The Loreburn Hall is a military installation in
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
History
The building was designed by Alan Burgess Crombie as the headquarters of the 3rd (Dumfries) Volunteer Battalion, The
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own ...
and completed in 1890.
This unit evolved to become the 5th Battalion, the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1908.
[ The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to ]Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
and then to the Western Front.
The 4th and 5th battalions amalgamated to form the 4th/5th Battalion, with its headquarters at the Paton Street drill hall in Galashiels
Galashiels (; sco, Gallae, gd, An Geal Àth) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive ...
in 1961. Loreburn Hall then became surplus to requirements and ownership was transferred to Dumfries Council in 1968.
The Council used the drill hall as a venue for concerts by performers such as Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
and Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981.
The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scot ...
and for sporting events such as wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
. In 2014 the drill hall was given a new lease of life as a temporary gym and sports facility when the newly built DG One Leisure Centre was found to be so full of building defects it had to be closed for a major rebuilding program.
References
{{reflist
Drill halls in Scotland
Buildings and structures in Dumfries