High West Street drill hall, Dorchester
The High West Street drill hall is a former military installation in Dorchester, Dorset. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]
High West Street drill hall | |
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Dorchester | |
High West Street drill hall | |
High West Street drill hall Location within Dorset | |
Coordinates | 50.71533°N 2.43936°W |
Type | Drill hall |
Site history | |
Built | 1849 |
Built for | War Office |
In use | 1849-Present |
History
The building, which was built as a residential property in 1849, was converted in the late 19th century for use as the headquarters of the Dorsetshire Rifle Volunteers.[1] This unit evolved to become the 1st Volunteer Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment in 1887 and the 4th Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment in 1908.[2] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to India.[3][4] After the Territorial Army infantry presence in Dorchester was reduced to a single company, C Company (Dorset), Wessex Volunteers,[2] at the newly built Poundbury Road Territorial Army Centre, in 1967,[5] the High West Street drill hall was decommissioned and subsequently converted for commercial use.[1]
References
- "56 and 57, High West Street". British listed buildings. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- "The Dorset Territorials". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- "The Dorsetshire Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- "Dorchester". The Drill Hall Project. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- "Mayor's pride in Dorchester's Rifles". View News. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.