The West Princes Street drill hall is a former military installation in Glasgow, Scotland.
| West Princes Street drill hall | |
|---|---|
| Glasgow, Scotland | |
 West Princes Street drill hall | |
  West Princes Street drill hall Location within Glasgow | |
| Coordinates | 55°52′18″N 4°16′29″W / 55.87165°N 4.27469°W |
| Type | Drill hall |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1895 – 1897 |
| Built for | War Office |
| Architect | George Bell |
| In use | 1897 – late 1970s |
History edit
The drill hall was designed by George Bell of Clarke & Bell as the headquarters of the 1st Lanarkshire (Glasgow 1st Western) Volunteer Rifle Corps and was completed between 1895 and 1897.[1] This unit evolved to become the 5th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 1908.[2] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to Western Front.[3] The battalion amalgamated with the 8th Battalion to form the 5th/8th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 1921[4] and then converted to a searchlight regiment in 1938 and to a light anti-aircraft regiment in 1942.[4]
After the Second World War the regiment was re-constituted at the West Princes Street drill hall as 591st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery and then, in 1955, as the 445th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery.[4] In 1967 the drill hall became the home of 207 (City of Glasgow) Battery Royal Artillery[4] but in the late 1970s the battery moved to the Crow Road drill hall.[5] The building was decommissioned and served as the home of the Scottish Ballet School from 1979[6] until the school left the building in 2008.[7] It then stood vacant until it was converted into student accommodation in 2012.[8]
References edit
- ^ Williamson, E (1990). Glasgow (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Scotland). Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300096743.
- ^ "Glasgow, 261 West Princes Street, Drill Hall". Canmore. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d "5th Battalion, The Cameronians". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "The Scottish and Ulster Gunners". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Scottish Ballet". Glasgow Theatre Royal. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Doolan Award 2014". Creating Places Scotland. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Scottish Building Warrant Summary". Glasgow City Council. Retrieved 17 June 2017.