The Westgate Hall has been a unique witness of Canterbury's military and social history during the 20th century. We still know relatively little about its history so if you have any more information please let us know. If you can tell us more about the Hall, please email us.
So far we know that it was built at the beginning of the 20th Century as a Drill Hall, in land previously occupied by 30 acres of beautiful gardens, the Master's Exotic Nursery.
The Westgate Hall, or St Peter's Lane Drill Hall as it was then, was probably built in 1912. We know, from the deeds, that the land was bought by the Territorial Force Association of the County of Kent from George Mount in December 1091. In 1915 the Drill Hall was the base for the 4th & 5th Battalions of the Buffs and the Royal East Kent) Mounted Rifles.
In 1937 the Territorial Drill Hall was still the base for the 4th Battalion of the Buffs and the Duke of Connaught's Own Yeomanry RA385 (a territorial artillery unit?).
The following quote is from 'Life on the Home Front in Canterbury, During World War II', Memoirs of Dorothy Sackett:
"On May 26th 1940, due to a notice at Robert Brett's Yard, stating that lorry drivers were needed to go to France, Percy, along with Sidney Wiles, went to the recruiting office in Roper Road, Canterbury, and spoke to the Officer there. Sidney Wiles asked what the pay was, and when told it was a shilling a day declined to join, but as they were leaving Percy was called back and told he would eventually have to go, so he signed up there and then, and that night when he came home, told me he had joined the Royal Engineers! That decision changed our lives for the next six years. The following day Percy had to report to the local Drill Hall in St Peter's Lane, and was billeted in Black Griffin Lane for six weeks, until the unit was sent to Halifax, Yorkshire for more training".
It narrowly survived the 2nd World War air raids when, in 1944 a bomb destroyed the nearby Barrett's buildings. Click here for more pictures of Canterbury and Westgate hall during World War 2.
The Hall also has a long history as a dance hall as illustrated by this wonderful reminiscence in Ann Pope's book:
"...Canterbury was lucky then in that it had a number of halls suitable for public dances. Howard, b. 1903 remembers, "I used to go to several dances - in the Drill Hall in St. Peter's Lane, and the Oddfellows Hall in Orange Street, the Forresters' Hall in High Street. Entrance fee was about a shilling, I think. The Drill Hall used to be non-stop. We had a band at each end and it was from 8 to 1 am in the morning. One and sixpence. Strict tempo, waltz, valeta, quick-step. If you went on the floor and you weren't complying with the music the M.C. (Master of Ceremonies) would ask you to leave the floor. There was a place for refreshments and a bar upstairs. You could take a girl to a dance, buy refreshments, buy a packet of cigarettes and a tube of Parma Violet Cashews and have change the next morning out of ten shillings."
It has long been at the heart of the community in Canterbury, with reports that it was used by the Mothers' Union in 1927. There is also this wonderful picture from 1955 of the Scouts and Father Christmas on a sleigh, advertising a "Grand Christmas Fayre", featuring "toys, dolls, gifts, cakes, fruit, books... a white elephant and Father Christmas"!
Before the 1970s, the Hall was also used by the Canterbury's Conservative Association for fundraising. Every year on the last Saturday of July they held a large Summer Fayre at the then Drill Hall. According to their website, "...all Branches of the Constituency took part and farmers and business were very generous with their donations of fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers. Always, at the entrance doors was a huge display of carnations given by Mount's Nurseries which were then along Forty Acres Road occupying land that is now almost all part of the University. When the Drill Hall became Council property a summer fete was organized in various places in the Constituency. (http://canterburyconservatives.com/people/association/)
More recently, together with the Beehive, it was one of the venues of the Canterbury Sound, with bands such as the Wilde Flowers playing there.
