A smugglers hideaway, a fishermen’s rebellion and seaside boarding house a colourful past and a bright future for a historic and unique Borders Mansion house
Built in a prominent spot overlooking the major fishing port of Eyemouth, Gunsgreen House spent many years hiding secrets in plain sight now funding has been secured to reveal all and give it a new role at the heart of community life.
Gunsgreen House was built to impress. The A-listed 18th century building was designed by renowned architect John Adam and sited to be central to the landscape and fabric of Eyemouth. It has stood watch over the harbour since 1753.
Constructed as a merchant’s home, Gunsgreen’s unique past saw a secret history being written alongside the respectable front from its earliest days. Adaptations to the plans saw cellars with direct access to the sea for smuggling, and a “Tea Chute” to hide goods from the prying eyes of the exciseman.
Now, Gunsgreen House Trust sees a future for it as an attraction for visitors and a focus for the local community to be involved in its development and has secured major support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund to start putting those ambitious plans into action.
Thanks to Good Causes funding raised by National Lottery players, the Gunsgreen Trust has been awarded Development funding of £249,750 by the Heritage Fund.
Riddell Graham, Chairman of Gunsgreen House Trust said: “We are delighted to have received this support from the Heritage Fund for “A Gunsgreen for Everyone”.
“As a community organisation getting a project on this scale really moving is a challenging task. This support means we can now recruit the resources needed to fully develop our plans to create a new heritage centre and community outreach programme ensuring a bright future for Gunsgreen and indeed the people and wider economy of Eyemouth.”
Caroline Clark, Director for Scotland The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Gunsgreen House offers huge potential for this unique and historic property to make a real difference for locals and visitors alike.
“This project will support opportunities for people to get involved, to work and to learn. Supporting traditional skills, heritage careers and the wider visitor economy”
“Thanks to Good Causes funding raised by National Lottery players this redevelopment will help draw visitors to Eyemouth and protect and support local heritage.”
A Gunsgreen for Everyone will build on the rich stories of this Scottish coastal and fishing community and its visitors from days gone by. The hiding places of a notorious smuggler, fishermen’s rebellions to protect their livelihoods and the early days of British seaside holidays.
The project aims to support the creation of a new heritage centre and a programme of community engagement. Opening more of Gunsgreen’s rooms that otherwise would remain inaccessible to the public and creating oral histories to save folk memories before they are lost forever.
The project will make Gunsgreen’s three visitor floors (cellars, basement and ground floor) fully accessible for the first time, reduce its carbon footprint, and work with local people to unlock a richer range of stories of Eyemouth’s history than ever before.
Learning and engagement programmes will build on a successful events programme to explore Eyemouth’s history as a major fishing harbour. This will give people of all ages the chance to be involved in Gunsgreen’s heritage as participants and volunteers, keeping the spirit of the House alive for future generations. Local people will be taught skills relating to Gunsgreen’s heritage, and will be involved in helping to capture oral histories before these threads of our heritage are lost to time
Gunsgreen House Trust will be running a series of community engagement events over the next 18 months to bring this project alive and invite local people to participate in its development. Please check our web site www.gunsgreenhouse.org or our Gunsgreen Facebook page for details of our events programme
Notes to editors
About Gunsgreen House Trust
For the last 25 years Gunsgreen has been run by a local charity the Gunsgreen House Trust who saved the house from dereliction in 1998 and restored it, creating visitor displays that have already engaged thousands of visitors and school groups, accommodation that serves as a significant part of the tourism offer in Eyemouth, and spaces for community events and engagement.
The Trust is run by a board of trustees chosen for their skills and experience and local knowledge. Our backgrounds include the visitor economy, arts, learning, the media, marketing and accountancy.
Currently our staff team consists of two part-time posts.
The house is owned by Scottish Borders Council with the Trust operating the building on a long-term, lease (99 years).
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
*Grant applications over £250,000 are assessed in two rounds. A Gunsgreen for All has initially been granted round one development funding of £249,751 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, allowing it to progress with its plans. Detailed proposals are then considered by the Heritage Fund at second round, where a final decision is made on the full funding award of £ 1.6 million.
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
By 2033 we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Riddell Graham, Gunsgreen House Chairman. Email – riddellgraham46@gmail.com Mobile 07387700833