Gunsgreen House

LOCATION: Eyemouth, Scottish Borders

CLIENT: Gunsgreen House Trust

CONTRACTOR: Cumming & Co Ltd.

The Vision

Gunsgreen House is a Grade A Listed Palladian villa designed in 1753 by James Adam, brother and business partner, of Robert Adam, located within Eyemouth harbour and residing within the Eyemouth Conservation Area.

Aesthetically, it is characterized by its classically proportioned five bay, three storey form and curved, battlemented retaining wall enclosing a 19th century terrace. The house contains a significant basement and is of considerable local significance due to its association with John Nisbet, a well-known merchant and smuggler, who commissioned the property.

By 1998, the building stood empty and had been virtually abandoned. Years of institutional use had seen much of the original historic fabric such as plasterwork and internal joinery partially dismantled with the original sash and case windows broken and suffering from rot. Cementitious repairs to the stonework and original lime harling had resulted in further deterioration of these elements with considerable work needed to address the large basement which was affected by damp and tide. However that summer, the Gunsgreen House Trust was established.

CSY acted as lead consultant and conservation architect for the project which involved the repair of historic fabric and conversion of the property into a multi-use facility which incorporated an exclusive use venue , short let holiday accommodation and a museum of the building’s story.

Merchant’s House Holiday Let, Gunsgreen House, Eyemouth | Crabtree & Crabtree (crabtreeandcrabtree.com)

The Solution

CSY acted as lead consultant and conservation architect for the project, which primarily involved the repair of historic fabric and sensitive conversion of the property into a multi-use facility which incorporated an exclusive use venue, short let holiday accommodation and a museum of the building’s story.

The historic rooms of the merchant’s house have been fully restored and furnished to reflect their original purpose.

The top two floors operate as a self-catering holiday apartment with the principal rooms on the Piano Nobile used for weddings, meetings and events in the Eyemouth town calendar. Fire detection and protection issues as well as mechanical and electrical services were addressed and carefully integrated within the existing fabric. During the course of the works, many of the layers of history such as paint schemes and plasterwork were revealed, allowing them to be protected, repaired and replicated.

Works to the external facades were undertaken, including remedial work to the sandstone ashlar and repairs to the existing harling. External windows beyond repair were carefully replicated using original examples and new panelled timber doors, based on photographic and drawn evidence, installed.

The completed conversion respects the history of the building and is a fine example of low-key intervention.

The Conclusion

Working closely with the Gunsgreen House Trust, CSY helped deliver an exemplary conservation-led project that has seen the restoration of a Grade A Listed building, previously at risk of being lost forever, and provided it with a sustainable future that is of benefit to the wider social, cultural and economic climate of Eyemouth and the Scottish Borders.