60E Annan Road, Gretna

A block of flats built in 1917 by the celebrated town planner Raymond Unwin, with C M Crickmer as site architect, located at a prominent junction in Gretna village. The building exemplifies the Edwardian Renaissance style applied to social housing.

The structure is a symmetrical two-storey block with a distinctive U-plan formed by a long principal north-facing front with single-storey ranges adjoining each outer gable to the south. The north elevation is the main architectural statement, featuring pedimented narrow central and wide outer gables with blocked cornices. The external walls are constructed in red brick with red ashlar dressings.

The north elevation displays considerable architectural refinement. The outer bays feature shallow advanced ground floor Venetian windows, pedimented and architraved main door with central windows of small-paned sashes, all set within shallow recessed vertical panels. An eaves course and mutule cornice run the length of the elevation, with axial chimney stacks emphasizing the facade's rhythm. The roofs are slated. The flanks are six-bay elevations, also featuring architraved doorways. The westmost low wing now serves as the Tourist Information Office.

The building was originally constructed as the Police Barracks for Gretna village. It was built as part of the comprehensive township of Gretna, created during the First World War to house workers at the nearby munitions factory, which stretched for nine miles along the Solway banks and produced cordite explosives. The township was designed along Garden City lines with green spaces, a wide central street with shops and community facilities, and curving residential streets. Unwin was appointed chief designer by the government, with Crickmer serving as resident architect. The community facilities included several churches, a dance hall, a school and a cinema. After the war the factory was dismantled.

The building is well-detailed with prominent wide chimney stacks and cornice decoration. The regularly spaced windows and simple classical detailing in the Venetian windows and pedimented door pieces contribute to its architectural interest.