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 Location within Dorset | |
| Coordinates | 50°42′55″N 2°26′22″W / 50.71533°N 2.43936°W |
| Type | Drill hall |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1849 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1849-1967 |
History
editThe 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
edit- ^ a b c "56 and 57, High West Street". British listed buildings. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ 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) - ^ "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. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.