Piershill Barracks
| Piershill Barracks | |
|---|---|
| Piershill, Edinburgh, Scotland | |
 Remains of a wall tower of Piershill Barracks | |
  Piershill Barracks | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1793 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1793-1934 |
Piershill Barracks was a military installation in Piershill in Edinburgh.
History
The barracks were built as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution and were completed in 1793.[1] The barracks, which were built along three sides of a quadrangle,[2] were occupied by various cavalry regiments who would exercise their horses along Portobello Beach.[3] They became the home of the Royal Scots Greys in the late 19th century[4] but were condemned as insanitary and unfit for occupation by cavalry regiments in the early 20th century; this gave rise to concerns that the Royal Scots Greys would be disbanded leaving Scotland without a cavalry regiment.[5] In practice the Royal Scots Greys moved to Redford Barracks and Piershill Barracks continued to be used on a much smaller scale by the Royal Horse Artillery.[5]
The barracks were vacated in 1934 and demolished in 1938, shortly before the start of the Second World War.[1] The site is now occupied by the Piershill Square tenement blocks which were constructed using stone from the old barracks.[6]
References
- ^ a b "Piershill Barracks". Canmore. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ Coghill, Hamish (2008). "Lost Edinburgh: Edinburgh's Lost Architectural Heritage". Birlinn. ISBN 978-1841587479.
- ^ "Portobello Beach". Portobello heritage trust. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ "The defence of Edinburgh during the great war of 1897". Victorian military society. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Piershill Barracks, Edinburgh". Hansard. 3 December 1906. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ "Piershill Square, Listed Building Report". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 18 November 2010.