Portgordon
Portgordon
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 Portgordon
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| Portgordon shown within Moray | |
| Population | 844 |
| OS grid reference | NJ3964 |
| • Edinburgh | 190 km (120 mi) |
| • London | 710 km (440 mi) |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Buckie |
| Postcode district | AB56 |
| Dialling code | 01542 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Portgordon, or sometimes Port Gordon, (Scottish Gaelic: Port Ghòrdain) is a village in Moray, Scotland, 2 km south-west of Buckie. It was established in 1797 by Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon as a fishing village. It had a population of 844 at the time of the 2011 census. Currently the Portgordon Community Harbour Group is trying to regenerate the harbour and open a marina.
By 1793 Buckie was the principal fishing community in the area. At that time fishing was confined to line fishing for cod, ling and haddock, in boats no larger than 14 tons. Development of the industry was limited by the lack of a proper harbour, and disputes amongst the three owners of the various boats. One of these, Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon, decided to establish a new village, just to the west of the tiny community of Gollachy which comprised but a few houses in the area that is now Gordon Street. Work was underway on the harbour in 1795 and stone was shipped from Lossiemouth in 1796. In 1797 houses were built for ten fishermen and their families from Nether Buckie (the western side of Buckie). This was the third new village the Duke had established, but unlike Fochabers and Tomintoul before, this was a smaller venture and little planning was done with regards to street layout.
The land immediately to the west of Portgordon was owned by Patrick Steuart of Tannachy and Auchlunkart, who built there the Seatown of Tannachy (now more commonly Porttannachy) during the 19th century. At this time trade was expanding, not just in fishing and boat building, but in the export of grain, and import of salt, coal and lumber, and the building of granaries. This placed Portgordon at a great advantage over Buckie which was still limited by its natural harbour to fishing alone. By the 1850s a post office had opened and there were many coopers, fish processors and net makers. By 1861 the population had grown to around 630. The opening of a fertiliser factory in Keith lead to traffic in bones through the harbour too.
Rail service began in 1886 with the opening of Portgordon railway station on the Moray Firth coast line on the Great North of Scotland Railway. The line became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and part of British Railways in 1948. The Beeching Report recommended closure, and it was closed on 6 May 1968. In 1981 a bowling green and play park were opened on the site of the old station.
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Wikipedia