The St. Catharines Armoury is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The building is currently used by the Canadian Armed Forces as a drill hall.[1] The armoury trains the Lincoln and Welland Regiment and serves the 10th Battery of the 56th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA.
History
editThe armoury was built in 1905 to replace a previous drill-shed that was destroyed by an 1898 tornado. Before being paved over for use as a parking lot, grass outside the building was used for military drills.[2] The interior of the building has been used for local gatherings and events, such as a 1907 exhibition by the St. Catharines Horticultural Society.[3]
Band
edit
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment Association Band used the armoury as a rehearsal venue for more than a century. They performed in local events and festivals.[4] In December 2023, the military concluded that civilian bands could no longer be associated with the army, due to concerns about being confused with official military bands.[5] In 2024, the band associated with the armoury was ordered to leave. The band renamed itself to remove its association with the regiment.[4] The band is composed of civilian volunteer musicians and does not receive government funding.[6] Numerous volunteers were former members of the regiment.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Parks Canada Directory of Federal Heritage Designations". pc.gc.ca. The Government of Canada. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "History from Here: The Lake Street Armoury". St. Catharines Museum. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ Gannon, Dennis. "YESTERDAY AND TODAY: The armoury - a place to gather". St. Catharines Standard. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Lincoln and Welland Regiment Association Band ordered to cease operations, vacate Lake St. Armoury". Thorold Today. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b Walter, Karena. "'It almost feels like a divorce — a messy divorce for no reason': Lincoln and Welland band ordered to vacate armoury, lose regiment name". St. Catharines Standard. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Walter, Karena. "Lincs and Winks band free to practise at arena leading up to liberation of Bergen op Zoom anniversary". St. Catharines Standard. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
External links
edit43°09′47″N 79°15′04″W / 43.163°N 79.251°W
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