Gretna, Hm Factory, Eastriggs Explosives Factory Area, Military Depot, Transit Area

Canmore ID: 374942

Site Number NY26NW 46.21

NGR NY 25448 64778 centred

This Transit Area is situated to the ESE of the Acids Section of the first World War Factory (NY26SW 38.0) and to the NW of the mouth of the Saugh-hope Burn. It was where the standard gauge railway lines branching from the main Glasgow Southwestern Railway line led into the Depot and terminated. The area measures 200m from WNW to ESE by 165m transversely (covering an area of 3 hectares) and was designed to protect the sidings and associated buildings in the event of explosions. The area is delimited by a grass-grown bund of triangular cross-section measuring 16m in width and up to 6m in height. It is divided into three compartments (NY 25404 64816, NY 25445 64784, NY 25501 64738) the largest of which is on the ESE and all are open to the WSW. Three escape tunnels are situated adjacent to ENE side of the bund, two of which provide links between the three compartments (NY 25481 64834, NY 25536 64793). A third (NY 25591 64731) leads from the SSE compartment into the open ground between Explosives Magazine R20 (NY26NW 46.12) and the Saugh-hope Burn. Each is lined with prefabricated concrete and are rectangular in cross-section with broken corners at top and bottom.

The largest compartment contains a disused building (NY 25512 64726) close to the ESE bund. Identified as 'Y17', it is rectangular on plan and measures 138.5m from ENE to WSW by 17m transversely and 6m in height. The foundations are concrete and the building is a single storey, single bay, grey metal clad structure with a low ridged roofline containing skylights. The building is divided up into three sections, each with its own roller shutter door, above which is a single electric light. Each door has a number of horizontal rectangular windows with rounded corners roughly on their midline. However, only the more westerly door contains a wicket. The ESE and WNW elevations contain two single doorways, while the ENE elevation has a single central doorway. The interior contains a central platform running the length of the building. To its ESE is space for a narrow-gauge railway line, but this is no longer extant. By contrast, a standard gauge railway line enters the WNW section. Outside the building a road approaches the central roller door, while a brick revetted ramp carried another narrow-gauge railway into the more easterly roller doorway. On the ESE side of the building and between it and the bund, there is an area of hard core which originally supported four narrow-gauge railway sidings, each of which ended in buffers. Impressions of the sleepers and rails are still visible in the gravel. Space was left to the WNW in this bay for an additional building and rail head should that have been required in the future.

A small brick-built building (NY 25432 64710) is situated 6.5m WNW of Y17’s NW corner. It is roughly square on plan, measuring 9m from ENE to WSW by 8.5m transversely and 4.5m in height. This building is a single bay, single storey structure with an overhanging slate ridged roof. The building has two sections, each with its own roller shutter door. Each door has three horizontal rectangular windows with rounded corners just above the midline and a wicket in the centre. In addition, there is a light above each. The WSW elevation has two small windows and one large, boarded window adjacent to the NW corner, the ENE elevation contains five small windows, while the WNW elevation contains a boarded double doorway and one large, boarded window to its WSW. The interior contains six compartments and the building was used as an office and store (RPC Scotland, 2006, plan).

Another small brick building (NY 25432 64720) is situated 3.5m to its NW. It is rectangular on plan and measures 4.5m from NW to SE by 3.5m transversely. It has a flat roof and contains a pair of wooden louvred doors in the SW elevation which are approached by a short concrete ramp. There is a large wooden louvered opening in the NW elevation. This building was an Electricity Sub-Station and housed a generator.

A part moss-grown concrete floor (NY 25419 64725) is situated 8m WNW of the above small brick building, immediately adjacent to a wide expanse of tarmac that lies to the WSW of all three buildings. It measures 4m from NE to SW by 2.5m transversely.

A rectangular patch of tarmac (NY 25449 64715) situated in the angle between the first (office) and second building (Y17) described above is an isolated fragment of a path (NY 25551 64674) found to the NE of Explosives Magazine R20 (NY26NW 46.12). This predates the introduction of the Transit Area. The wide expanse of tarmac to the WSW of these structures contains three concrete slabs (NY 25419 64708) situated 6m WSW of the office and store. Each slab measures 0.9m square and they extend from NNW to SSE for a distance of about 16m. Their purpose is unknown.

The central section of the Transit Area contains a road adjacent to the ESE bund and a standard gauge railway line running beside it which ends in buffers. A broad expanse of grass was left to their WNW for an additional building and rail head. However, this area has been used for target shooting in more recent times. The WNW section contains only a road and a standard gauge railway line, but beyond the bund another railway line terminated in the open ground adjacent to its foot. In addition, there is a concrete floor of a building (NY 25410 64672) situated 35m WSW of Y17. It is rectangular on plan and measures about 15m from ENE to WSW by 10m transversely. Two narrow gauge railway lines terminate in buffers close to the ENE end of the building, while a third and later line clips its SSE corner, crossing the adjacent road runs up a concrete ramp into the large railway shed Y17.

This Transit Area is shown on a manuscript plan held by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Drawer 6/ EBD/SERV/1986) dating from the mid-1980s. It is also visible on an aerial photograph (ASS/62588, 0111) flown on the 13 June 1988.

Visited by HES Heritage Recording (Miriam McDonald and Adam Welfare), 7 September 2022.