Cameron Barracks stands on Knockentinnel Hill on the eastern outskirts of Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

 in Scotland. It was constructed by the Royal Engineers' Office (Edinburgh) between 1876 and 1884.

History

The barracks was the home of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders from 11 June 1886 until September 1960 when the regiment moved to Fort George, shortly before the amalgamation of Seaforths and Camerons.

During World War I, the barracks was used to process many thousands of volunteer recruits. Returning wounded and demobilising soldiers also passed though the barracks towards the end of the war and on its conclusion. Conscientious objectors were, for a time, held here, as was the crew of a captured German submarine.

The barracks are in use today as a training base for TA and Cadet units.

Architecture

Built in the Baronial style, it consists of 4 2-storey blocks enclosing 3 sides of the parade ground. The north-west and west blocks each have, at their centre, twin conical-roofed drum towers linked by a balcony above the round-arched entrance. The north-east block is surmounted by an asymmetrical clock-tower. There is, at north-east
corner, a square-plan entrance tower forming the main gateway. The barracks was listed as Category: B on 21 May 1971.

Music

Cameron Barracks has a very long affiliation with both Army Piping and Cadet Force Piping. The first Army Class of Instruction was held at Cameron Barracks in 1910 under the expert tutolage of Pipe Major John MacDonald and supervisory direction of the Piobaireachd Society. The Army Cadet Force has endeavoured to keep this affiliation alive and each year an eight day course of instruction is held at Cameron Barracks during the Easter school holidays.