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]
