Portgordon Harbour

NJ36SE 23.00 centred 39550 64330

NJ36SE 23.01 39509 64295 Defence Obstruction(s)

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:

Scottish Records Office

GD 44/Sec 51/Bundle 389

Building the new harbour of Port Gordon.

Discharged accounts.

1800

GD 44/Sec 52/177

Building work at Port Gordon.

Payments noted by John Menzies.

They include sums for excavating the new harbour, making a new pier and building 14 houses.

Mason Alex Milne

Cashbook

1796-99

(Undated) information in NMRS.

(Location cited as NJ 396 643). Port Gordon Harbour, built 1874. A roughly rectangular basin, formed by a concrete pier on an L plan and two straight rubble piers. There is a stilling basin between the straight piers, and there is a projection from the L-plan pier protecting the harbour entrance. Nearby are a 1-storey and attic, 2- by 3-bay rubble storehouse, and, built into a wall, a pedimented stone barometer case, now empty. Virtually disused.

J R Hume 1977.

(NJ 396 644). Port Gordon. Though the adjoining village of Gollachy evidently existed in the 17th century, being marked on one of Pont's MS surveys, Port Gordon is said to have been founded as a fishing village only in 1797, by the Duke of Gordon. His harbour, of 1804, was replaced by the existing structures in 1870-4. In 1842 ships of considerable burden were using the place, trading largely in coal, slat and grain; seven large and ten small fishing-boats were at that time owned in the village. Though the existing harbour, itself now derelict, is later than the end of this study, two of its features may be noted for their general interest. These are an opening in the W pier to admit currents for the clearance of silt from the basin (as at Dundee) and a niche to hold a barometer, similar to one still in place at Dunbar.

A Graham 1979, visited 1973.

Air photograph: AAS/97/12/CT.

NMRS, MS/712/29.