| Braganza Street drill hall | |
|---|---|
| Kennington, London | |
 Braganza Street drill hall | |
  Braganza Street drill hall Location within London | |
| Coordinates | 51°29′15″N 0°06′10″W / 51.48748°N 0.10278°W |
| Type | Drill Hall |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1865 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1865-Present |
The Braganza Street drill hall is a military installation in Braganza Street, Walworth.
The building originates from a pair of houses built in what was then known as New Street in 1833 and which were acquired by the 19th Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1865.[1] The 19th Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps evolved to become the 4th Volunteer Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) in 1883[2][3] and the 24th (County of London) Battalion (The Queen’s) in 1908.[4] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front.[5] When the London Regiment was broken up in 1937, the battalion became the 7th (Southwark) Battalion, the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey).[2] The drill hall, in what was by then known as Braganza Street, was substantially re-built at that time and the enlarged facility was opened by the Duke of Gloucester in 1938.[1]
After the war the battalion converted to artillery and, in 1947, became the 622nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery.[2] After the Royal Artillery went through a re-organisation and vacated the hall, a new field hospital, 217 (London) General Hospital Royal Army Medical Corps, was formed at the Braganza Street drill hall in 1967.[4] That unit amalgamated with other field hospitals in 1995 to form 256 (City of London) Field Hospital[6] and the drill hall is now the regimental headquarters of that unit.[4]