Castle Armoury Explained

Castle Armoury
Type:Barracks
Map Type:Greater Manchester
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Greater Manchester
Location:Bury
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Built:1868
Used:1868-
Built For:War Office
Occupants:W company 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
B Detachment, 207 (Manchester) Field Hospital
Bury Detachment ACF
1036 (Bury) Squadron ATC

The Castle Armoury is a military installation in Bury, Greater Manchester, England.

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.[1] An extension exhibiting the same architectural features was opened by the Duke of Connaught in November 1907.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] The armoury remained the home of the 5th battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers through the inter-war period.[5]

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.[2] 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.[2] It is a Grade II Listed building.[1]

The building closed in June 2022 with the owners, a trust, citing safety grounds.[6] 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.[7] [8]

Former units

The following units were based at the armoury immediately before its closure:[9]

British Army

Community Cadet Forces

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Castle Armoury. British Listed Buildings. 4 June 2017.
  2. Web site: History of Castle Armoury. 4 June 2017.
  3. Web site: Fusiliers in Bury. 17. Western Front Association. 30 November 2014. 4 June 2017.
  4. Web site: 1st/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers: Tours and Postings. Lancashire Fusiliers. 4 June 2017.
  5. Web site: Bury County Borough Directory. 1936. Metropolitan Borough of Bury. 4 June 2017.
  6. Web site: Britton . Paul . 2022-07-04 . Historic drill hall Castle Armoury in Bury closes . 2024-05-12 . Manchester Evening News . en.
  7. News: Nooks and Corners . Private Eye . 1579 . 22. 12 August 2022.
  8. Web site: 2022-07-22 . ‘Woefully neglected’ armed forces base had ‘no hot water or heating’ for soldiers returning from active service . 2024-05-12 . Bury Times . en.
  9. Web site: Castle Armoury. 17 April 2021.
  10. News: Fusilier from Middleton set for training mission in Canada. Rochdale News. 30 June 2019. 17 April 2021.
  11. Web site: Army Reserve QARANC. 17 April 2021.
  12. Web site: The Band & Corp of Drums of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. 17 April 2021.
  13. Web site: Greater Manchester Army Cadets. 17 April 2021.
  14. Web site: 1036 (Bury). 17 April 2021.

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