The Black Watch Armoury (French: Caserne du Black Watch) is a Scottish baronial-style armoury in Montreal, completed in 1906 to house the 5th Regiment "Royal Highlanders of Canada" (now the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada). Designed by Samuel Arnold Finley and David Jerome Spence, the armoury was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 2008.[1] It was previously designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building, in 1994.[2]
| Armoury of the Black Watch of Canada | |
|---|---|
Caserne du Black Watch du Canada | |
 Front entrance | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Scottish baronial |
| Address | 2067, rue Bleury |
| Town or city | Montreal |
| Country | Canada |
| Construction started | 1905 |
| Completed | 1906 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Arnold Finley David Jerome Spence |
| Architecture firm | Finley and Spence |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Official name | Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Armoury National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 2008 |
The armoury is home to the regiment's museum, which was opened on 8 November 1949 by the then-colonel of the Black Watch, Field Marshal Lord Wavell.[3]
History
editOn May 9, 1963, the armoury's exterior was damaged as part of a campaign of terrorist bombings in Montreal by the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ).[4][5] In March 1983, two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the building, with a communique issued to local media claiming to be on behalf of a group carrying on the revolutionary politics of the FLQ.[6] Quebec politics came into play again in 2009, when a protest by 200 demonstrators disrupted a Remembrance Day visit to the armoury by Charles, Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.[7]
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Museum
edit | |
| Established | 1949 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2067, rue Bleury, Montreal Canada |
| Type | Regimental Museum |
| Website | Black Watch of Canada Museum |
Opened in 1949, the regiment's museum includes uniforms, weapons, musical instruments, maps, medals, photographs and documents that focus on the history of the regiment, the city and the Canadian armed forces. The museum is open to members of the Regimental family as well as to the public on Tuesdays and by appointment. The museum and archives are at the regiment's headquarters on rue de Bleury in Montreal. The museum portrays the history of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) through a collection of regimental uniforms, accoutrements, trophies of war, and mementos.[8]
It is currently undergoing renovations and is closed for the time being.
References
edit- ^ Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Armoury. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ "Armoury". Federal Heritage Buildings. Parks Canada. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ "Regimental Museum". Official website. Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment). Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ Fong, William (24 October 2008). J.W. McConnell: Financier, Philanthropist, Patriot. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 573. ISBN 9780773532700. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
black watch bleury.
- ^ "Montreal Armoury Bombed". Calgary Herald. Canadian Press. 10 May 1963. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ "Firebombs hit Montreal armoury". Regina Leader-Post. Canadian Press. 8 March 1983. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ "Montreal police defend handling of royal visit". CBC News. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ A-AD-266-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Museums –Operations and Administration 2002-04-03