Bristol Evening Post. Property Section. Page 3. 20/1/06

Bristol Times Tuesday 10th January 2006 . THEN & NOW feature

In the last year or so, Old Market's histroic Drill Hall - which had lain empty for many years - has been miraculously transformed from an almost derelict building into 40 prestigious inner-city homes costing £195,000 for one bedroom apartments and between £225,000 and £249,000 for two-bedroom ones.

The company responsible for at last breathing some new life into this important landmark building was Bath-based Sion Developments. Built about 100 years ago for members of the 4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment - who were also at St Michael's Hill, Whiteladies Road and Horfield barracks - the substantial building was home to a large number of American troops in the months leading up to the wartime D-Day invasion of Europe. Entertained by world champion boxer Joe Louis, who was on a UK morale-boosting visit, it housed the first black GI's to be stationed in the city.

After the end of the Second World War - in 1945- the Drill Hall was left largely unoccupied, although it was used as a sorting office by the GPO and by the Bristol Sugar Refining Company. Plans by Ministry of Sound to turn it into a 'rave' club came to nothing, and more recently the building has housed two production studios - used by photographers, animation companues and natural history film-makers - as well as Bristol Costume Services, who were forced to move out due to lack of space.

The large notice on the front of the building - in an amazingly quiet Old Market - reads ''Imperial Service Recruits Wanted''

Christmas raffle for charity.

Ashlar Group raised over £300 for the SCBU Tony Lives Southmead Hospital Bristol, by bringing in a raffle prize and buying raffle tickets. Over 40 prizes were donated by staff and clients. It was a fun thing to do at Christmas and raise some money for a worthwhile cause in the process. 22/12/05

BBC Approaches Ashlar Group.

A BBC program DIY programme contacted us a few weeks ago to request the use of 2 carpenters for a week. We of course obliged and for once the guys came to work with brushed hair and their best trousers on! The show aired 1st September. 09/05