1868, 1906 & 1907 - Castle Armoury - Bury, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 35.634 W 002° 17.919
30U E 546419 N 5938568
Originally erected as the headquarters of the 8th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1868, the Castle Armoury was extended in 1907 for the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Lancashire Fusileers.
Waymark Code: WM1876A
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/13/2023
Views: 1
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History
The armoury was designed as the headquarters of the 8th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps and built on the remains of Bury Castle in 1868. An extension exhibiting the same architectural features was opened by the Duke of Connaught in November 1907. The 8th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps evolved to become the 1st Volunteer Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1883 and the 5th Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1908. The battalion was mobilised at the armoury in September 1914 before being deployed to the Suez Canal, then to Gallipoli and ultimately to the Western Front. The armoury remained the home of the 5th battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers through the inter-war period.
A major fire took hold at the armoury in January 1943 during the Second World War, in which a fireman died and the building was seriously damaged, and it was not until summer 1952 that the restoration was complete. After the war the armoury continued to be used by the 5th battalion the Lancashire Fusiliers until the battalion was disbanded in 1967. The armoury was then used by a company of the 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, a unit which evolved following amalgamations to become the Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers in July 1999 and 4th Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment in July 2006. It is a Grade II Listed building.
The building closed in June 2022 with the owners, a trust, citing safety grounds. The leaser, the Ministry of Defence's Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association stated that funding was not available to carry out the estimated £2 million of urgent repairs, with further work required to modernise the building."
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The date stones
There are two roundels with carved dates on each side of the main entrance, one with the original opening date of 1868 and one with the extension date of 1907.
In addition there is a foundation stone on the extension on the right hand side of the building at ground level dated 1906.
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