Port Henry is an area of

Peterhead Peterhead (; , ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 19,060 at the 2022 Census for Scotland, 2022 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landi ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, Scotland. Established in 1593, north of Peterhead Bay, it is the oldest commercial area of the town (the adjacent Roanheads being residential). It was established after Peterhead's fishermen settled there due to its position on the northeastern shoulder of the town's peninsula, northeast of today's town centre. Keith Inch Castle stood around south of Port Henry at the time of its establishment, on

Keith Inch Keith Inch (originally ''Keith Insche'', ''Keithinche'' or ''Caikinche'') is the easternmost point of mainland Scotland, having formerly been an island. It is located in Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, forming the north point of Peterhead Bay. I ...

, an island and the easternmost point of mainland Scotland. Along with the adjacent Greenhill, Keith Inch is no longer an island.Coventry, Martin (2001). ''The Castles of Scotland''. Musselburgh: Goblinshead. p. 218

History

The town's twelve original feuars occupied land along Seagate between the pier of Port Henry, to the north, and the '' Quinzie'' (Queenie) to the south. The construction of Port Henry in 1593 encouraged the growth of Peterhead as a

fishing port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...

and established a base for trade. (Port Henry Road, running east–west, is just north of the harbour, off East North Street.)34-4 Port Henry Road, Peterhead AB42 1LA, UK
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Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...

Port Henry, the oldest of Peterhead's three harbours, was constructed along the Seagate shore by Henry Middleton, under the supervision of

George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal (c. 1553–1623) was a Scottish nobleman and Earl Marischal. He succeeded as earl on 7 October 1581, upon the death of his grandfather, William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. Early life George Keith was the s ...

. It was protected to the north by the Old Pier, which was probably erected before 1593. 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 John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent scholar, who introduced various ...

, with improvements carried out by John Rennie between 1806 and 1810. He also oversaw an addition to the west pier in 1813.

References

{{Reflist Geography of Peterhead 16th-century establishments in Scotland