High West Street drill hall

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
Dorchester
High West Street drill hall
High West Street drill hall is located in Dorset
High West Street drill hall
High West Street drill hall
Location within Dorset
Coordinates50°42′55″N 2°26′22″W / 50.71533°N 2.43936°W / 50.71533; -2.43936
TypeDrill hall
Site history
Built1849
Built forWar Office
In use1849-1967

History

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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

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  1. ^ a b c "56 and 57, High West Street". British listed buildings. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "The Dorset Territorials". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ "The Dorsetshire Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Dorchester". The Drill Hall Project. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Mayor's pride in Dorchester's Rifles". View News. 25 April 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.