Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks is a military installation located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The barracks are set to close in 2029.

History

Redford Barracks was built between 1909 and 1915 by the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

and designed by Harry Bell Measures. When completed, the barracks was the largest military installation built in Scotland since Fort George in the Highlands. The

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

garrison in

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

formally moved out to the barracks in 1923. Today, the Infantry Barracks are unoccupied, and the Cavalry Barracks houses Balaclava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland ( Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders). The barracks comprises two

category B listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern ...

main buildings and parade squares facing Colinton Road.

Infantry Barracks

The Infantry Barracks (), was originally built to house an entire infantry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

and could accommodate 1,000 men. It could provide everything the resident

line infantry Line infantry was the type of infantry that formed the bulk of most European land armies from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Henri de la Tour d ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

required to function. The families lived in service quarters close to the barracks and the children attended local schools. The main barrack block itself housed the resident battalion headquarters, one

Rifle Company A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are made up of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and struc ...

, a Fire Support Company and Headquarters Company. The two other Rifle Companies were accommodated in a separate, newer block. 3rd Battalion

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

, the last battalion to occupy the barracks, moved out in 2014.

Cavalry Barracks

The three-storey Cavalry Barracks (), with its tall domed clock-tower, was originally built to house a cavalry regiment, most notably the Royal Scots Greys, with a large annexe of

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

s and associated outbuildings. With the permanent stationing of armoured units such as the

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a light Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest survivi ...

in Germany as part of the

British Army of the Rhine British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was the name given to British Army occupation forces in the Rhineland, West Germany, after the First and Second World Wars, and during the Cold War, becoming part of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) tasked ...

, the Cavalry Barracks became a home to D Squadron, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards stationed there from 1971 until disbanded in 1976. The cavalry barracks have been the home for Balaclava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland ( Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) since 2014. The Regimental Headquarters of the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry has also been located at the cavalry barracks since 2014. Redford Barracks had 370 UK Armed Forces Service personnel based there at 1 January 2024.

Based units

The following notable units are based at Redford Barracks. British Army *Headquarters,

51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland HQ 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland is a Regional Point of Command, Brigade of the British Army. Although it takes its name and identity directly from, the 51st (Highland) Division, it is also a descendant of the 52nd Lowland Divi ...

* Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion,

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only current Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry Regiment#British Army, regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (form ...

Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

*Headquarters, 5 Military Intelligence Battalion, Intelligence Corps *Regimental Headquarters, 105th Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

**I Troop, 278 (Lowland) Battery *Regimental Headquarters, Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry **E ( Lothians and Border Yeomanry) Squadron * City of Edinburgh University Officers' Training Corps Community Cadet Forces *20 (Colinton) Platoon, Lothians and Borders Battalion,

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence and the Bri ...

*Pipes and Drums of Lothians and Borders Battalion, Army Cadet Force *870 (Dreghorn) Squadron,

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, volunteer youth organisation; aligned to, and fostering the knowledge and learning of military values, primarily focusing on military aviation. Part of the ...

Future

As part of the ''Future Force 2020'' budgetary announcement in July 2011, RAF Kirknewton was to have been developed into a major Army base to host a Multi-Role Brigade; Redford and Dreghorn Barracks would become surplus to requirements and were earmarked for disposal under this plan. However, in December 2011, it was reported that the planned move to Kirknewton was in doubt, and that Redford Barracks would be retained. By 2013, it was confirmed that the MRB plan had been dropped, and that Redford Barracks would be closed. In 2019, it was announced that the closure of the barracks had been deferred to 2025. This was once more extended to 2029. In 2021, the

City of Edinburgh Council The City of Edinburgh Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Dhùn Èideann'') is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up area of Edinburgh, capital of Sco ...

revealed plans to create 800 new homes on the site, as part of their City Plan 2030.

References