| West Princes Street drill hall | |
|---|---|
| Glasgow, Scotland | |
 West Princes Street drill hall | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Drill hall |
| Location | |
  West Princes Street drill hall Location within Glasgow | |
| Coordinates | 55°52′18″N4°16′29″W / 55.87165°N 4.27469°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1895 – 1897 |
| Built for | War Office |
| Architect | George Bell |
| In use | 1897 – late 1970s |
The West Princes Street drill hall is a former military installation in Glasgow, Scotland.
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]