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Macduff Harbour has an irregular-shaped basin formed by a long curved pier and a short pier, both rubble built and split up by rubble and concrete piers. A slipway at the east end was added in 1919 and rebuilt 1990. Original harbour was built in 18th century with later re-building in 19th century. Prior to the mid 18th century a pier (Rob Laing's Pier) had been built to allow boats to be tied up whilst fish were landed at the pier. In the mid 1770s Lord Fife began construction of a harbour comprising an east and west basin. Sometime between 1820 and 1830 construction of a breakwater to the northwest was aimed at giving greater protection to the entrance. The seaward section was torn away before this could be completed and deposited at right angles to the remaining landward section: a pier was built on the blocks lying on the sea bed forming a basin enclosed on three sides. Enclosure of this basin was completed by further improvements in 1878, this new North basin increasing capacity by about a third. The harbour was purchased by the Town Council from the Duke of Fife in 1898. Modest improvements in 1903 deepened the three basins, and added an entrance breakwater. In 1912 plans were drawn up for a new large basin to the north, and work started in 1914 being completed in 1921 when the new Princess Royal Basin was officially opened. Excavations from the new basin enabled reclamation of circa 2 acres of land on which a 7-berth slipway was constructed in 1922. Subsequent improvements included deepening of the Princess Royal basin, and construction of a new fishmarket on Shore Street, 1949-52, and additional development completed 1965. In 1975 the harbour came under control of Grampian Regional Council.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)