Sudbury

Drill Hall, Gainsborough street (originally named Sepulchre street)

Suffolk Rifle Corps (11th), Sudbury. Headquarters North Street (Kelly, 1879)
West Suffolk (6th) Rifle Volunteers, ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’, and ‘H’ Companies, Headquarters The Corn Exchange, [Market Hill] (Kelly, 1883)
Suffolk Regiment, 2nd Volunteer Battalion (‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’, and ‘H’ Companies). Headquarters, The Corn Exchange (Kelly, 1888)
2nd Volunteer Battalion (‘D’ Co.), Armoury and Headquarters, New Drill Hall, Sepulchre Street (Kelly, 1892)
2nd Volunteer Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (‘D’ Company), Armoury and Headquarters, New Drill Hall, Gainsborough Street (Kelly, 1900)
5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (‘D’Co), Armoury & Headquarters, Drill Hall, Gainsborough Street (Kelly, 1912)
ds 'B' Squadron Suffolk Hussars

Please click here for a full list of the units and personnel in Sudbury from 1879.

Extract from information authored and supplied by Stewart, member of the Great War Forum:

“During the build up to the First World War, the drill hall was modified to accommodate motor vehicles, by the addition of the large sliding door on the left of the building. This was added for two main reasons, one to allow vehicular access to the hall, and two, access to the gun shed built at the rear of the building.

“There is a 25-yard indoor firing range in the building, open in those days, but now enclosed for safety reasons. The centre section of the roof was glass until about 1990, when the glass was replaced by wood internally, and tiles externally to match the rest of the roof. The original wooden floor was replaced and strengthened in about 1995, with the addition of hardwearing, ‘lino-type’ tiles, to protect it from modern day wear. Upstairs little has changed, the C.O’s. Office is the same as built, the only real addition, is the female toilets.

“The Gun Shed, at the rear of the building, has recently been refurbished, (2003), in accordance with the Grade 2 listing it now enjoys. The hall itself followed suit, in late 2003, in gaining its listed building* status. Like many other older buildings it was earmarked for redevelopment but with some hard work, its historical importance has been recognised.”

The Drill Hall is now used by the ATC and the Army cCadet Force.

*Note: “Listed”. The Drill Hall does not have Listed Building status (ie Grade I, II* or II). It is on the Local List for Sudbury as being of local interest.

We are very grateful for the information which Stewart supplied.
























© All material is copyright - refer to the Terms of Use

the first attempt at content

The Drill Hall Project - Charting a neglected legacy