent Graeme. He's best placed to answer your question regards researching and I'm sure he will when he's in a position to do so.

I'm not ungrateful, I just don't know the right answer to that specific question.

Thanks for the information about Middle street. Sadly, that is not uncommon. Sometimes all we have are the fading black-and-white photos, if anyone bothered to take a picture at all.

Gwyn

[kebabking]

I have seen a very old ??? picture of Middle Street DH I am hoping its in that womans recollections book if not I have a lot of backtracking to do to find it.
Also let me know about researching the "Local" Hastings Observer loves all this nostalgia business and I am hopefull that a letter to their readers requesting old photos would pay dividends

[Graeme Fisher]

Graeme
I live in Hastings and have searched thread for "Hastings" "St. Leonards"
I dont know if you had any feed back from Sues report on East Sussex
If you havent would be happy to reseach and visit possible sites here if you havent had any info
Also on reading cinemas in hastings fairly sure a number were used as Drill Hall at one time (not the big ones but small local ones)
Let me know if of any interest to you and I will start searching if it helps

We're always grateful for anyone who pays a visit to the places we have listed; please take your camera!
Often the drill hall's long gone, but if someone says 'it was demolished in 1986 and is now Tesco' then that's valid.

Hastings lists Rock-a-Noree Road and Middle street, St Leonards has Hatherly road, Church street, Cinque Ports way, Recreation Ground and Tower Road West. I have pictures of Hatherly road but would be grategul for anything else

Thanks

Graeme

[Graeme Fisher]

From "A Half Crown Holy Boy" by Ronald Coxford

6th (Cyclist) Bn Norfolk Regt

There was a Coy at Watton

Chris

Thanks, Chris.

I believe there were premises in Dereham way - couls anyone confirm?

Cheers

Graeme

[Graeme Fisher]

I have seen a very old ??? picture of Middle Street DH I am hoping its in that womans recollections book if not I have a lot of backtracking to do to find it.
Also let me know about researching the "Local" Hastings Observer loves all this nostalgia business and I am hopefull that a letter to their readers requesting old photos would pay dividends

A photo would be fantastic, especially if it's now demolished.
If you think the local paper might prove useful, why not drop them a line?
The Forum gets some publicity, and so does drillhalls.org - and you do too!

Graeme

[Dragon]

I hope you have more success with the local paper than I did.

First, the good. No-one seemed to know where I could find a photo of my town's drill hall. One day, avidly reading that week's edition of the local paper, with its tales of Asbos among the local yoofs, car parking charges and the heinous fixing of the Gooseberry Growing Competition, and perusing the plaintive letters about car parking and the theft of Eric's giant gooseberry, I skimmed the week's Archive Photo and did a double take, got out my magnifying glass and sure enough, there was the drill hall!

So I sped off to the newspaper offices and asked the secretary whether it really was the drill hall, and she, being rather older than I, and a true local, which I am not, said yes, it was. I explained my interest and she offered to email a .jpg.

Apparently - and I have no reason to think that other local papers don't do this - there's a box in which someone once dumped a pile of old pictures, which someone else means to go through when they've got a few minutes to spare. Anything old which comes in goes in there. I said I'd go and sort it out for them, when I have a few minutes to spare.

So that was good, and it might be worth contacting the paper as a resource in its own right, and asking to rummage.

Archives of local newspapers are likely to be in the local library, on fiche. With any luck, someone will have catalogued them.

Then the bad. I wrote them a piece, appealing to their readers to send me photos and memories, and received........


......... nothing.

From that, and from feedback, I deduced that it's essential to provide a means by which people can get in touch with you if they're not computer based (ie not email), which apparently deterred readers on the octagenarian circuit. They just didn't know how to contact me.

However, I have had fantastic help from some local papers, and one retired editor went through all his archives back to 1899 for me, which was wonderful. And the other advantage is that local papers will print almost any old rubbish, provided it's legal, so you have a very good chance of having your spot on the letters page at least.

Good luck.

Gwyn

[Graeme Fisher]

... of course, this can also work against you........

A member of the Forum congratulated me on an article in the local history paper.

'cept I hadn't written it. All the information was cobbled together by a clever journalist who'd done what I've done - robbed the internet - and published a learned piece on drill halls.

She'd even kindly used my words and suppositions as fact without any qualification....

I, and Gwyn, with the help of you lovely people, have attempted to create a record where none existed; the input of information both on- and off-Forum has been staggering. You might spend your time on Uncle Ernie's time in the trenches, I've chosen drill halls, and have had an incredible response from some lovely people. My membership of this Forum has enriched my project manifold. Thank you to all the contributors so far.

I hope my project brings something to the party. Cheap journalism merely brings Lambrusco and drinks all the Stella Artois.

Thanks, folks; your input and interest makes it worthwhile

Graeme