Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh or 'The Broch' (a Scots word for burgh) as it
is Locally known, is located on the North East of Scotland,
40 miles north of Aberdeen, it sits between the North Sea
and the Moray Firth. The long stretches of beach where the
north sea meets the Moray Firth are known for their cleanliness.
The beach has received numerous awards, it is also well
known and acknowledged as one of the best beaches for surfing
in the county hosting regular competitions and welcoming
people from all over the country.
The town has a population of 15,000. The town can trace
its origins back to a 14th century village called Faithlie
the Frasers of Philnorth bought the lands of Faithlie and
began developing the town.
Fraserburgh
Harbour and Fishmarket
The
first harbour was built in 1546 followed by a castle on
Kinnaird Head in the 1570's. Fraserburgh's main industry
is fishing which was at one time the largest fishing ports
in the county. Above; you can see the Harbour and Fish Market
in 1950. Today it is much smaller but still remains home
to the thriving industry. The growth of the herring industry
in the 19th century put the Broch firmly on the map. Almost
100 fishing boats now operate out of Fraserburgh and the
harbour area is generally full of activity with repair yards,
boat painters and chandlers. Fish are landed daily at the
fishmarket. The current market is a modern building opened
in 1987 and sells almost half a million boxes of fish a
year. Catches include whiting, haddock, sole, cod, mackerel
and herring.
Scotland's
Lighthouse Museum
In 1787 Scotland's oldest lighthouse was built at kinnaird
Head on top of Fraserburgh Castle a rectangular four-story
tower built in 1570, the original whale oil burning lighthouse
was replaced in 1903 by a paraffin operated light this was
later converted to electricity in the 1930's. In the last
few years a new automated light was built and the original
lighthouse converted into Scotland's Lighthouse Museum.
Nearby is the Wine Tower, that may have originally been
a private chapel built in the 16th century, the tower is
reputedly haunted and features in many local legends. Its
interior contains fine examples of 16th century stonework.
The Mercat Cross in Fraserburgh is situated in Saltoun Square.
This cross dates back to 1736 but is thought to have been
carved soon after 1603 as it is the only cross in Scotland
to depict the Royal Arms of both the old kingdom of Scotland
and the New United Kingdom.
Fraserburgh
Today
Today,
Fraserburgh has a nine hole putting green, six - rink outdoor
bowling green, four all weather and four hard-core tennis
courts and table tennis. There is a swimming pool and an
exercise room, sauna, steam room and two squash courts.
Throughout the year Fraserburgh Community Centre holds various
classes and activities. Nearby there is Pitsligo Castle,
Mercat Cross, Loch of Strathbeg Nature Reserve, Crimmond
Kirk and of course the Lighthouse Museum
