A historically important property for sale within the desirable west end of Greenock in Inverclyde has generated interest among residential developers and a closing date for bids has been set on Friday September 17, at 12 noon. Until recently the category A listed Sir Gabriel Wood’s Mariners’ Home had operated as a care home since its foundation in 1850.
The son of a Greenock merchant, Commissary General Gabriel Wood travelled the world holding senior posts in North America during the Napoleonic Wars. Following his death in 1845 Sir Gabriel Wood’s widow, Lady Louisa Augusta Wood and his sister, Miss Francis Ann Wood carried out his wish to establish a facility which would care for aged master mariners and merchant seamen within his native town. The building was designed by architect, David Macintosh, a Greenock man who later moved to Exeter, and it is now recognised as one the town’s finest buildings.
The impressive 43-bed property is A Listed and lies within 7.12 acres of attractive landscaped grounds, which also comprises 30 income generating retirement flats, known as Sir Gabriel Wood’s Mariners’ Court.
Emma Biggin of Savills said: “Legacy properties like this one in established residential locations, rarely come to the market for re-development. Understandably they have great appeal for developers specialising in these types of conversion projects, allowing them to repurpose property for more appropriate uses . Sites such as the Mariners’ Home & Court can deliver a very unique product to the market, whilst ensuring that the distinctive historical character of the original building remains intact.”
Greenock was historically one of the most important Scottish maritime ports, providing docking for ocean liners and merchant shipping. Now the largest town in the Inverclyde region, it has a population of 45,000 and lies 27 miles to the west of Glasgow. It is experiencing a revival with the ongoing regeneration of the town centre and projects such as the £19m Greenock Ocean Terminal development which is set to attract some of the world’s largest and most luxurious vessels when it opens next year, supporting economic growth across the region.