History

The London Scottish Regiment was founded in 1859, drawn from the Scottish diaspora in London. The original drill hall was finished in 1886 at 59 Buckingham Gate to a design by the Scottish architect John MacVicar Anderson. Having suffered a century of use and war time damage during the blitz, the decision was made to re-build in a new location, close to the original, but retaining many of the architectural features of the old building, such as the three War Memorials, the original Portico and the late-Victorian wrought iron balconies and roof.
The current building was completed in 1988 and granted Grade 2 listed status by English Heritage in 2021.

Usage

The building was designed to be a a territorial army drill hall and the home of the London Scottish Regiment. It has the central drill hall, dining rooms, bars and it still houses the London Scottish Regimental Museum displays on the balconies. After the Army Reserve unit moved locations in 2017 the building use has evolved to a mix of office rental, hospitality, conference and meeting space and the Regimental Museum.

English Heritage Grade II Listing

London Scottish Drill Hall: Built to designs by Duncan Cardow of T.P.Bennett for the London Scottish Regiment to replace their original drill hall at 59 Buckingham Gate and incorporating elements from that building which was built between 1882 and 1886 by John MacVicar Anderson.

Reasons for Designation:
- Architectural interest:
*for the innovative late-Victorian wrought iron roof structures and galleries restored from the original drill hall.
*for its exteriors in a neo-Georgian style which references traditional drill hall design but with subtle use of post-modern elements to enliven the elevations.
*for the high quality of the brickwork
*for the three restored war memorials which are all of high-quality design and materials.
*for the involvement of notable late C19th and C20th architectural practices,
Historical Interest: For its associations as the former Headquarters of the London Scottish Regiment, a Volunteer unit with a distinguished history, formed in 1859, with close links to Westminster.

Military Museum

The building houses a unique collection of artifacts that reflect the history of the London Scottish Regiment and an array of medals from seerving soliders collected over the years. There are 3 famous VC's awared to serving soldiers in WW1 and WW2.

London Scottish Pipes and Drums

The Pipes and Drums of The London Scottish were founded soon after the raising of the London Scottish Regiment in 1859. At over 150 years old the band is considered to be one of the oldest pipe bands in the world. The band continues to wear the full dress uniform of the London Scottish Regiment as it did at its inception in 1860. Their tartan, the ‘Hodden Grey’, is distinctive and unusual, as it has no pattern. The tartan was chosen to blend in with the environment as an early form of military camouflage.

Today the band comprises of around 45 members and aims to be seen as much as possible to maintain awareness of The London Scottish Regiment, the former regimental drill hall, London Scottish House; and the London Scottish Regimental Trusts.

The band plays at a wide range of public and private events ranging from The Lord Mayor’s Show to The Royal Caledonian Ball. The band is often invited to support military functions such as the Household Division’s Military Musical Spectacular on Horseguards Parade. Every year the full band participates in the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Cenetaph and at the Regimental Church, St. Columbas in Belgravia. The band competes and is successful in winning numberous piping competitions.

The band frequently travels abroad and has performed in many European countries including Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Gibraltar, Italy and Switzerland and also had opportunities to travel and play further afield in countries including Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Morocco.