| Friday 13th of November – 2026 6:30 PM for 7:00 PM Illustrated Talk – David Coppinger. “Saving the Old Drill Hall in Bath Road” “A Maritime Futures Hub for Lymington and The Solent” The McLellan Hall – The Lymington Centre Refreshments served from 6.30 pm Cost £6.00 (£7.00 Guests) to include refreshments. Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor.Click Here for Tickets |
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A New Future for the Old Drill Hall In Bath Road
David Coppinger will tell us about the “Maritime Futures Hub”, which is a community-led initiative, exploring how Lymington’s historic Drill Hall can be saved, restored, and given a purposeful new life. The building on Bath Road has an extraordinary story. It is believed to date from around 1830, when it was used by renowned yacht designer and builder Thomas Inman as a mould loft. It is associated with the construction of Alarm, one of the most important early racing yachts connected with Lymington, the Royal Yacht Squadron, and the development of competitive sailing on the Solent. The building later became a military Drill Hall and served generations of local volunteers, cadets, and service personnel. Its surviving indoor rifle range, which has around a century of history, provides another unusual connection with the town’s military and community past. With the building’s future now uncertain, a local working group has been formed to investigate whether it can be retained for community use rather than lost, left vacant or converted without recognition of its heritage. Our emerging vision combines heritage, youth opportunity, and sustainable community use. During visitor periods, the main hall could become an immersive heritage attraction using projection, sound, virtual reality, and interactive storytelling. Visitors could experience the construction of Alarm, the development of Solent yacht racing, the Isle of Wight races, the beginnings of the America’s Cup story and the building’s later military history. The former rifle range could provide an additional visitor experience, potentially including historically themed virtual-reality activities, simulations, and escape-room-style attractions. The same technology would allow the building to change purpose quickly. Outside visitor hours, it would become a Youth Futures Hub: a welcoming place where young people could discover interests, meet mentors, gain confidence, and develop skills that prepare them for employment and purposeful adult lives. |
