Lincoln Drill Hall

Last updated
The Drill, Lincoln
Lincoln
The Drill Hall - geograph.org.uk - 790958.jpg
Broadgate frontage
Lincolnshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
The Drill, Lincoln
Location within Lincolnshire
Coordinates 53°13′47″N0°32′15″W / 53.2298°N 0.5375°W / 53.2298; -0.5375
TypeDrill Hall
Site information
OwnerLincoln College Group
OperatorLincoln College Group
Site history
Built1890
Built for War Office
Architect Henry Goddard
In use1890–1999

The Drill, previously known as Lincoln Drill Hall, [1] is a former drill hall in Lincoln, England, which is now used as a multi-purpose community hub, hosting live music, comedy shows, pantomimes [2] and live wrestling performances. [3] It is currently under the stewardship of the Lincoln College Group. [4] After being fully refurbished, [5] and renovated, it re-opened to the public on 11 December 2021. [6]

Contents

History

Sculpture on the exterior wall by Rick Kirby Lincoln Drill Hall.jpg
Sculpture on the exterior wall by Rick Kirby

The building was designed by architects Goddard and Son for the 1st Lincolnshire Rifle Volunteers and construction was financed by Joseph Ruston, a former M.P. for the city. [7] It was opened in 1890 and, although purpose-built for military training, community and social events were held in the hall from an early stage. [8] The 1st Lincolnshire Rifle Volunteers evolved to become to 4th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment in 1908. [9] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front. [10] The 4th Battalion was reconstituted after the Second World War and amalgamated with the 6th Battalion to form the 4th/6th Battalion in 1950. [11]

Various forms of entertainment were held at the hall - the most notable performance being a gig by The Rolling Stones on New Year's Eve, 1963; the following day they made their debut on the BBC's Top of the Pops television show. [12] [13]

In 1967 the 2nd (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire) Company, 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment was formed in Lincoln. [14] The building continued to be used for military training for most of the rest of the century but increasingly fell into disrepair and closed in 1999. [8] However, by public demand it was reopened four years later following a £2.6m refurbishment programme. [8] The principal contractor was local company Lindum Construction. [15] In 2010 the Council passed day-to-day control to the independent Lincoln Arts Trust. [16] The building was managed by the Ruston Hall Trust, a subsidiary charity of the Lincoln Arts Trust [17] until the city council voted to stop its annual grant of £187,000 and it closed in March 2020. [18]

Saved from permanent closure by the Lincoln College Group, the venue was extensively renovated and refurbished in late 2021, reopening in December for a series of pantomime performances. [19] The building (with the adjacent clubhouse) is a Grade II Listed Building. [20]

Facilities

The main auditorium has a maximum capacity of around 500 and it has hosted various bands - Buzzcocks, The Damned, Stiff Little Fingers, Iron Maiden, Seth Lakeman and The Subways being notable examples. The venue has also hosted comedy acts including Russell Howard, Marcus Brigstocke and Mark Thomas. It also acts as a cafe with a seating area inside as well as a restaurant, called The Limelight, which is expected to open to the public in spring 2022. [21] It also hosts the Lincoln Beer Festival each year. [12]

Following the construction of the city's new music venue, the Engine Shed - which has enabled big name, established bands to visit the city - The Drill has become the first-choice venue for up and coming bands from across the United Kingdom when they are in Lincoln. As well as bands, The Drill hosts theatre, literature talks, films, classical music, the Red Herring Comedy Club among other comedy nights, workshops and business meetings. [22] It also plays host to the much-loved disability club night, The Butterfly Club, providing a uniquely inclusive party experience for people with learning disabilities and physical impairments. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln, England</span> Cathedral city in Lincolnshire, England

Lincoln is a cathedral city and district in Lincolnshire, England, of which it is the county town. In the 2021 Census, the Lincoln district had a population of 103,813. The 2011 census gave the urban area of Lincoln, including North Hykeham and Waddington, a population of 115,000, a figure which has been updated to 127,540 with the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool</span> Theatre in Liverpool, England

The Royal Court Theatre is a theatre located at 1 Roe Street in Liverpool, England. The current Royal Court Theatre was opened on 17 October 1938, after fire destroyed its predecessor. It was rebuilt in Art Deco style and soon became Liverpool's premier theatre. The interior of the building has a nautical theme, in line with Liverpool's seafaring traditions. The design of the basement lounge was based on the Cunard liner Queen Mary until its conversion into the Studio space during renovations. There are three viewing levels within the main auditorium: the Stalls, the Grand Circle and the Balcony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Place, London</span>

The Place is a dance and performance centre in Duke's Road near Euston in the London Borough of Camden. It is the home of London Contemporary Dance School and the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, and formerly the Richard Alston Dance Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">51st Highland Volunteers</span> British Army battalion

The 51st Highland Volunteers is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 52nd Lowland, a similar unit located in the Scottish Lowlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pantomime</span> Genre of musical comedy stage production

Pantomime is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and in other English-speaking countries, especially during the Christmas and New Year season. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing. It generally combines gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale. Pantomime is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Lincolnshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments and named the 10th Regiment of Foot. After the Childers Reforms of 1881, it became the Lincolnshire Regiment after the county where it had been recruiting since 1781.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RADA Studios</span> Theatre in Bloomsbury, London

RADA Studios is a theatrical venue in Chenies Street in Bloomsbury, just to the east of Tottenham Court Road in the West End of London. Owned by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), the building contains rehearsal rooms, meeting rooms, and the 200-seat Studio Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Lincolnshire Life</span> Local history museum in Lincoln

The Museum of Lincolnshire Life is a museum in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, in the UK. The museum collection is a varied social history that reflects and celebrates the culture of the county of Lincolnshire and its people from 1750 to the present day. Exhibits illustrate commercial, domestic, agricultural, industrial and community life. The story of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment and Lincolnshire Yeomanry is explained and illustrated by a variety of methods.

