169 Central Avenue, Gretna

Two symmetrical terraces designed by Raymond Unwin with C M Crickmer as site architect, built in 1917 for munitions workers. Each terrace comprises three blocks, with each block containing four houses. The blocks are linked by low porches and face one another across a wide avenue.

The buildings are constructed of red brick, an unusual material for domestic buildings in Scotland. Two blocks are now partly pebble-dashed. The original glazing consisted mostly of small-paned timber sash and case windows. The inner house blocks feature two advanced square bays, while the outer blocks are L-plan with three terminal bays set forward. Original inner doors are paired with doors and side lights contained within semi-circular arched heads. The buildings have brick end and axial stacks and piended slate roofs with prominent chimney stacks.

These rows form the central core of Gretna village, a unique settlement designed along Garden City principles. Built between 1916 and 1918, Gretna was constructed to house and provide community facilities for workers at the nearby munitions factory, which stretched nine miles along the banks of the Solway and produced Cordite explosives for First World War munitions. The township was designed with green spaces, a wide central street containing shops and community facilities, and curving residential streets. As well as housing, the development included churches, a dance hall, a school, and a cinema. The houses were originally built as dormitories but designed so they could be converted into private housing.

Raymond Unwin (1863-1940) was a leading figure in early twentieth-century British town planning, best known for his work on Letchworth Garden City and Hampstead Garden Suburb. Courtnay M Crickmer (1879-1971) was a London-based architect who served as resident architect and had previously worked with Unwin at Letchworth and Hampstead.

Many original windows and doors have been replaced with various materials and glazing patterns. The munitions factory was dismantled after the war, with only a few remnants remaining.