Gretna Hm Factory Eastriggs Factory, Buildings

Canmore ID 375542

NY26SW 38.64

NY 24808 64868 centred

Little is now visible of three buildings (NY 24776 64873, NY 24088 64868, NY 24858 64833) which were situated in a now grass- and gorse-grown area SSE of the road opposite the Oleum Tanks (NY26SW 38.46) and the Oleum Export building. The fragmentary remains of a concrete floor and two thin upright slabs mark the site of the most easterly building ESE of the culverted stream. The most westerly building is overlaid by the later construction of Explosives Magazine R12 (NY26NW 46.12).

These buildings are identified as the Acid Section Offices on the plan given within a Ministry of Munitions of War report (MMW 1919, plan) held in the National Archives, Kew, outlining the processes involved in the manufacture of the cordite propellant during the First World War at H.M. Factory, Gretna (Site 3, Eastriggs). The most westerly building was rectangular on plan and measured 24m from WNW to ESE by 9m transversely. The central building was also rectangular on plan but had three outshots to the NNE. It measured 28m from WNW by ESE by 3.5m transversely, while the most easterly building was also rectangular on plan with an outshot to the S and measured 28m from E to W by 12m transversely. A contemporary ground-based photograph (MUN 5-297 pt5, 717) taken after construction and held at the National Archives at Kew, shows only the most westerly and easterly buildings. The west building was a single storey, ridge roof structure with chimneys. The east building was also ridge roofed with ventilators and skylights. An outshot formed the ESE elevation, which had three skylights in a roof that sloped downwards from WNW to ESE. It had a central doorway with a window to either side. Another outshot was attached to its SSW. The central building, which is not visible in this photograph, was originally the cottages of Blackhills Farm (2nd edition, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map (Dumfriesshire, 1899, sheet LXIII.10)).

These buildings fell into Lot 493, which was offered for sale by auction on 22-25 July 1924 (H.M. Treasury 1924, 90), when the lot was purchased by J. Temple, Blackhill, Eastriggs (Carlisle City Archives, DX 2040/3). The westerly structure and the easterly structures are not visible on an aerial photograph (M124/13 04117) flown on 19 August 1940. The central cottages survived, and later farm buildings had been constructed over the site of the ESE building. A later aerial photograph (ASS/62588 0111) flown on the 13 June 1988 shows that the site had been cleared.

Visited by HES Heritage Recording (MMD and ATW), 6 September 2022.