Hello Annie

Thanks for posting this link. We knew about the plaque and that they were trying to decide on a suitable place for it, but I wasn't aware that they had made a final decision. It's good to know that it will be public.

The architect of the drill hall refurbishment sent me a photo of the plaque in 2004 and the biographies of the men named on it. I could post an image if anyone is interested.

We have a lot more material to put online in the Lincoln page of the website, with some really interesting and unique pieces. We hope to add it all in the near future. (Actually, I did a study of Lincoln DH for my architecture course.)

Lincoln drill hall.

I'll update our records - thanks!

Gwyn

I saw this and thought of you. James St Glasgow. Im sure you have a Reg for it.

http://www.glesga.ukpals.com/Bridgeton/Cin...inemasKings.htm

Then a little piccy of Coventry's Victoria Rd Drill Hall

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/iccovent...0C328EC0000.jpg


I have also seen in local reading a referance to The old Drill Hall in Brunel Road, Hinkley. But don't anything about it.

Is the Cresswell Drill Hall still in existence.

Glenn

Glenn:

Yes, Creswell is still in existence. Please see here on our website. We have more material, which I can't upload at the moment because of copyright, but I might be able to scan some and send for personal use. I visited it last September; local pressure saved the building from demolition.

Any particular raeson for asking? Just curious!

I made the mistake of looking for 'Cresswell'. There's one s - Creswell, Derbyshire.

Hope this helps.


Ghost, thank you for the links. Hinckley is on my list for next time I'm in Leicestershire.

Gwyn

Gwyn

Appears that my G/Uncle enlisted there, would say he was working at the Cresswell Colliery as the family was in Wales working in the mines there.

Glenn

Just did some checks and would say it is Creswell, Derbyshire (nor Cresswell Staffordshire, close though) as his wife is recorded as living in Clowne nearby.

Glenn

Would you like some more material? If so, please pm me an email address.

Gwyn

Hi Gwyn.
I hope you find the attached of interest.
Morley Drill Hall, Ackroyd Street, Leeds.
Photos courtesy of my good friend mruck (Dave) who has asked me to forward them on to you.
There are a couple of more photos i can forward on if you wish to contact me.
Kindest regards,
mruck/Chris Noble W.F.A.

Also Gwyn.
Keystone/Lintel, above main entrance, most interesting.

Rifle Range in the Basement.
Chris.

Now have another Creswell in Stafford, more checking

As I said in my email, Creswell, Stafford, is very small. If you find a drill hall there, please can you let us know, then we can update our database?

Thanks

Gwyn

Hi Chris and Dave

Thank you ever so much for the pictures. They're very apposite as we're preparing Yorkshire for uploading on the website and I'm just 'doing' Leeds. It won;t be online for at least a couple of weeks, though.

I'll send you an email, Chris. Long overdue... sorry. My mind got waylaid as I was finishing the chapels I was going to ask you about. (Sorry for the terrible grammar.)

Gwyn

Hi Graeme and Gwyn,

I have now got a photograph of the Drill Hall in Frome. I will get a scan sorted out next weekend for you


John

Thank you, John. Apologies for the late response; have been away.

Looking forward to seeing the picture!

Gwyn

Dragon

As you haven't got County Durham on the site yet I could not check if you have these.
Gateshead Burt Terrace and Silksworth.
Both have gone but the foundation stones exist and you can have the pictures.
Regards
David

Hello David

I can't look up exactly what we have on County Durham at the moment, I'm sorry. Graeme would know, as it's his project and I am the mere office junior, so I'll have to let him answer. I'm certain that photos of the foundation stones would be very much appreciated. Thank you very much!

There's an email facility on drillhalls.org.

Gwyn

I have heard today from a work colleague the the drill hall of the 1/9th battalion Middlesex Regiment at Pound Lane, Wiillesden Green, in North London is scheduled for demolition at the end of April. The building is currently used as a hostel for the homeless and permission has been granted to redevelop the site for a purpose built hostel.

High Wood, thank you for that.

A search on Brent's website tells me that this is a locally listed building:

The buildings are a mixture of old and new, most notable being the 1920’s Queen Anne style arts and crafts building, a former territorial army hall that is now the main building on the site. The building is locally listed by the London Borough of Brent

Locally listed buildings don't have the statutory protection that Listed ones do. However, it does mean that it is (was) considered to be of interest. Further on, the Remarks say:

Loss of locally listed building: With the exception of the locally listed former drill hall the site is of low architectural and urban design merit. It lacks visual cohesion due to ad hoc and unsympathetic 20th century interventions which have fragmented the site visually. The drill hall itself has been subject to massive rear extensions in order to provide the accommodation needed on the site

Is the planning report correct in claiming that this is a 1920s building? There are photos on Brent's archives site which are dated 1911 - but is this the same building? (Click on Pictures and search on 'drill hall'.)

