Day 8
Dalmeny Street Drill Hall
Places of Leith: recounting a brief history of this remarkable building (1901-Present).
1901 the Drill Hall was built to house the 5th Volunteer Battalion Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
1908 the 5th Volunteer Battalion Royal Scots become the 7th (Leith) Battalion, The Royal Scots, as it was at the time of the Gretna Rail Disaster
1922 the 7th (Leith) Battalion amalgamate with the 9th Battalion to become the 7th/9th (Highlanders) Battalion, The Royal Scots
1961 the 7th/9th Battalion and the 8th Battalion amalgamate to form the 8th/9th Battalion, The Royal Scots
1967 the 8th/9th Battalion was reduced to company size as A (Royal Scots) Company of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers
1999 the Army moves the A (Royal Scots) Company, 52nd Lowland Regiment, to the East Claremont Street Drill Hall
2003 the Dalmeny Street Drill Hall is bought by Out of the Blue to be used as an Arts and Education Centre
2003 - 2010 a period of restoration and limited renovation takes place
Since then Out of the Blue have provided studio, exhibition and performance space to thousands of creative practitioners, and welcomed thousands of visitors through the Drill Hall doors. Their current exhibition “Walk Don’t Walk” is open until the 28th November.
As listed above, the battalion underwent several amalgamations and changes over the years, all housed in Dalmeny Street Drill Hall from 1901 through to 1999. However, throughout this period the Drill Hall itself is remained remarkably unchanged, in fact, it is still one of the largest and best detailed examples of a drill hall in Scotland, retaining much of the original external appearance and many internal elements. It is now a listed building.
While the design and features of Drill halls generally was not standardised, often being designed by local architects, they tended to be utilitarian structures, containing a large hall for drill exercises, along with offices and an armoury for weapons storage, and the Dalmeny Street Drill hall is no different - the main hall being just under the size of a football pitch with offices and officers accommodations.
In 2003 Dalmeny Street was bought by Out of the Blue to be used as an Arts and Education Centre, a period of restoration and limited renovation took place between 2003 and 2010. Since then Out of the Blue have provided studio, exhibition and performance space to thousands of creative practitioners, and welcomed thousands of visitors through the Drill Hall doors. Their current exhibition “Walk Don’t Walk” is open until the 28th November.
“Out of the Blue offers opportunities for artists and members of the community to learn, participate and earn income.
We use the space we have developed in 6 buildings in Edinburgh for studios, workshops, classes, projects, exhibitions, social enterprises, events, a cafe and more.
Our all year round activity helps create the culture of the city, supporting the local economy and having a positive social impact for the thousands of individuals and organisations we work with.”