page_title: Peterhead
section_title: Harbour
hierarchical_section_title: Peterhead / History / Harbour
caption_attribution_description: English: Trawler at Peterhead South Harbour, Peterhead, Scotland.
context_page_description: Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement, with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census.
  Peterhead sits at the easternmost point in mainland Scotland. It is often referred to as The Blue Toun and its natives are known as Blue Touners. They are also referred to as blue mogginers, supposedly from the blue worsted moggins or stockings that the fishermen originally wore.
context_section_description: Peterhead was founded by fishermen and was developed as a planned settlement. In 1593 the construction of Peterhead's first harbour, Port Henry, encouraged the growth of Peterhead as a fishing port and established a base for trade. (Port Henry Road, running east-west, can be found just north of the harbour, off East North Street.) Port Henry was constructed by Henry Middleton under the supervision of George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal.
  Port Henry was improved in 1631, and repaired before the end of the century and again early in the 18th century. The south pier was increased in height and the west pier was constructed. The southern part was reconstructed between 1775 and 1781 by John Smeaton, with improvements carried out by John Rennie between 1806 and 1810. He also oversaw an addition to the west pier in 1813.
  North Harbour and the dry dock were built by Rennie and Thomas Telford between 1818 and 1822. They were improved fifteen years later. The junction canal was built in 1849, while the south and west piers of North Harbour were built by David Stevenson in 1855. The southern part of North Harbour (Middle Harbour) dates from 1872. It was constructed by David and Thomas Stevenson, with improvements made between 1893 and 1897 by William Shield, a local worker.
  South Harbour was deepened between 1906 and 1908. The Harbour of Refuge (Admiralty Backwaters) was begun in 1886 by Sir John Coode. It was built by convict labour.
  The present harbour, now a Category B listed structure, has two massive breakwaters, enclosing an area of approximately 300 acres (120 ha) in Peterhead Bay. The south breakwater, about 2,700 ft (820 m) long, was constructed in 1892–1912 using convict labour from the prison. Peterhead was, and remains, an important fishing port, and the breakwater gave it an advantage over other fishing ports. The north breakwater, constructed 1912–1956, is approximately 1,500 ft (460 m) long.
caption: The trawler Audacious berthed at Peterhead's South Harbour in 2015. This view is looking northeast
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