Harbour, St Abbs

The Gear Stores form part of the harbour at St Abbs, constructed between 1831 and 1833 by Mitchell & William Wilson, with subsequent improvements in 1848-49. Further substantial extensions were added by D & T Stevenson between 1883 and 1886, followed by 20th-century additions. The harbour itself originally comprised a near L-shaped pier to the south and east, with a straight pier projecting from the shore to the northwest, enclosing a near rectangular basin. A later, near rectangular-plan harbour was created to the east, alongside a breakwater angled to join the northeast corner. There is also a straight pier projecting from the shore to the northwest, enclosing a further near rectangular-plan harbour to the northwest.

The structures are predominantly built from tooled, squared, and coursed cream sandstone, with some areas rendered. The outer piers have stepped parapet walls, and iron bollards line concrete walkways.

A complex of vernacular fish houses is situated on the harbour and hillside. These include a lean-to cooperage, a two-storey and attic gabled smokehouse, and a weigh house inset into the hillside. The buildings are mainly constructed from random rubble bonded with clay, with the rear of the cooperage utilising natural rock, and some areas incorporating red brick.

The cooperage is a single-storey, L-plan lean-to built adjoining the natural rock face. The principal, northwest elevation features later timber doors set within a red brick wall, with further brickwork adjoining to the left. The northeast elevation has a central window with a brick surround, and natural rock projecting to the left. The southwest, rear, elevation is entirely of natural rock, while the southeast elevation is a blind rubble and brick wall set into the rising hillside.

The smokehouse is a two-storey rectangular former smokehouse that diminishes to a single storey and attic to the rear. The principal, northeast elevation has paired doors at the centre of the ground floor and two irregularly placed windows on the first floor. The northwest elevation has a gabled end with a blind window on the first floor, and various later advertising fascia boards irregularly placed on the remaining elevation. A lower raised section projects from the ground floor for net and marker float storage. The southwest, rear, elevation has a blind wall with remains of two now-blind windows, and a wall linking the cooperage and smokehouse, with a central, now blind, door. The southeast elevation has a gabled end with a window to the lower gablehead.

The smokehouse has a pitched pantiled roof with terracotta ridge tiles, while the lean-to cooperage roof is corrugated metal sheeting and felt. A drainpipe leads onto a sandstone slab water table. The interior of the gear stores are currently used as stores; the cooperage retains its original cobbled floor.