The Cockburn Association Doors Open Day 2019
Sunday 29th September 2019
10am - 4pm
For Edinburgh’s 2019 Doors Open Day Out of the Blue are offering ‘behind the scenes’ tours of the Out of the Blue Drill Hall.
Careful refurbishment has transformed this former military building into a centre for participatory activity of significant benefit to the local and artistic communities.
Out of the Blue Drill Hall is an A-listed building built in 1901 and designed by the renowned architect Sir Rowand Anderson. The Drill Hall is of considerable historical significance to the Leith community due to its association with the Gretna rail tragedy.
The Drill Hall is a A-listed building because of this architectural heritage, but also its historical significance in the local area. In 1915 the Gretna disaster, the worst crash in the history of British rail travel, killed 227 people and injured 246 others. 102 of those killed were young men from the 7th (Leith) Battalion of the Royal Scots, on their way to Liverpool, where they were to leave for Gallipoli. The bodies of the victims were laid out in the Drill Hall prior to burial in Rosebank Cemetery, across Leith Walk in Pilrig. The Drill Hall still stands today as a memorial to one of the greatest tragedies to affect the community of Leith.
The Cockburn Association Doors Open Day coincides with the OOTB Makers Marque. Local craftspeople will be demonstrating their skills and selling their unique products, plus artist and makers workshops, demonstrations and repair stations as part of the Makers Marque. The Drill Hall Arts Cafe will be open from 10am.
Tags: Open Studios
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