If the report is not correct, but the drill hall is earlier, and falls within the remit of the project, would anyone be able and willing to take a photo before it is too late? We would be very grateful.

Gwyn

Gwyn,

I have not visited the site myself but my colleague tells me that there is a huge stone plaque in the wall of the building, (I am not sure of the wording but I believe it mentions Middlesex Regiment and drill hall). I am told, anecdotally, that it is to be incorporated into the new building.

I will try and find out more.

Simon.

Hello Simon

Do you think your colleague would be willing to take a photo of the building and of the plaque in situ? If it's the drill hall shown in Brent's archives, it would be a great shame not to have a photo of it as it is now. And very soon it will be too late for 'if only'.

She or he would be fully credited.

I would do it myself, but London just isn't in my orbit.

Thanks

Gwyn

Simon/Gwyn
If colleaugue is not able to take photograph let me know and I will see what I can do. Willesden Green is not far from where I am based.

Myrtle

Myrtle,

I live in Dorking, Surrey and work in South London, so I don't know if it will be possible to get over there in time. It would be excellent if you could manage the photography.

Gwyn,

Sadly, my colleague only comes into our office occasionally as he is the archivist for the company I work for. He was actively involved in removing casenotes and other documents from the building before redevelopment. He did mention that he would try and take photographs but whether he will or not I cannot say. It would be much better if a forum member could take pictures this weekend. I am not sure if it will be possible to access the site as it may have a hoarding around it.

I will take some pictures of the Dorking drill Hall as I see that there are none on your website.

Simon.

Frome Drill Hall on a dull Saturday at the end of February 2008

Willesden:

In view of the urgency, not wanting time to pass until it was too late, I also posted this thread here and forum member Hudsonswhistle has offered to help. If he can't, then I may be asking again. Many thanks for offering, Myrtle.

Simon:

Thank you!


John:

Thank you very much for Frome. I have emailed a reply.

Gwyn

[quote name='Dragon' date='Apr 20 2008, 03:57 PM' post='905769']
Willesden:

In view of the urgency, not wanting time to pass until it was too late, I also posted this thread here and forum member Hudsonswhistle has offered to help. If he can't, then I may be asking again. Many thanks for offering, Myrtle.

Gwyn
I have the photos of Willesden if you need them. Let me know.
Myrtle

Yes, please!

I'll draw Hudsonswhistle's attention to this thread - I don't want people to waste their time.

Gwyn

Gwyn
Here's a photo of Pound Lane for the Forum. I will send you the others directly.
Myrtle

One of stone plaque at Willesden.

They're pulling that down?

Fabulous photos, Myrtle and thanks for those excellent pictures sent by email. This is typical of the co-operative nature of this forum at its best. Someone lets us know about a drill hall at risk and less than a week later we have a set of wonderful record shots of it. Thanks, Simon, for the alert and to Hudsonswhistle for the offer of photos.

My understanding of local listing is that it's a way of signalling to a potential developer that the local authority will resist attempts to demolish it by applying for official spot-Listing should any attempt threaten it. I don't know the full story here and I recognise that some buildings are too unsound to be saved, but surely the facade if nothing else ought to be worth preserving? We have numerous examples of excellent practice in incorporating the significant features of a drill hall's appearance in a development and thus saving the character of the street and neighbourhood.

Brent is wrong in dating this as 1920s. Myrtle's evidence is that it dates (at least in part) from 1911 and the photos on Brent's own website date it similarly.

Gwyn

Gywn,

now that I have seen the pictures I am appalled to think that permission has been granted to demolish this building. I can only shake my head in despair.

Myrtle,

thank you for taking the time to take the photographs.

Simon.

I know. Philistines.

I've been looking at the plans and discussion, and I've commented in my other thread here.

I am so pleased that Simon alerted us to this so that the project has photos before the drill hall came down.

Gwyn

I eventually found which county Willesden was in (thanks, Myrtle!) and I've picked out some information from Graeme's database.

The shotgun manufacturers, Purdey's, had a shooting ground in the area around 1860, while in 1887 the West Middlesex Rifle Volunteers owned a drill hall in Regency Terrace. There was also another shooting range on the Roundwood estate and there were complaints of danger being caused to people nearby.

On Monday December 18th, 1903, The Times reported that a new site for the West Middlesex Rifle Volunteers had been secured. On Friday October 14th, 1910, The Times reported that: "The War Office, on the recommendation of the Middlesex Territorial Association, has granted £6,000 for a new drill hall at Willesden." This was the Pound Lane drill hall. It opened in 1911.

