The Vanguard Centre

The Vanguard Centre

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The Vanguard Centre offers HEMA (historical swordfighting) and archery, close to Glasgow city centre!

The Vanguard Centre is a converted railway arch in the city centre of Glasgow. Just south of the Clyde, within 10 minutes walking distance of Central Station, We are well-situated and easy to reach. Our attendance fees are very competitive, and we have an onsite shop where you can see, handle, and try on gear before making any commitments to purchase anything. We have our own indoor archery range,

Photos from The Vanguard Centre's post 10/07/2026

It is, with a heavy heart, that we must share news of the passing of Andy Donald, one of the Vanguard Centre stalwart archers, who has been shooting with us for a great many years. Many of you will be aware that he has been battling ill health for a long time now but deteriorated suddenly this week. An early adopter of traditional archery, Andy's skill with a longbow was impressive, despite the expletives he would utter when he made a bad shot. Always quick with a smile and patient with beginners and seasoned members alike, his calm and steady progress with his bow was a joy to see as he turned up, week after week, even when he wasn't feeling great, looking to beat his PB and encouraging those who were being hard on themselves. Wherever his onward journey takes him we are confident Andy will be working on his score and bringing a calm sense of fun to whoever he meets.

We'd like to offer our condolences to his family and if anyone would like to contribute to some flowers for his funeral or wish to attend, please let us know and we will share information as it becomes available.

07/07/2026

Ahoy there!

Bow and Shield Crafting weekend, August 22nd & 23rd 2026 with Sylvankin!

Get your ticket for 2 days of arts, crafts, history, learning, and playtime hand-making your own longbow, flatbow, or shield with traditional methods and expert instruction from our friends at Sylvankin.

Bows can be made to different sizes and strengths, personalised to the user, with a poundage between 15 to 30lbs or more, depending on where and how you want to shoot. Shields can be made for training safe for HEMA, Reenactment, LARPing, Cosplay, or even just as a badass ornament to hang on your wall.

Full details and ticket sales are on our website in the "events" section of the shop 😎

07/07/2026

Ahoy gang!

It's tusslin' time! Targe time! TEAM TIME!

This Tuesday night, at 7.30pm, we have the first of July's trio of Melee & Skirmish Fighting classes, starting with Highland Clan Skirmishes of the 17th-18th centuries.
This will be a low concept, high intensity class based more on learning some teamwork, spatial awareness, and psychology of group fighting instead of our usual one-on-one technical and source based HEMA practise.

Anyone with a background in single broadsword (or sabre), sword and shield, and curiously, greatsword, will be welcome tonight for some hectic and chaotic playtime!

Get booked in on the HEMA booking system on our website, now!

Photos from The Vanguard Centre's post 27/06/2026

Ahoy Saturday!

++ RESCHEDULING NOTE! ++
Due to external events, we have a change to the usual timetable today. The booking systems have been adjusted, but we thought we should make everyone aware of the following changes.

• Member's Archery, 11.00am 🏹
• HEMA Longsword Fundamentals, 12.30pm ⚔️
• Open Archery, 5.30pm 🎯

These changes are for Saturday 27th June only, and we will be back to our usual schedule next week.

Jump on the website to book your favourite classes, and we shall see you in the tunnel, soon!

Photos from The Vanguard Centre's post 25/06/2026

Ahoy gang! 😎

Suffering in the heat? ☀️
Remember, the Vanguard Centre is insulated by 8,000 tons of concrete, steel, rock, and railways, and is pleasantly cool even during a heatwave like this!

Join us tonight for some pleasant evening Open Archery from 6.00pm, or our advanced class I'm German Longsword at 7.30pm. Bookings are available from our website.

We also have an unofficial social night out planned at The Laurieston Bar around the corner, so students and staff can have a rewarding cool drink after working hard in class 💪

See y'all in the hall!

23/06/2026

Ahoy, Highlanders (and lowlanders, wetlanders, and landers of undisclosed locations)

Tuesday night is currently Targe night, wherein we will be looking at Feints and Deceptions with combination weapons - it's easy to confuse, embarrass, and harass an opponent who's already confused with the coordination of two different weapons at the same time!

Get booked in for Highland Sword And Targe tonight at 7.30pm on the HEMA booking system on our website!

We also have a Members' Archery Session preceding at 6.00pm, so there's opportunity for the louns to do some non-contact skirmishes before the Highland Charge later...

See you in the tunnel!

Photos from The Vanguard Centre's post 21/06/2026

Thanks to everyone who came to the 3rd official VC Games Night! Especial congrats to Ellie & Matthew for their game wins and especially to Ryan for winning the most games :D
🎯

20/06/2026

Ahoy gang, its Saturday!

If you're not too delicate after staying up all night to watch the football, then we have a full day of recreational violence for your entertainment, education, and exercise!

• Members Archery, 11.00am 🏹
• Open Archery, 12.30pm 🎯
• Open Archery, 2.00pm 🎯
• HEMA Longsword Fundamentals, 4.00pm ☠️
• Archery Games Night, 6.30pm 🎲🧩🎮🪅

Booking systems are open for all the regular classes, and tickets are still available for the Archery Games Night in the shop, all found on our website.

See you in the tunnel, champions!

19/06/2026

Ahoy, Friday!

We have a nice easy evening of archery planned, with sessions at 4.30pm and 6.00pm later today.
We also have plenty of action over the weekend with Open Archery and Longsword lessons on Saturday afternoon, followed by our new Archery Games Night at 6.30pm tomorrow.

There's also a session of shooting and some time for private tuitions on Sunday as well... plenty to get your teeth/arrows/swords stuck into.

Jump on the website to get your bookings, and we'll see you in the tunnel soon!

17/06/2026

Ahoy, Wednesday!

Usual double whammy of mid-week mayhem tonight, with
• Open Archery at 6.00pm 🏹
• HEMA Scottish Broadsword at 7.30pm 🤺

The HEMA lesson tonight will look at combined actions, in turning failed attacks into renewed attacks, successful parries into secure riposte and setting up some feints and tricks with several actions of the blade

See you tonight, tunnel fam!

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Location

Address


63 Commerce Street
Glasgow
G58AD

Opening Hours

Monday 2pm - 9:15pm
Tuesday 2pm - 9:15pm
Wednesday 2pm - 9:15pm
Thursday 2pm - 9:15pm
Friday 2pm - 9:15pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm