Brook Street drill hall, Welshpool

52°39′43″N 3°09′12″W / 52.66198°N 3.15330°W / 52.66198; -3.15330TypeDrill hallSite historyBuiltMid 19th centuryBuilt forWar OfficeIn useMid 19th century – Present

The Brook Street drill hall is a military installation in Welshpool.

An armoury was established at Welshpool in the mid-19th century.^[1] It became the headquarters of the Montgomeryshire Rifle Volunteers in 1861^[2] and, although the regiment evolved to become 7th (Merioneth and Montgomery) Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers with its headquarters at Newtown in 1908, the battalion still maintained a presence at Welshpool in the form of C Company.^[2]

Meanwhile, the building had also become the headquarters of the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry in the late 19th century.^[3][4] The regiment was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Middle East.^[5] After the war, the yeomanry were absorbed by the 7th (Merioneth and Montgomery) Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers.^[3]

Following the Second World War and the conversion of the battalion to artillery, the drill hall was decommissioned; it was converted into a sports centre^[6] in 1980^[7] but it is still used as a training facility by the air cadets.^[8]