Market Street, Garrison Theatre Lerwick, Scotland

Text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

The Garrison Theatre was designed in 1903 and completed in 1904 by the architect, William Arthur Baird Laing, as a Volunteer Headquarters, Drill Hall and Gymnasium for the 7th Volunteer Battalion Gordon Highlanders. The foundation stone was laid on 22nd July 1903 by Captain Commandant Moffatt and the building was officially opened by the Vice-Admiral Lord Charles Beresford on 17th September 1904. The drill hall was requisitioned during the Second World War by the Entertainments National Service Association as a theatre for service personnel. Unofficially dubbed with the title 'Garrison Theatre' it was not until 1942 that it was adapted for use as a theatre and was acquired by the Education Committee in 1958. It was refurbished around 1990. Shetland Arts took over the Garrison Theatre in 2006 and it provides a venue for theatre, concerts and other community uses (2010). 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 was 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 are were paid for by a major local landowner, the subscriptions of volunteers, local fundraising efforts or a combination of all three. The Regulations 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. Listed building record updated as part of the Theatres Thematic Study, 2010 and revised as part of the Drill Halls Listing Review 2015-16.