History in Structure

Gables Hotel, Annan Road, Gretna

A Category B Listed Building in Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway

We don't have any photos of this building yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

Coordinates

Latitude: 54.9961 / 54°59'45"N

Longitude: -3.0726 / 3°4'21"W

OS Eastings: 331474

OS Northings: 567357

OS Grid: NY314673

Mapcode National: GBR 6BZN.LV

Mapcode Global: WH6Y9.SP09

Plus Code: 9C6RXWWG+CW

Entry Name: Gables Hotel, Annan Road, Gretna

Listing Name: Gretna Village, Annan Road, the Gables

Listing Date: 4 October 1988

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 342272

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB9932

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Gretna, Annan Road, Gables Hotel

ID on this website: 200342272

Location: Gretna

County: Dumfries and Galloway

Electoral Ward: Annandale East and Eskdale

Parish: Gretna

Traditional County: Dumfriesshire

Tagged with: Hotel

Find accommodation in
Gretna

Description

Raymond Unwin; C M Crickmer, (site architect), 1917. Brick-built neo-classical villa with flanking wings; multi-paned sash windows, broad-eaved piended slate roofs. House: 2 storeys, 5 bays, shallow segmental-arched ground floor windows, shallow stepped forward central bay, with moulded doorway with flat canopied hood; end stacks. Solar panels. Wings are set forward from house and have 2 bays to front: axial stacks. Later extension to rear.

Statement of Interest

This symmetrical building has prominent tall, chimney stacks and is a significant addition to the streetscape of Gretna. The building is of red brick - an unusual residential building material in Scotland - and has some decorative features in the contrasting brick detailing around the windows and the flanking single-storey wings. The top storey windows are set close to the roof line and this, together with the deep eaves also add to the architectural interest of the building. Gretna was designed along Garden City principles, where houses are often set back from the pavement with a private garden, as here. The building sits across the road from the former hospital and was the doctor's home when Gretna was first established.

Built in 1916-18, the town of Gretna was constructed to provide housing and community facilities for the workers of the nearby munitions factory. The government was concerned during the course of the First World War that there was a lack of ammunition for the British troops, and it commissioned a large munitions factory to be built. This stretched for 9 miles along the banks of the Solway and produced Cordite explosives. Thousands of workers were brought in from around Britain and Ireland to work at the factory and temporary timber and more permanent brick housing was erected to accommodate the builders of the factory and its workers. The township was designed along Garden City lines, with green spaces surrounding the houses, with a wide, central street with shops and community facilities and other, curving streets. The chief designer, Raymond Unwin was appointed by the government, with Courtnay M Crickmer acting as the resident architect. As well as housing, the workers and their families required buildings to provide for leisure and the township included several churches, a dance hall, a school and a cinema. After the war, the factory was dismantled and only a few remnants of it remain.

Raymond Unwin (1863-1940) was one of the most important figures in early 20th century British town planning and was the overseeing architect for the development of Gretna and the neighbouring town of Eastriggs. He advocated high standards of design for social housing and informality of planning. He worked predominantly in England and is perhaps best known for his planning of Letchworth Garden City and Hampstead Garden Suburb.

C M Crickmer, (1879-1971) was a London based architect who was the architect in resident for the designing of Gretna township. He also worked with Unwin at Letchworth and Hampstead Garden Suburb.

Notes and References updated, 2012.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

BritishListedBuildings.co.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact BritishListedBuildings.co.uk for any queries related to any individual listed building, planning permission related to listed buildings or the listing process itself.

British Listed Buildings is a Good Stuff website.