Drill halls originate from the mid 19th century, when they were built in order for volunteer forces to have a place to meet and train. They also functioned as a social and administrative space, and there is no one consistent style for the buildings. Many were of standard design, yet some demonstrated an architectural flair that showed the importance of their function to the community. Indeed, these halls were often a focal point for a connection between the local community and the unit stationed there.
Surviving buildings
English Heritage states that come the outbreak of World War One, there were about 500-600 drill halls in England, of which about 300 survive. Many of the buildings survive and have been re-used in some way, but development has equally meant that others have been lost, and some of the ones still in existence are under threat.
As part of a countrywide project on Geograph the surviving drill halls at the onset of the Great War have been recorded, and you can see the known surviving Warwickshire drill halls on the Geograph webpage here. The map above gives the location of the halls in the present county administrative boundary.
Comments
Great project. I know some of the buildings in Mossley and Oldham where photos are required. How can I send these ? Also they have not listed a drill hall in Lees, Springhead, Oldham. It has a rifle range in the cellar.
The Geograph® Britain and Ireland project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland.
The project started in 2005 and now has a collection of over 4 million photographs. Anyone is free to participate and we would welcome new contributors. For details of how to submit your photos see the Geograph website.
The drill hall article uses the database of photographs from over 200 individual Geograph members. Further contributions would be appreciated as only 65% of the surviving halls have been photographed so far.
Diana,
Thanks for your comment. If you follow John’s link to the Geograph site, there is a Submit link on the left, but you would have to register first – the link is at the top right.
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