| Ferry Road drill hall | |
| Type: | Drill hall |
| Map Type: | Scotland Ross and Cromarty |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Ross and Cromarty |
| Location: | Dingwall, Scotland |
| Built: | c.1910 |
| Used: | c.1910 – Present |
| Built For: | War Office |
The Ferry Road drill hall, known locally as Seaforth Barracks, is a military installation in Dingwall, Scotland.
The building was designed as the headquarters of the 4th (Ross Highland) Battalion, the Seaforth Highlanders in around 1910.[1] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front.[2] [3] The battalion amalgamated with the 5th Battalion, the Seaforth Highlanders to form the 4th/5th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), with its headquarters at the Old Bank Road drill hall in Golspie, in 1921.[4] The 4th Battalion and 5th Battalion operated separately from 1939 and 1941, when they amalgamated again after the surrender at Saint-Valery-en-Caux.[4]
After the Second World War, the combined battalion amalgamated with 6th (Caithness and Sutherland) Battalion and 7th (Morayshire) Battalion to form 11th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), with its headquarters at the Ferry Road drill hall.[5] The 11th Battalion then amalgamated with the 4th/5th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders to form the home defence battalion of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) in 1967.[5]
The home defence battalion of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) was in turn absorbed into the 51st Highland Volunteers in 1969, with a rifle platoon of C (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, 2nd Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers still based at the Ferry Road drill hall.[6] Following a further re-organisation in 1995, the rifle platoon became part of Headquarters Company, 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) still based at the Ferry Road drill hall.[6] However, following the Strategic Defence Review carried out in 1998, the rifle platoon was disbanded, and only an army cadet unit remains at the drill hall.[3]