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Macduff, Shore Street, Harbour
Harbour (18th Century) - (20th Century)
Site Name Macduff, Shore Street, Harbour
Classification Harbour (18th Century) - (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Downe, Harbour; Deveron Estuary; Macduff Harbour
Canmore ID 81446
Site Number NJ76SW 17
NGR NJ 70377 64682
NGR Description Centred NJ 70377 64682
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/81446
- Council Aberdeenshire
- Parish Gamrie
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Banff And Buchan
- Former County Banffshire
NJ76SW 17.00 centred 70377 64682
Harbour [NAT] (at NJ 7037 6468)
OS (GIS) AIB, May 2006.
NJ76SW 17.01 NJ 70267 64680 Beacon
NJ76SW 17.02 NJ 70299 64613 to NJ c. 70245 64511 West Pier
NJ76SW 17.03 NJ 70333 64584 West Harbour [Stilling basin]
NJ76SW 17.04 NJ 70368 64616 Jetty
NJ76SW 17.05 NJ 70399 64673 Quay
NJ76SW 17.06 NJ 70265 64681 to NJ c. 70494 64907 Pier
NJ76SW 17.07 NJ 70387 64836 Princess Royal Basin
NJ76SW 17.08 NJ 70409 64821 Princess Royal Basin, Quay
For (adjacent and associated) Fish Market (NJ 70387 64746), see NJ76SW 56.
Formerly entered at cited location NJ 703 646.
(Location cited as NJ 704 646). Macduff Harbour. Rebuilt c. 1900. An irregular-shaped basin, formed by a long curved pier and a short pier, both rubble-built, and split up by rubble and concrete piers. A slipway at the E end was added in 1919.
J R Hume 1977.
At the end of the 17th century, the navigational hazards of the Deveron estuary were evidently turning the attention of the Banff burgesses towards the fishing-village of Downe, on the E side of Banff Bay and about a mile distant from the burgh, as in 1698 the Convention of Royal Burghs authorised the grant of 500 marks to Banff 'towrads the building of a new pier at the town of Downe, which they are to purchase'. No action seems to have followed, as in 1732 Downe still consisted of no more than 'a few fisher houses' and Roy's map of 1747-55 shows no buildings on the site; but in 1783 the Earl of Fife began the construction of a harbour, devising the name of Macduff for the new settlement from his family's name of Duff. Another record, of 1847, dates the beginning of construction to 1820, not to 1783; but this cannot be right as the Statistical Account further states that work on the harbour was going on at the timw of writing (1791), and that ten vessels and six fishing-boats were already owned in the place. An outer harbour was attempted about 1822, but this was destroyed by a storm although its remains served as a breakwater for the inner works; and in 1842 the harbour was described as 'very commodious' and as possessing some import and export trade. The report of 1847 further states that, although the harbour had a westerly aspect, it still suffered a 'heavy run of sea'; that the depth of water was only 11 to 14 ft (3.4 to 4.3m) at high springs, and that a low-tide harbour was much needed. The building of a breakwater giving a depth of 22 ft (6.7m) at low springs was recommended to this end. The three existing basins no doubt represent enlargements made in 1877 and later.
A Graham 1979.
Air photographs: AAS/85/9/S4/4-5, AAS/97/12/G26/18-19 and AAS/97/12/CT.
NMRS, MS/712/29 and MS/712/36.
Construction (1786)
West Pier built.
Construction (1830)
Breakwater built.
Construction (1877 - 1878)
The entrance tp Macduff Harbour was modified in 1877–78 to form a third
basin, for which the engineers were D. & T. Stevenson.
Construction (1921)
The fourth basin, for which the engineer was A. Henderson, was completed in 1921.
Publication Account (2007)
Macduff Harbour
This harbour has four irregularly shaped basins. The first element to be built was the West Pier, completed in 1786, which with the later East Pier formed a harbour of two basins. A breakwater was built in ca.1830 to shelter the entrance which was modified in 1877–78 to form a third
basin, for which the engineers were D. & T. Stevenson. The light-tower pier was extended in 1903, and the fourth basin, for which the engineer was A. Henderson, was completed in 1921.
R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.
