Many of these drill halls were built through public subscriptions in order to support the local Volunteer Force which was raised in the late 1850s.
[1] In the United Kingdom, these were later renamed Territorial Army (TA) Centres and later Army Reserve Centres (ARC)s.[2] As well as a drill hall itself, they now usually feature other facilities such as a gymnasium, motor transport department, lecture rooms, stores, an armoury, administrative offices and the Officer's, Warrant Officers and Senior NCOs, and Junior Ranks Messes.
Some Officer Training Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps units are also co-located on the site of modern Army Reserve Centres, for example Blackheath drill hall.
[5] The Grade II listed[6] former Drill Hall on York Road, Great Yarmouth was built for the 2nd Volunteer Battalion Norfolk Regiment in 1867.
[8] Media related to Drill halls at Wikimedia Commons