Built in 1884 with later additions in 1904, the Coplaw Street former drill hall is a good example of a turn of the century former battalion headquarters in a Collegiate Tudor style. Although the building has been altered by the loss of part of the 1884 section of the building, the surviving part is well-detailed with decorative oriel windows, the castellated entrance bay and the circular corner tower with arrowslits. The building continues to evidence its former military use by the stone crest above the former entrance.
It was built as the Headquarters of the 3rd Lanarkshire (1st Glasgow Southern) Rifle Volunteer Corps.
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 3rd Lanarkshire Volunteers becoming the 7th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to Gallipoli and then to the Western Front.
In 1920 the Territorial Force became the Territorial Army.
The 7th battalion amalgamated with the 6th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) to form the 6th/7th Battalion at the drill hall at Muir Street, Hamilton in 1950 – although a company remained at Coplaw Street until the 6th/7th Battalion was disbanded in 1967.
The drill hall was also used for parades by the Boys’ Brigade in the 1960s.
The original drill hall was subsequently demolished leaving only the Coplaw Street extension standing. The extension was converted to a leisure centre in 1984 and then converted to apartments in 2001.