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Eyemouth is dominated by Gunsgreen House, a grand merchant’s house overlooking the harbour. It was allegedly a centre for smuggling, with hiding spaces between some of the rooms and a fireplace which could be swung open like a gate. All over the town, secret passages and hiding places were built to foil the excisemen. It was said there was more of Eyemouth below ground than above!
Tragedy struck Eyemouth on ‘Black Friday’, 14 th October 1881, when 189 fishermen, 129 of them from the town, were lost. The fleet had sailed in brilliant sunshine, but suddenly a violent storm broke and only a few made it back to safety. Many men perished within sight of their families waiting anxiously on the shore.
A hundred years later, Eyemouth Museum was established by the townspeople in memory of that terrible event. It tells the history of the town and its people, and pride of place is given to the magnificent Eyemouth Tapestry. This took two years to make, is 15 feet long with almost a million stitches, and records the names of all the boats and men lost on Black Friday.
The town’s maritime heritage is also reflected in many of its buildings and place names. Pubs include The Ship Hotel and The Whale, while Salt Greens was where herring were landed, gutted and salted in barrels. Even the council office is a building with fish-scale slates and a stone carving of a fishing boat that dates from 1880. Pick up a copy of the Town Trail leaflet at the Museum, and follow the plaques to learn more about Eyemouth’s history.
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