“Heritage at Risk – Revive, Resist, Reimagine” looking Ahead…..
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 interpretation of the theme, which stresses that heritage at risk isn’t simply about monuments: it includes memories, knowledge, traditions and cultural practices, and asks communities to help shape their cultural future.
REVIVE – What have we saved, restored and brought back to life?
Gunsgreen House is itself a story of revival.
Built in 1753 for Eyemouth merchant John Nisbet, the Category A-listed house is an exceptionally important part of Eyemouth’s architectural and social history. After years of changing use including a private house, a guest house, a golf clubhouse and a period when the building stood empty, the Gunsgreen House Trust was established in 1998 with the aim of restoring the house and preserving its story for future generations.
What has been achieved
• The Trust has secured the future of the building and undertaken major restoration and conservation work over many years.
• Major restoration funding included an £818,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund award, alongside support from Historic Scotland, Scottish Borders Council, the Architectural Heritage Fund and numerous trusts, foundations and individual benefactors.
• The principal historic rooms have been restored and brought back into use.
• Nisbet’s Tower has been restored and adapted for accommodation.
• The upper floors of the House provide visitor accommodation, creating an income stream that contributes towards the sustainability of the wider property.
• The historic cellars were developed as a museum and visitor experience telling the story of Eyemouth’s smuggling heritage.
• Historic features and the character of the building have been retained, allowing visitors to experience an important 18th-century merchant’s house rather than simply viewing a restored façade.
• The Trust has continued to use the building for events, community activity, accommodation and public engagement, keeping Gunsgreen as a living part of Eyemouth rather than a preserved monument.
What we are doing now
The immediate priority in 2026 is to address essential repairs and deal with the water-ingress problems that have affected the historic cellars. Remedial works have already been undertaken to resolve the water-ingress issue, while further repair and development work is being progressed.
At the same time, the Trust is:
• progressing fundraising;
• developing new community activities;
• undertaking accessibility and energy assessments;
• refining the architectural plans for the next phase;
• developing specifications for the new heritage centre;
• and building partnerships to develop Gunsgreen’s future.
RESIST – What are we protecting, and what is still at risk?
The second story is more challenging.
Saving a historic building once is not enough.
Gunsgreen remains a vulnerable heritage asset. The cost of maintaining a large historic building is substantial, while climate change, water ingress, energy costs, accessibility limitations and the need to generate sufficient income all create continuing pressures.
The recent closure of the museum because of water ingress provides visitors with a very tangible example of what “heritage at risk” actually means.
What we are resisting
Physical deterioration
Historic buildings require continuous maintenance. Water, weather and the passage of time can threaten the very fabric that earlier generations worked so hard to save.
Loss of access
Parts of the building are currently difficult or impossible for people with restricted mobility to access. The next phase of the project therefore places a strong emphasis on improving accessibility and ultimately providing access to the heritage experience across the cellar, basement and ground-floor levels.
Loss of relevance
A building can be physically preserved but still become culturally at risk if people stop engaging with it.
The challenge is therefore not simply: How do we preserve Gunsgreen?
but: How do we make Gunsgreen matter to people who will inherit it?
Financial vulnerability
Conservation cannot depend indefinitely on grants and charitable fundraising alone. The future model needs a stronger combination of earned income from accommodation, philanthropy, visitor attraction income, accommodation, hospitality, events and partnerships.
Loss of local stories
Gunsgreen is not simply an architectural curiosity. Its story connects directly to Eyemouth’s development as a fishing and trading community, to smuggling and customs, to coastal life, to changing patterns of employment and to the wider history of Scotland’s east coast.
Those stories need to remain alive.
What we intend to do
The Trust’s strategy is to move from a building that requires continuing intervention to a sustainable heritage and community asset.
This means:
• completing essential repairs;
• protecting the historic fabric;
• improving resilience to water and climate-related risks;
• improving energy efficiency;
• addressing accessibility;
• creating a stronger financial model;
• increasing community use;
• and developing new partnerships that give Gunsgreen a much broader base of support.
The Trust is already working with partners on traditional construction skills, energy efficiency, accessibility and climate planning, demonstrating that “resisting” heritage loss is about more than repairing masonry — it is about building the knowledge, skills and systems needed to look after the building in the future.
REIMAGINE – What could Gunsgreen become?
This is perhaps the most exciting part of the story.
The future vision is not simply to restore Gunsgreen to what it once was.
It is to create something that could not have existed in the 18th century — a 21st-century heritage, community and visitor destination rooted in an extraordinary historic building.
The next major transformation
The Trust’s current plans envisage a new heritage centre occupying the cellar, basement and ground-floor levels.
This would include:
• a significantly improved visitor experience;
• new interpretation and interactive displays;
• improved accessibility;
• a new reception area;
• lift and stair access connecting the principal visitor levels;
• café facilities;
• retail space;
• new exhibition and community spaces;
• and a programme of changing exhibitions and activities.
The interpretation itself can become much broader.
Rather than telling only the story of John Nisbet and smuggling, Gunsgreen can become a gateway into the history of Eyemouth and Scotland’s coastal communities — fishing, seafaring, smuggling, lighthouses, coastal trade, Victorian tourism, marine conservation and the transition towards offshore renewable energy.
Reimagining Gunsgreen as a community asset
The vision also extends beyond visitors. Gunsgreen is intended to become a place where:
• local schools learn about Eyemouth’s history;
• young people develop heritage and traditional-building skills;
• community groups meet and create events;
• local historians share research;
• artists and makers exhibit their work;
• families participate in activities;
• volunteers contribute their knowledge;
• visitors discover the wider Berwickshire coast;
• and local businesses collaborate around tourism and regeneration.
This is particularly important because it changes the proposition from:
“Gunsgreen is an historic building that the community must help preserve”
to:
“Gunsgreen is a community asset that creates value for the community.”
Reimagining the wider site
The longer-term vision goes further still. The Trust wants to explore:
• further progress towards net zero;
• improved energy performance;
• imaginative use of the landscape around Gunsgreen House and Nisbet’s Tower;
• stronger links with Eyemouth’s harbour and coastal routes;
• a broader programme of events and activities;
• increased visitor numbers;
The objective is ultimately a self-sustaining cycle:
Better building → better experience → more visitors → more income → more activity → greater community benefit → greater ability to conserve the building.
In summary:-
REVIVE – We saved it.
From an empty and vulnerable historic building to a restored house, visitor attraction, accommodation and community resource.
What have we achieved? – Restoration • Conservation • Museum • Accommodation • Community use • Partnerships
RESIST – We are protecting it.
Historic buildings never stop needing care. Water, climate, accessibility, energy costs and financial sustainability mean that the work continues.
What are we doing now? Repairs • Water protection • Accessibility • Energy efficiency • Skills • Fundraising • Partnerships
REIMAGINE – We are creating its future.
A new heritage centre and a sustainable visitor and community destination for Eyemouth.
What do we want to achieve?
New interpretation • Café • Retail • Improved access • Education • Events • Community activity • Net zero • New partnerships