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Summary

Description

Raymond Unwin; C M Crickmer (site architect), 1917. 2-storey U-plan former school (currently community centre and library, 2012) with Edwardian renaissance treatment. Brick-built, W-facing courtyard all painted, and with pedimented narrow central entrance bay, wide-margined outer end walls; inner range to a tall single storey to E elevation, N and E elevations each have off-centre projecting bays. Multi-paned glazing; stacks; slate roofs.

Statement of Special Interest

This U-plan former school is situated in the centre of the town and is a key building in the planned town of Gretna. The building is of red brick, which is an uncommon building material in Scotland, and has a number of decorative features, including the advanced gables, piended roofs and prominent quoin details. Gretna was designed along Garden City principles, which included the use of small groups of housing with accessible green space. This building, set back from the road in a central position in the town centre is one of the key buildings in the town.

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 was Raymond Unwin, 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. Formerly listed as Gretna Village School.

References

Bibliography

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