THE National Theatre of Scotland will next month unveil its new £6.5million headquarters at Speirs Wharf.

A former cash and carry building has been remodelled and extensively refurbished to create Rockvilla, a new centre for creativity, production and talent development.

The new centre will allow the company for the first time to house all its rehearsal and production activities under one roof.

The canal side building has three rehearsal rooms, creative development spaces, a learning and community suite, a working wardrobe, a production workshop and technical store, office space, meeting room and social areas.

Rockvilla is designed by award winning Glasgow based Hoskins Architects who designed the UK's most northerly cinema and music venue in Shetland, the Bridge Arts Centre in Easterhouse and Culloden Battlefield visitor centre in Inverness.

The National Theatre's new HQ is in an emerging cultural hub which includes Scottish Opera, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow Sculpture Studios, the Glue Factory and the Whisky Bond.

More than £2m was raised to help fund the building through a fundraising campaign with donations from trusts and foundations with a £1m gift from Euromillions winners Chris and Colin Weir.

The name Rockvilla derives from the extensive quarrying industry that once existed in the area of Glasgow surrounding the canals.

Several local buildings had the name including Rockvilla School which was demolished in 1996 and Rockvilla Church on Saracen Street which was renamed Possilpark Paris Church.

A National Theatre of Scotland spokeswoman said: "The National Theatre of Scotland is proud to reclaim the name Rockvilla as it takes up residence in this historic area and newly regenerated cultural quarter of the city."

One of the first productions at the new base will be about the last journey of a World War II midget submarine with audiences invited to step aboard for a series of performance sailings down the canal in the last week of June.

In 1952, thousands of people turned out to witness the last journey of mini-sub HMS XE9 as it headed east away from its home base.

The National Theatre is to invite its new neighbours, including local schools, residents, families, community groups and cultural organisations from the North Glasgow corridor, to imagine what adventures the submarine embarked on through the years.