Drill Hall Arts Centre And Attached Railings

The Drill Hall Arts Centre, located on Chenies Street in Camden, is a drill hall dating from 1882-3, designed by Samuel Knight for the Bloomsbury Rifles. It is built of red brick with sandstone dressings, continuous sill strings, and a tiled roof with a central gable.

The symmetrical front facade is three storeys high with a basement, featuring a three-window arrangement. A taller, battlemented entrance tower is attached to the left. The four-centred entrance arch has a hood mould featuring carved Burgesian label stops in the form of a crowned lion, with rose and riband spandrels. Above the arch is a three-light transom and mullion oriel window. The tower’s second-floor window displays an over-panel depicting a hanging horn, the symbol of the Rifle Brigade. Three shields are positioned above this, displaying the arms of the Duke of Bedford, the royal arms, and the county of Middlesex. To the right, three-light transom and mullion windows are topped with gauged brick flat-arch heads; the ground and first-floor windows have hood moulds with carved heads—moustached volunteers' heads—as label stops. The central second-floor window is pointed with a hood mould and gable.

The interior largely retains its original layout. A staircase with turned rails remains. The drill hall, now a theatre, features a metal trussed roof and a glazed lantern running the full length of the room; it originally had a small stage to the south, which is now enclosed. The bar area, formerly the mess room, has a Gothic chimney-piece with sunken quatrefoils. The first-floor officers' mess features a Caen stone Gothic chimney-piece with a castellated canopy and the arms of the regiment's commanding officers, along with diagonally-set deal planks on the ceiling and walls. An adjoining room, originally the colonel’s room, also has a Gothic fireplace, panelling, and ornate fittings. A second-floor former billiard room, above the officers’ mess, features a similar chimney-piece to that on the ground floor.

Attached cast-iron railings with urn finials enhance the areas around the building.

The drill hall reflects the context of rifle volunteer corps established between 1859 and 1860 in response to the perceived threat of French invasion. These units were primarily composed of the lower middle and upper working classes, combining military preparedness with social activities and distinctive uniforms. The Bloomsbury Rifles were founded in 1859, and the drill hall was funded by the commanding officer. The architect, Samuel Knight, was also a captain within the regiment.