The Garrison Theatre is a 280-capacity venue in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, with a sprung proscenium stage with fixed raked seating. The auditorium has 19 rows, named A to S, with 8, 12, 13, 15, or 16 seats in each row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Theatre Royal Lincoln</span>

The New Theatre Royal Lincoln is a theatre in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.

The North Midland Brigade was an infantry formation of Britain's Volunteer Force from 1888 to 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion</span> Military unit

25th Cyclist Battalion was a bicycle battalion of the London Regiment of the British Army. The battalion was converted to a unit of the Royal Corps of Signals in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln UTC</span> Technical college for ages 14-19 in Lincoln, England

Lincoln UTC is a small University Technical College in Lincoln, England which opened in 2014 and specialises in science and engineering. The school is sponsored by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Goddard (architect)</span> English architect

Henry Goddard was an English architect who was a member of a family of architects who worked in Leicester. He moved to Lincoln and was later in partnership with his son Francis Henry Goddard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Lincoln</span>

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlton Place drill hall, Southampton</span> Military installation in Southampton, UK

The Carlton Place drill hall is a military installation in Southampton, Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The 5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, was a volunteer unit of Britain's Territorial Army from 1900 until 1967, serving as infantry on the Western Front during the First World War and as an air defence unit during and after the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yelde Hall</span> Municipal building in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England

The Yelde Hall is a public facility in the Market Place, in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. The building, which was the meeting place of Chippenham Borough Council, is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th (Cyclist) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The 5th (Cyclist) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment was a mobile coast defence unit of Britain's Territorial Force. It was formed in 1908 from a nucleus provided by a Volunteer battalion first raised in 1859. It carried out its defence duties along the East Coast throughout World War I and after the war it was incorporated into a unit of the new Royal Corps of Signals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exeter and South Devon Volunteers</span> Military unit

The Exeter & South Devon Volunteers was the premier unit of Britain's Volunteer Force. Formed in 1852 it went on to become a battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. Both its active service battalions went to garrison India on the outbreak of the First World War, and then saw action in Mesopotamia and Palestine. In the Second World War, the battalion served in the garrison of Gibraltar. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until it was merged with other West Country units. Its successors today serve in a reserve battalion of The Rifles.

References

  1. "Lincoln Drill Hall returning with new name ahead of December relaunch". The Lincolnite. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  2. "The Drill celebrates curtain raiser Aladdin panto after renovation". The Lincolnite. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  3. "Can you smell what The Drill is cooking? Wrestling returns to Lincoln venue after decades". The Lincolnite. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  4. "Lincoln College take over the Drill Hall – and the panto is back!, Lincoln College". www.lincolncollege.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  5. "You know The Drill: Lincoln Drill Hall returns as The Drill". Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  6. Flintham, Jack (2021-11-23). "Lincoln Drill Hall announces new name and reopening date in time for pantomime". LincolnshireLive. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  7. "Article". The Times. 26 May 1890.
  8. 1 2 3 "Drill Hall" . Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  9. Westlake, Ray (2010). Tracing the Rifle Volunteers: A Guide for Military and Family Historians. Pen and Sword. p. 157. ISBN   978-1-84884-211-3.
  10. "The Lincolnshire Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  11. "4th Battalion, The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Lincoln Drill Hall". Cultural Quarter. Visit Lincoln. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  13. "31 December 1963". The complete works (of the Rolling Stones). Nico Zentgraf. Retrieved 18 May 2013. 631231A
  14. "Lincolnshire Regiment". British army units 1945 on. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  15. "Drill Hall". Case studies. Lindum construction.
  16. Ionescu, Daniel (24 August 2010). "City Council sets Lincoln Drill Hall free". The Lincolnite. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  17. "Ruston Hall Trust". (no.1137366-1). Charities Commission. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  18. "Lincoln Drill Hall: Arts venue to shut as funding stopped". BBC News. 2020-10-07. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  19. "Lincoln Drill Hall to return as The Drill". CityX. 2021-11-26. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  20. Historic England. "The Drill hall (Grade II) (1388471)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  21. "Food & Drink - The Drill, Lincoln: THEATRE, MUSIC, COMEDY, FAMILY & FRIENDS". www.lincolndrill.co.uk. 2022-03-05. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  22. "Comedy news". Lincolnshire Echo. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  23. ""The most inclusive venue in Lincoln" spreads its wings: The Butterfly Club returns to The Drill". Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 29 April 2022.