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Remembered Today:

Horncastle Drill Hall - gratuitous civic vandalism


Dragon

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Readers of Private Eye will have noticed that this week's edition, number 1245 / 18th September, carries a report on the proposed remodelling of Horncastle Drill Hall with bulldozer and 360 degree excavator.

In a staggeringly antediluvian move, the local council plans to clear and sell the site for development, possibly for housing, (in a recession where the construction industry is hovering just above survival), flying in the face of all sustainability principles, knocking down a perfectly sound building made from decent materials which is well suited to adaptation for community use.

I have been in the building, accompanied by a chartered civil engineer, and I cannot understand what reasoning there is behind demolishing something sound that simply needs a refurb, and replacing it with a fantasy. The community is overwhelmingly in favour of its preservation and has even marched in the streets to emphasise their anger.

For interest, when the case for its survival was being prepared, the Drill Halls project was contacted and invited to input material, which we did, and another forum member pointed me at relevant military material.

Horncastle

Gwyn

Horncastle%20c.jpg

Photo: Ken Hills

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www.horncastletownhall.org.uk

For the latest on the saga - final decision day is Tuesday 13th October.

There are pictures on the website showing that the Horncastle Drill Hall was used as a hospital or convalescent facility during WW1.

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Hi Squirrel,

I read up on it yesterday and posted to Gwyn although I did it through another link I will have to go back and look at the pictures.

Cheers Roger.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I don't know. I've searched East Lindsey's somewhat impenetrable website and I think there may be a meeting to come next week. I need to read a specific document slowly. I can't find anything relevant to the meeting planned for 13th October.

I've emailed one of the campaigners and if I hear back, I'll add an update.

Gwyn

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  • 4 weeks later...

Yesterday, the local authority agreed to allow the Town Council to have the hall until March 2010. There is a rescue plan which has to meet targets.

Apparently out of a population of 6090, 4000+ signed the petition to save the Drill Hall.

My information is from the conservation architect who asked Graeme and me for information to help compile a case.

News report

Edited by Dragon
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  • 8 months later...

The community has saved the Drill Hall. It has now been renamed Stanhope Hall and has its website here. Their persistence and determination has paid off. There are some interesting archive photos on the Gallery page.

Links to a couple of news reports on our Twitter feed here.

Gwyn

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Great news indeed - well done to all concerned.

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