153 Central Avenue, Gretna

153 Central Avenue, Gretna

Two symmetrical terraces of red brick housing, designed by Raymond Unwin with C M Crickmer as site architect, built in 1917 for munitions workers. Each terrace comprises three blocks, with four houses per block, linked by low porches and facing one another across a wide avenue. The inner house blocks feature two advanced square bays, while the outer blocks are L-shaped with three terminal bays set forward. Original glazing consisted of small-paned timber sash windows, though many have since been replaced. Inner doors are paired, with doors and side lights contained within semi-circular arched heads. The buildings are finished with brick end and axial stacks, and piended slate roofs. Two blocks are now part pebble-dashed.

These two rows form the central core of Gretna village, a unique settlement designed along Garden City principles. The houses line the central street and are distinguished by their piended roofs, prominent chimney stacks, advanced bays, round-arched entrances, and small round windows. The use of red brick for domestic building was unusual in Scotland at the time.

The village was constructed between 1916 and 1918 to house workers for a nearby munitions factory that stretched nine miles along the Solway banks and produced Cordite explosives. The government commissioned the factory during the First World War to address ammunition shortages for British troops. Thousands of workers from across Britain and Ireland were brought in, and both temporary timber and permanent brick housing was erected. The township was planned along Garden City lines with green spaces, a wide central street accommodating shops and community facilities, and curved secondary streets. In addition to housing, the township included several churches, a dance hall, a school, and a cinema to serve workers and their families.

Raymond Unwin (1863-1940), one of the most important figures in early 20th century British town planning, oversaw the development of Gretna and the neighbouring town of Eastriggs. He advocated high standards of design for social housing and informal planning approaches. He is best known for planning Letchworth Garden City and Hampstead Garden Suburb. C M Crickmer (1879-1971) was a London-based architect who served as resident architect for Gretna township and had previously worked with Unwin at Letchworth and Hampstead Garden Suburb.

After the war, the factory was dismantled, with only remnants surviving. The original windows and doors have been largely replaced with various modern materials and glazing patterns, though early photographs document the original small-pane sash windows.