This ties in with the photos on Brent's website of the drill hall in 1911 and the downspout which Myrtle spotted dated 1911.

Gwyn

A year ago, some forum friends took an interest in Bedale drill hall, a neat single-storey building of brick and slate, with a larger footprint than the drill hall. Bedale

By way of an update, I was checking some Yorkshire data this morning and came across a planning application to demolish the drill hall and replace it with a four storey building with retail premises at ground floor level and flats above. (Planning reference 08/00394/FUL - pending decision.)

While people could say that as I don't live there, it's none of my business, nevertheless I am as entitled as anyone to look at the proposed elevations and form an opinion. I feel that replacing a single-storey building with a four storey one looks oversized to me, especially as previous applications have paid some attention to the conservation status of the street scene and I can't help thinking that yet another historic building is under threat to make way for something that will change the character of the scene detrimentally. Drill halls are seen as an easy target when developers wave the brownfield sites card.


Incidentally, we uploaded a large package of additions recently and the county of Devon went live on drillhalls.org yeterday. We have more additions in hand and Yorkshire is nearly prepared.

Gwyn

During my hunt for my GWR chaps, came across this snippet about Salisbury Drill Hall on Wilton Rd to replace the shared space they had in the Market House.

Opened at 18.30 on 20/07/1935
Built at a cost of £5000
It's was to be the home of the local TA Battalion of the Wilts and the local Squadren of the Wilts Yeomanry

Described as:
"The drill hall measures 60' by 30' with two lights set into the roof, along one side is a minature rifle range and the other a spacious billiard room and a lounge / card room, both witch are served by a central bar and buffet.

Grant

Thanks, Grant

Although it's outside the immediate scpe of the project, it's all useful information. We never say 'no thanks'.

Where did you unearth this gem?

Thanks

Graeme

Hi Graeme,

It was in a clipping in a scrapbook of a chap who served in the Wiltshire Yeomanry - some of my chaps were in the same outfit - during both wars.
It was quite an amazing read, from a boy solider in the Yeomanry to an officer with the Cavlrey (I think)
There was no mention of the "old" meeting room at the market house in the book.

Sorry if it's not in the range of your project - but you might get bored and increase the range of it oneday :-)

Grant

Hi Grant,

We never get fed up of looking for them, even when on holidays, and since I've been doing this i certainly look at older buildings in a different light.

Cheers Roger.

Roger makes a valid point.

It's not just drill halls. Our built environment is wonderful, if you look.

Next time you're in town, look up. Ignore the shop fronts. Look at the buildings.

I travel to work via back streets of Victorian terraces. I could write a book on the lintels over windows and doors.

I'm sorry, but in a hundred years, our children's children will admit that Barratt houses were just a little bit bland.

When Gwyn returns from her holidays, Yorkshire will go online at www.drillhalls.org .

Look upwards......

aaah Barratt

Youv'e not had a walk through Swindon Town then ?

Our council is doing its dammest to remove all traces of the old buildings - and succedding at it

Grant

I know for certain that the drill hall in Barnsley is still standing and is now used by the Barnsley Chronicle.(local paper)

Hi there Tykepal,

If you live near enough any chance of photoing it and posting so we can all share the pleasure. If you dont live near by it if you could let us know the address I will pop around one evening this week and snap it.

Cheers Roger.

Barnsley 1906



(My postcard.) Address is Eastgate.

Gwyn

Nice comment, Graeme.

I'm afraid the upload of Yorkshire will be a little later than we hoped, due to me having to be repaired after having a kitchen knife embedded in my leg. I can't do websites wiv me leg in the air.

Gwyn

Hi there Gwyn,

Nice one hehe shudder to think why in your leg instead of a spud he he.

I will pop round to Eastgate later this week and see if its still there.

Cheers Roger.

Short story, Roger. It isn't relevant to Graeme's thread but I'll tell you off forum if you want to know.

Interested to know about Eastgate, if you visit.

Trying to trace my grandfather - a George Black, a Scottish or possibly Newcastle soldier who was at the Huddersfield Drill Hall in October 1916. Do you know where I might find any information about the regiments who were there at that time?

regards Julianem

Hi there Julianem,

If you write to Captain Hayes c/o The Yorkshire Regiment, St Pauls street Huddersfield he is the adjutant there and holds the records of the building, but be careful as There was more than one drill hall in Huddersfield, the one mentioned Was of The West Riding Regiment, but it is a starting point for you.

Cheers Roger.

Hi there Gwyn,

Through various chanels I am trying to reach you , I think I have found Brighouse Drill Hall.

Cheers Roger.