| Peterhead institutions and other local industries
Peterhead’s Convict Prison dates from 1886. At the time it
was largely built by the prisoners themselves; they also had
to build the railway that served the quarry for the prison construction
as well as for the south breakwater to Peterhead Bay – although
this breakwater was not actually finished until 1963 - long
after the end of use of prison labour!
During the First World War and on the outskirts of Peterhead,
the most northerly airship base, known as Lenabo, was constructed.
Now heavily wooded there remains very little to be seen on the
ground of this important historical site.
The Second World War saw the construction of Peterhead Airfield,
located between Longside and Peterhead. Built for the RAF in
1941 it was disbanded in 1945. At its busiest time there were
in excess of 2000 personnel stationed there serving a large
number of RAF and up to four Fleet Air Arm squadrons. Amongst
the nations represented were Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders.
Poles, Czechoslovaks, Belgians, and Americans. Squadrons of
particular note would include the RAF 13th Group (Night Fighters)
the Royal Canadian Air force (416 Squadron) and the Polish Air
Force (309 Squadron).
Brief summary of the land outwith Peterhead
and more on some of the associated family names of the area.
Before the Turnpike Act of 1795, there were very few roads in
the Buchan area and there were no regular coaches serving the
area before this time. When a coach service was eventually established
it is recorded that the Peterhead to Banff coach did the return
journey in 13 hours, which included a 3-hour stop over (on today’s
roads, the journey would take about 45 minutes each way). Due
largely to the increase in the developing railway networks the
Turnpike Tolls were abolished in 1866.
The railway came to the Buchan area in 1861 but within 100
years, these too were steadily being closed and all were closed
by the late 1960’s (although some of the routes have been retained
and are much used as very popular walk/cycleways). The construction
and upkeep of the railways brought a large number of new families
to the area although the massive livestock marshalling yards
situated near by at Maud Junction would have been the home for
most of the railway workers.
The granite industry, developed throughout the 18th and 19th
century, also brought new trades and skills for the area and
therefore many more newcomers, and their families, arrived to
settle. However, by the 20th century, this industry simply became
too uneconomic to operate and the workers and their families
had to turn to other work or simply move on.
Many of the former quarries have now been land filled; however,
the sites of a number of the old quarries can still be seen
in the countryside around Peterhead. In addition, each of these
quarries usually had an associated ‘smithy’ to service the needs
for the horses and for the steel work associated with quarrying
and these buildings frequently remain as houses to this day.
| 
19th C. advertisement for Peterhead Granite
(From Bygone Peterhead by J. Buchan. See Reference material)
Although the granite industry is no more
in Peterhead the beautiful colouring of the local granite
can still be seen in many buildings throughout the area
and far beyond. Peterhead granite, for example, was
used extensively for the construction of Australia House,
Southwark Bridge, the Stock Exchange, the Foreign Office
and Covent Garden. Thomas Telford (1757-1834), a Scot
from Midlothian and John Rennie (1761-1821) another
Scot, this time from Dumfries, were both particularly
enthusiastic in the use of Peterhead granite. (It was
Telford who designed and built Peterhead’s North Harbour.)
Other keen proponents of Peterhead granite were Rennie’s
sons George and John and many other prominent architects
and engineers of the time. Other examples of public,
private and church buildings built with Peterhead granite
may be seen throughout the UK from Aberdeen to Brighton.
The granite was not only quarried here in Peterhead
but much of it was also polished and carved at one of
the two major granite works in the town before being
taken out by train. Therefore, if your forebears worked
in the local granite industry then it might be nice
to know that there is a bit of your family history in
these magnificent reminders of an industry that is now
largely firmly in the past.
The following site www.buittle.org.uk/quarry.htm,
although relating to a quarry in southern Scotland provides
the family researcher with a highly detailed insight
into the typical workings of a 19th granite quarry.
Peterhead’s South Harbour was designed
and built by John Smeaton (1724-1792, the ‘father of
civil engineering’). (Smeaton also built the Eddystone
Lighthouse, the remains of which are on Plymouth Hoe,
before he went on to concentrate on river, canal and
harbour works.)
The lighthouse at nearby Boddam was the work of Robert
Stephenson 1803-1859 (son of George Stephenson and grandfather
of Robert Louis Stephenson).
Thomas Blake Glover (1838-1911) was born, just up the
coast, at Fraserburgh and is highly revered in Japan
where he is considered as being one of the founding
fathers of modern Japan.
Thomas Henry Brunton (1841-1901) was another
Buchan engineer who took his home skills overseas for
he too went to Japan and there became known as ‘The
Father of Japanese Lighthouses’ constructing more than
50 during his time there.
Strange, but true - Brunton and Glover
are probably far better known today in Japan than in
Scotland.
 |
Peterhead summary
Peterhead has long been associated with fishing and remains
a major fishing and fish processing town to this day,
as such it is largely an industrial town. Although it
does have a number of good vistas, it has to be said that
it is not known as being a leading tourist town; however,
we are working to improve the tourism markets. The town
centre and its immediate environs have largely remained
unchanged for several hundred years. For the family historian
this historic stability is a great bonus, enabling those
interested in tracing their family roots to walk the same
streets, see the same buildings and walk around the same
harbour, slips and docks as a long line of their ancestors
did before them.
The pictures below show Broad Street in the 19th century
and as it is today: |
| 
(From Bygone Peterhead by J. Buchan. See Reference material)
|
| 
From Bygone Peterhead by J. Buchan. See Reference material)
|
| 
(Photograph commissioned by Peterhead Tourism Initiative) |
| |
| A further bonus for the Peterhead tourist
is that as the major road and rail networks
have generally bypassed this corner of Scotland
many of the surrounding towns and villages have
also retained their strong Georgian and Victorian
presence. This same lack of major ‘through’
roads also makes for easy, relaxed driving throughout
Buchan, far from the traumas of more southerly
locations in the UK. In addition to
the various historic castle and whisky trails
the spectacular coastlines (varying from craggy
cliffs to 100 foot high sand dunes and miles
of soft golden sand) wild life nature sanctuaries,
cycling, walking, riding, golfing and fishing
opportunities and many other holiday escapes
to leave visitors with a myriad of choices
to fill their time between bouts of serious
family research. |
|
|
