The Old Market Street drill hall is a former military installation in the Old Market district of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

History

The building, which is located on the site of a former sugar warehouse and refinery, was financed by

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

and Henry Wills as part of arrangements to provide alternative accommodation for organisations displaced by the construction of the

Wills Memorial Building The Wills Memorial Building (also known as the Wills Memorial Tower or simply the Wills Tower) is a neo-Gothic building in Bristol, England, designed by Sir George Oatley and built as a memorial to Henry Overton Wills III

. The new drill hall was designed as the headquarters of the 4th (City of Bristol) Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment, who had relocated from the Queen's Road drill hall in

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

(since demolished), in June 1915. The 4th Gloucestershires was converted into a searchlight battalion in 1938 and transferred to the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(as

66th (Gloucesters) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery The City of Bristol Rifles was a Volunteer unit of the British Army from 1859 to 1955. It became a battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment and fought in France, Flanders and Italy in World War I. As a searchlight unit in World War II it defended ...

) in 1940. It was headquartered at

Badminton School Badminton School is an independent, boarding and day school for girls aged 3 to 18 years situated in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, England. Named after Badminton House in Clifton, Bristol, where it was founded, the school has been located at its ...

Westbury-on-Trym Westbury on Trym is a suburb and council ward in the north of the City of Bristol, near the suburbs of Stoke Bishop, Westbury Park, Henleaze, Southmead and Henbury, in the southwest of England. With a village atmosphere, the place is partly ...

, for much of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the drill hall was used instead to accommodate

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

troops. These troops created some adverse publicity for themselves when they became involved in a serious brawl in the street outside the drill hall in July 1944. After the war the drill hall was decommissioned and fell into disrepair; it has since been converted for residential use.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Bristol Drill halls in England