East Street drill hall, Bromley

The East Street drill hall is a former military installation in Bromley.

East street drill hall
Bromley
East street drill hall
East street drill hall is located in Greater London
East street drill hall
East street drill hall
Location within Greater London
Coordinates51°24′27″N 0°01′00″E / 51.40761°N 0.01653°E / 51.40761; 0.01653
TypeDrill hall
Site history
Built1872
Built forWar Office
In use1872-1947

History

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The building was at first a music hall. It then became a drill hall for the 18th Kent Rifle Volunteers and was completed in 1872.[1] This unit went on to become E and F companies, 2nd Volunteer Battalion, the Queen's Own West Kent Regiment in 1883[2] and the 5th Battalion, The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) in 1908.[3] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to India.[4][5] After the battalion amalgamated with the 4th Battalion to form the 4th/5th Battalion at the Corn Exchange in Tonbridge in 1947, the East Street drill hall was decommissioned. Royal Mail then used it as a sorting office. It was converted for retail use in 1997.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Bromley". The drill hall project. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  2. ^ Bromley Directory. 1903. p. 149.
  3. ^ "5th Battalion, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Bank Street drill Hall". Kent in World War I. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  6. ^ "O'Neill's Bromley". O'Neill's. Retrieved 24 September 2017.