Canterbury Street drill hall, Blackburn


The Canterbury Street drill hall is a former military installation in Blackburn, Lancashire. It is a Grade II listed building.

History

The building was designed by Stevens and Robinson as the headquarters of the 2nd Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps and was completed by Richard Hacking, a local builder, in 1870. The unit evolved to become the 1st Volunteer Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment in 1889 and 4th Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment in 1908. The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to Gallipoli and ultimately to the Western Front. The Battalion amalgamated with the 5th Battalion to form the 4th/5th Battalion at the Canterbury Street drill hall in 1921 but the 4th Battalion was reformed there again in 1939 just before the Second World War.
Following a re-organisation, the battalion converted to become the 93 Signal Squadron, 38 Signal Regiment in 1971. The squadron was disbanded in March 2010 but the drill hall is still used by the Army Cadet Force.