by Alaister White, Trustee Gunsgreen House Trust -Sept 20206 GUNSGREEN HOUSE A Hidden History on Eyemouth Harbour Welcome to one of Scotland’s most intriguing historic houses. Standing proudly beside Eyemouth Harbour, Gunsgreen House combines Georgian elegance with a remarkably colourful past. Built for merchant John Nisbet, the House became closely associated with the smuggling of tea, brandy and tobacco – and was designed, quite literally, with secrecy in mind. Today Gunsgreen is being cared for and restored as an important part of Eyemouth’s heritage, telling the story of the people, trade and communities that have shaped this remarkable corner of the Scottish Borders. A HOUSE WITH A SECRET Gunsgreen House…

by Alaister White, Trustee Gunsgreen House Trust- Sept 2026 REVIVE – What are we saving?The story of Gunsgreen House, its architecture, landscape, collections and association with Eyemouth’s smuggling and maritime history. RESIST – What are we fighting to protect?The challenges are tangible: the vulnerability of these historic buildings, the cost of conservation, climate change, changing visitor patterns and the danger that historic places become disconnected from their communities. REIMAGINE – What could Gunsgreen become?This is where the proposed heritage centre and visitor attraction is particularly important. This is the vision for the future – conservation, interpretation, café/retail, community activity, education and landscape. This fits very closely with the wider European…

Sunday 6th September 2026 Gunsgreen House opened its doors for a special Open Day recently for Doors Open Days Scotland 2026, giving visitors the opportunity to step inside this remarkable building, discover more about its history and hear about our plans for its future. The day was a great success, with between 50 and 60 people visiting Gunsgreen House. We welcomed local visitors from Eyemouth and Berwickshire, as well as people staying in the area from Bath, Nottingham, Preston, Yorkshire, Edinburgh and East Lothian. We were particularly delighted to welcome a couple who had travelled from Newcastle specifically to visit Gunsgreen. A taste of Gunsgreen Visitors were treated to homemade…

Several people have been asking how our project to create a new heritage centre in the building is progressing and  “when will it open?”Here is the latest project update: The self-catering accommodation in Gunsgreen Apartment (the two upper floors of the main house) and Nisbet’s Tower is open and available to book by accessing the following link – www.gunsgreenhouse.org/stay-with-us. The ground floor rooms are available for meetings and host a range of events “Gunsgreen Gatherings” throughout the year – details are available on our Facebook page –  www.facebook.com/GunsgreenHousetrust The basement and cellars are currently not accessible to the public and are being dried out after significant water ingress issues. An…

Based on a feasibility study carried out in late 2023, Trustees have been pursuing a major project to improve the visitor experience in the Merchant’s House.

Gunsgreen has partnered with Visit Scotland and Climate Springboard to participate in a net zero support programme for tourism and events businesses in Scotland.

Working with Business Energy Scotland, the team at Gunsgreen have provided a wide range of data and information on energy usage, size of rooms, current forms of heating and challenges facing the property which was built as a domestic residence away back in 1753. The report from BES, expected in mid-April, will highlight opportunities on energy saving, carbon reduction and enhanced energy management.

Scottish Borders Social Enterprise Chamber has carried out a detailed accessibility audit of Merchant’s House

A mixed programme of events and activities aiming to bring people of all ages into Gunsgreen Househas been prepared for you

What a day and what a turn out for our Easter Family Fun event!!