Site record MDR23061 - Site of Miniature Underground Range, Market Street, Chapel-en-le-Frith

Former site of miniature underground range, Market Street, Chapel-en-le-Frith, built in 1907. Following the closure of the full scale, 800 yard rifle range at Chapel en le Frith in c1898 due at least in part to safety concerns, a Drill Hall with miniature underground rifle range was approved by the War Office for Market Street. 'The purpose of the Drill hall range was to have within easy reach a facility to introduce the volunteer to the basic skills of musketry …using approved an miniature rifle (.22 calibre) as well as providing an all year round, all weather practice facility for the more able riflemen. The opening of the range at the Drill Hall is reported in the Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 26 April 1907 edition amongst others. The armoury was moved in 1910 from the Police Station to a purpose built room at the back of the Drill Hall. …This Drill Hall would be the first of two that would be built on the site as the first was demolished in 1937/1938 and replaced by a smaller Drill Hall. …Elements of this earlier Drill Hall would be seen again in 1976 when a new surgery was being built for some of the Chapel doctors. Excavations uncovered part of the armoury and some boxes of unspent bullets. Mr Paul Buckle was one of the team employed by GD Rogers and was present when the site was being levelled. Paul recalls the following: "…when they were levelling the ground at the rear of the old civil defence building (Drill Hall) the digger unearthed boxes of rifle bullets (303 type). Also a doorway was uncovered at the back of the Thornbrook Road wall. The police were contacted and they removed the boxes of bullets. Mr Gould was the owner of GD Rogers at the time and he instructed the machine driver to cover up the door, probably to save time, which is why the car park of what used to be the Doctors Surgery and where the District Nurses are now based has an incline. It rises to the back of what is now the hairdressers shop covering where the door was exposed during the levelling of the site." (1)