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Peterhead Harbour
Harbour in Peterhead, Scotland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Peterhead Harbour | |
|---|---|
 Peterhead's North Harbour (2024) | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Location | Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Details | |
| Harbourmaster | Ewan Rattray |
| Statistics | |
| Website https://www.peterheadport.co.uk/ | |
Peterhead Harbour is a harbour in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated immediately northeast of Peterhead Bay. It is composed of three harbours: Port Henry, North Harbour and South Harbour. The harbour is a Category B listed structure.
Queenie Bridge connects Bridge Street and Greenhill Road between North Harbour and South Harbour.
The harbour is owned and maintained by Peterhead Port Authority, which was formed in 2006 via a merger of Peterhead Bay Authority and Peterhead Harbour Trustees.[1]
The harbour was formed by the filling in of the water around the former islands of Keith Inch and Greenhill. When Peterhead was founded, in 1593,[2] it was known as the "Harbour and Barony of Keith Insche commonly called Peterhead".[3]
The harbour was proving so valuable that in 1738, the Leith shipmasters attested that "the harbour of Peterhead is in our opinion the best situate of any place in Scotland for all ships trading on the north seas".[4]
In 1815, before the increase in herring popularity, there were 72 vessels registered to Peterhead operating from the port; by 1850 there were over 400.[5]
North Harbour and the dry dock were built by John Rennie and Thomas Telford between 1818 and 1822. They were improved fifteen years later. The junction canal was built in 1849, while the south and west piers of North Harbour were built by David Stevenson in 1855. The southern part of North Harbour (Middle Harbour) dates from 1872. It was constructed by David and his brother, Thomas, with improvements made between 1893 and 1897 by William Shield, a local worker.[6]
In 1894, the Peterhead Harbours Act was passed, the various objects of which included the building of a fish market and to acquire a short line of railway.[7] (Today, Peterhead Fish Market is located in North Harbor on Alexandra Parade.)
South Harbour was deepened between 1906 and 1908. The Harbour of Refuge (Admiralty Backwaters) was begun in 1886 by Sir John Coode. It was built by convict labour.
The present harbour, now a Category B listed structure,[8] has two massive breakwaters, enclosing an area of approximately 300 acres (120 ha) in Peterhead Bay. The south breakwater, about 2,700 ft (820 m) long, was constructed in 1892–1912 using convict labour from the prison.[9] Peterhead was, and remains, an important fishing port, and the breakwater gave it an advantage over other fishing ports. The north breakwater, constructed 1912–1956,[10] is approximately 1,500 ft (460 m) long.[11]
Donald Manson was Peterhead's harbourmaster in the 19th century. He died in the role in 1880.[12][13] As of 2024[update], the harbourmaster is Ewan Rattray.[14]
The South Breakwater lighthouse, built in 1833 bt Robert Stevenson, is active, and it is the easternmost lighthouse on mainland Scotland. It is owned by Peterhead Port Authority.
The Harbour South lighthouse was built in 1849 by Thomas Stevenson. Now inactive, it originally stood on the Albert Quay, but it was relocated in 2015 to the junction of the Esplanade and Alexandra Parade.
The Harbour North lighthouse was built in 1908. Now inactive, it is located in front of the Port Authority's control building on West Pier.
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