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Peterhead

Peterhead is a town in north Aberdeenshire that sits around Peterhead Bay, on the east coast of Aberdeenshire. The town was founded in 1587 by George Keith, the 5th Earl Marischal although an earlier settlement existed at Keith Inch, a former island that was joined to the mainland in 1739 by the Queenzie causeway; Keith Inch is now the eastern most point of Scotland. Peterhead’s south harbour was built in 1773 by John Smeaton; building of the north harbour begun in 1818 and was designed by Thomas Telford.

Peterhead’s south harbour was built in 1773 by John Smeaton; building of the north harbour begun in 1818 and was designed by Thomas Telford. By the end of the 18th century, the town was a base for whaling; this reached a peak in the mid 19th century and continued until near the end of the century. Herring fishing developed in the early 19th century and peaked towards the end of that century; white fish replaced the herring and today Peterhead is the largest white fish port in Europe.

To the south of Peterhead, overlooking Cruden Bay, are the remains of the 16th century New Slains Castle. Abraham Bram Stoker was staying in the area around 1895 and Slains is said to have been his inspiration for the castle in his vampire novel, Dracula.

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