HMS ''Claverhouse'' was a

shore establishment A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. "Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French Empire, ...

of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, based at

Granton, Edinburgh Granton is a district in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland. Granton forms part of Edinburgh's waterfront along the Firth of Forth and is, historically, an industrial area having a large harbour. Granton is part of Edinburgh's large scale waterf ...

. It is a listed building, used as a training centre for E Squadron, 205 (Scottish) Field Hospital (Volunteers).

Early years

The building was originally part of a planned waterside development by the Duke of Buccleuch in the late 1830s and was completed in 1938. The site was important as it fronted onto the new pier. The design is attributed to William Burn by John Gifford, Colin McWilliam and David Walker in ''Edinburgh'', although previous descriptions state that it was designed by John Henderson. It is a 3-storey building with a basement. It is symmetrical and rectangular-plan in the classical tradition. The exterior is coursed, tooled sandstone with ashlar dressings; decorative features include band courses above and below piano nobile, V-jointed angle quoins, eaves cornice and architraved windows. There is a Doric entrance porch on the west side. Cast-iron ''torchere'' lamp standards with nautical finials flank the entrance.

Service history

On the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the navy took over the Granton Hotel, close to Granton Harbour and commissioned it as HMS ''Claverhouse'' for Reserve training. From April 1940 it was in use for Merchant Navy Defence Courses, and also served as the headquarters for the

Motor Launch A Motor Launch (ML) is a small military vessel in Royal Navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high-speed air-sea rescue. Some vessels for water police service are also known as motor launches. ...

es of the local

Coastal Forces Coastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy initially established during World War I, and then again in World War II under the command of Rear-Admiral, Coastal Forces. It remained active until the last minesweepers to wear the "HM Coastal Fo ...

. Decommissioned on 15 August 1945, ''Claverhouse'' then became the Training Centre of the Forth Division. It was also a drill ship until 1958.

Current use

The principal elevations are largely unaltered and retain a number of early/original fixtures and fittings, including the main entrance and lamp standards. The building, including the lamp standards, has been a category B listed building since 1970. The building is known as the "Claverhouse Training Centre" and is the HQ for E Squadron, 205 (Scottish) Field Hospital (Volunteers), No.17 (Granton) Platoon,

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF mak ...

and the Edinburgh Trinity

Sea Cadets Sea cadets are members of a sea cadet corps, a formal uniformed youth organisation for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or a naval s ...

References

External links

Site Record for Granton Hotel, 8 Granton Square, Granton, Edinburgh

RCAHMS The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

British Listed Buildings: 8 Granton Square
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claverhouse, HMS Royal Navy shore establishments Royal Navy bases in Scotland Buildings and structures in Edinburgh Army cadet organisations Sail training associations British Cadet organisations Youth organisations based in Scotland Military installations established in 1939 1939 establishments in Scotland 1994 disestablishments in Scotland Granton, Edinburgh