Loreburn Hall, (former Drill Hall), including lions, 43 Newall Terrace, Dumfries, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway

Description

The building was designed by Alan Burgess Crombie in 1890, with additions and alterations by Wilfrid Fitzalan Crombie in 1909 and further alterations in 1967. It is a 2-storey, 3-bay former drill hall in the Scots Baronial style, approximately T-shaped in plan and is now a community hall (2015). The front part of the building is built of squared and snecked bullfaced red sandstone with polished ashlar dressings, while the hall is of dry-dashed rendered brick. The front elevation of the hall and offices is symmetrical with a string course at first floor level and an eaves course. The central bay has a round arched doorway with an oriel window above and a short, stumpy slated spire with an open iron crown. The slightly advanced outer bays terminate in crowstepped gables with square pyramid-roofed bartizans at the outer corners. There is a decorative cast iron framed shelter to the right with a glazed roof and to the left is a wide arched twin-leafed timber door set back from the main building line that gives direct access to the hall. The lions on either side of the door were sculpted by John William Dods of Dumfries.

There is mainly 4-pane glazing in the upper sashes and single pane glazing in the lower sashes in timber sash and case windows. There are grey slate roofs and chimney stacks with yellow clay cans on the front part of the building, and non-traditional roofing material on the drill hall.

The interior, which was seen in 2015, retains a good late 19th century decorative scheme. The office section has some simple cornices, timber panelled doors and a main staircase with decorative wrought iron balusters. The room above the main entrance has timber boarding to dado height. The hall has a shallow pitched roof supported on delicate wrought iron lattice trusses which are curved at the wallhead and with timber lining and roof lights running much of its length. There is a recessed raised area at the north end which is flanked by pilasters and a decorative plaster frieze above. The doors on either side surmounted by decorative mouldings enclosing panels.

Statement of Interest

Loreburn Hall (former Drill Hall) is a very good example of a drill hall and office complex built in 1890, designed by the well-respected local architect Alan Burgess Crombie and extended in 1909 by his son, Wilfrid Fitzalan Crombie. The exterior of the offices are designed in a robust Scots Baronial style with similar details to be found on the drill hall. The complex is situated in central Dumfries and has a prominent presence within the street.

In March 1890 the building was in the course of construction and a sketch of the building was illustrated at that date (Dundee Evening Telegraph, 14 March 1890). The hall was in use by November 1890, as a dog show was held there that month. By October 1891 there was still a debt outstanding on the building and a grand bazaar in aid of the 'headquarters, drill hall and equipment' for the volunteers was held in the hall, opened by the Duke of Buccleuch. The total cost of the hall was estimated at £4000, of which £1000 had been collected by subscription by this date. Newspaper reports state that it was intended to be used for flower shows and public meetings as well as for drill purposes.

The 1st Administrative Battalion Dumfriesshire Rifle Volunteers was formed on 4 January 1862. By the time of the construction of the drill hall the battalion had been reformed as the 3rd Volunteer Battalion of the King's Own Scottish Borderers. As far as can be established this is the first drill hall to be built in Dumfries and it was built on an adjacent site to the militia barracks (as evidenced on the 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map), so the volunteers may have shared some of the barracks' facilities until 1890.

Further interior alterations were made in 1967, and were probably in the entrance area. In January 1968 the Trustees of the Drill Hall transferred ownership to the Provost, Magistrates and Councillors of the Royal Burgh of Dumfries. The building, at the time it was visited in 2015, was being used as a gymnasium.

It is not known when the lions, sculpted by John William Dods of Dumfries, were placed on either side of the front door, as they do not appear in the sketch of the building drawn in 1890. The lions are said to be a patriotic symbol at the drill hall, but they may have been moved from elsewhere.

In the late 1850s there was concern in the British Government about the Army's ability to defend both the home nation as well as the Empire. Britain's military defences were stretched and resources to defend Britain needed to be found. One solution was to create 'Volunteer Forces', a reserve of men who volunteered for part-time military training similar to that of the regular army and who could therefore help to defend Britain if the need arose.

In 1859 the Rifle Volunteer Corps (and Artillery Volunteers Corps in defended coastal towns) were formed and the Volunteer Act of 1863 provided more regulation on how the volunteer forces were run and it set out the standards for drills and a requirement for annual inspections. Most purpose-built drill halls constructed at this time were paid for by a major local landowner, the subscriptions of volunteers, local fundraising efforts or a combination of all three. The Regulation of the Forces Act 1871 (known as the Cardwell Reforms after the Secretary of State for War, Edward Cardwell) gave forces the legal right to acquire land to build a drill hall and more purpose-built drill halls began to be constructed after this date. The largest period of drill hall construction, aided by government grants, took place between 1880 and 1910. The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (known as the Haldane Reforms after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Haldane) came into force in 1908 and the various Volunteer Units were consolidated to form the Territorial Force. The construction of drill halls largely ceased during the First World War and in 1920 the Territorial Force became the Territorial Army.

In the 20th century changes in warfare and weaponry made many of the earlier drill halls redundant and subject to demolition or change to a new use. Around 344 drill halls are believed to have been built in Scotland of which 182 are thought to survive today, although few remain in their original use. Drill halls are an important part of our social and military history. They tell us much about the development of warfare and the history of defending our country. They also, unusually for a nationwide building programme, were not standardised and were often designed by local architects in a variety of styles and they also have a part to play in the history of our communities.

The requirements for drill halls were basic – a large covered open space to train and drill as well as a place for the secure storage of weapons. The vast majority of drill halls were modest utilitarian structures. Most drill halls conformed to the pattern of an administrative block containing offices and the armoury to store weapons along with a caretaker or drill instructors accommodation, usually facing the street. To the rear would be the drill hall itself. Occasionally more extensive accommodation was required, such as for battalion headquarters where interior rifle ranges, libraries, billiards rooms, lecture theatres and bars could all be included.

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2016 as part of the Drill Halls Listing Review 2015-16. Previously listed as '43 Newall Terrace including lions'.

External Links

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