Building record MAB14064 - THE SALMON HOUSE, PORTSOY
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Summary
Former fish store, built by Seafield Estates, now in use as a heritage and arts centre.
Protected Status/Designation
- Listed Building (B) 40259
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NJ 5912 6634 (26m by 27m) Centred at - Polygon: Known Site Extent |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NJ56NE |
| Authority | Aberdeenshire |
| Civil Parish | Fordyce |
Type and Period (2)
Full Description
Former fish store, built by Seafield Estates, now in use as a heritage and arts centre. It is a tall, 2-storey, 5-bay harled building set in a hillside with access to upper floor from rear. There are gothic openings in the ground floor and a plaque decorated with a low relief fish dated 1834. The former boiler house with single pitch roof projects from the rear of the building. Three chutes at ground floor level gave access to vaulted icehouses and an anteroom. A raised and turfed ramp with drystone rubble retaining wall provided access for carts bringing ice to be emptied down the chutes into the icehouses. The boulder 'cheeks' each side of the chutes protected the openings from wear and tear by carts, horses and men, a practical and unusual feature. The anteroom was used to prepare and pack the fish in ice ready for transport to urban markets. In the 1990s, the Portsoy Salmon House Trust was established, with NESPT and Aberdeenshire Council as Trustees, to develop a restoration project for the building, with the intention of using the building as a centre to illustrate the history of salmon netting in the Moray Firth and local history museum. In 2006, the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival took over responsibility for the restoration of the building. A museum on the history of Portsoy and the salmon fishing industry has been established in the lower half of the building, while the upper level has been restored and is in use a venue facility. It was officially opened on 21 June 2008 by First Minister Alex Salmond. To the east of bothy are net drying poles (NJ56NE0298).
Period Notes
Built 1834.
Hume, JR, 1977, Industrial Archaeology of Scotland, 174 (Bibliographic reference). SAB730.
Nov 21 2006 , E 70257-63 CN, E 70257-63 CN (Ground Photograph). SAB20473.
Sep 21 2013 , AAS-GR-13-09-020, AAS-GR-13-09-020 (Ground Photograph). SAB20961.
Other Statuses/References
- Authority: ASH;
- HES Listed Building Number: 40259;
- NMR Card Number: NJ56NE156;
- NRHE Numlink: 181142;
- Old Historic Environment Record Ref: NJ56NE0012;
External Links (2)
- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB40259 (Historic Environment Scotland Portal Link)
- https://www.trove.scot/place/181142 (trove.scot link)
Sources/Archives (3)
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Record last edited
Jun 11 2020 2:47PM
