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]
