Solitary Confinement - Boddam Harbour Scotland - 17/10/2018

This little one caught my eye sitting trapped in the creel pots , looked like life had passed .

 

I enjoy visiting this beautiful harbour, today Wednesday 17th October 2018 I arrived early evening around 18pm , a little later than I normally visit though just enough daylight left to capture a few shots.

 

 

Boddam is a coastal village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is 29 miles (47 km) north of Aberdeen and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Peterhead. Sea cliffs rise to 200 feet (61 m), south of the village: a coastal path leads along these to the Bullers of Buchan.

 

The adjoining settlement, on the Aberdeen to Peterhead road, was for many years known simply as Stirling: in 2004, it was renamed Stirling Village, to avoid confusion with the newly granted city of Stirling.

 

History

There is vicinity evidence of prehistoric man, particularly slightly to the southwest of Boddam where a number of prehistoric monuments including Catto Long Barrow, Silver Cairn and many tumuli are found. In that same vicinity of the Laeca Burn watershed is the point d'appui of historic battles between invading Danes and indigenous Picts.

 

While human occupation in the vicinity of Boddam is attested to from Neolithic times with the quarrying of flint deposits at the Den of Boddam and in more recent times by the fortified remains near the islet of Dundonnie just south of the modern-day village, for much of the early historical period there is little or no record of habitation in the location of the fishing settlement which grew up later.

 

Boddam Castle was built in the late 16th century by the Ludquharn branch of the Keith family, whose other strongholds in the area are at Inverugie Castle and Ravenscraig Castle, west of Peterhead. Sir William Keith, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania and Delaware, was born here in 1669.

 

Fishing

Like Peterhead, Boddam grew as a fishing town during the 18th century but until 1831, when the first of two harbours was constructed to the north of the lighthouse, boats had to be hauled onto shore by hand.

 

Boddam Harbour with lobster pots

A marine villa, known as the Earl's Lodge, was built in 1840 for George Hamilton-Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen (later Prime Minister) and in 1842 he initiated construction of the second harbour situated next to the first, leading to a considerable increase in the local fishing industry and Registered Port status in 1845. By the mid-1840s the population of the expanded and improved village had grown to 526 inhabitants, with 22 haddock boats and 23 larger herring boats working from the harbour for the seasonal fisheries (March to July, and July to September respectively). 12 boats were employed during the winter months in the cod and white fisheries.[5][6]

 

Harbour widening followed in 1878, and by 1881 there were 200 drifters based at Boddam. However, in an ironic twist this very growth led to an inevitable decline as Peterhead lying just to the north benefited from the far greater harbour space available for the continually growing fishing fleet.

 

On 4 October 1881 7 fisherman, including the skipper, William Walker, were lost on the "Alice" in the storm generally referred to as the Eyemouth Disaster.

 

Their bodies were washed up in the Firth of Forth and they are buried together in Inveresk churchyard.

 

Buchan Ness lighthouse

Scotland

LocationBoddam

Aberdeenshire

Scotland

 

Year first constructed1827

Automated1988

Constructiongranite tower

Tower shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern

Markings / patternwhite tower with a red band, red balcony, black lantern

Height35 metres (115 ft)

Focal height40 metres (130 ft)

Light sourcemains power

Range18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)

CharacteristicFl W 5s.

Admiralty numberA3280

NGA number2740

ARLHS numberSCO-024

 

The area around the headland of Buchan Ness was for many centuries the point from which trading and whaling voyages departed across open ocean, bound for Archangel, Greenland and Spitsbergen amongst other destinations.

 

Over time, many vessels had been run aground in poor weather and in 1819 petitions were sent to the Northern Lighthouse Board to erect a lighthouse in the vicinity. As Engineer to the board, Robert Stevenson decided upon the present location; the granite-built construction being completed in 1825 and the light established in 1827.

 

The red band was painted in 1907 to help passing ships determine their location and for many years a foghorn (locally known as the Boddam Coo or also as the Boddam Bear, prior to reequipping in 1978) was installed, this being officially turned off in 2000.

 

The lighthouse is 118 ft (36 m) high, flashing a white light every 5 seconds which with the current lamp is visible for 28 nautical miles (52 km).

 

Even as late as 1839, Boddam had no harbour and the fishing boats had to be hauled up on to the rocks. There were 23 herring boats at that time each earning around £100 per annum. Herring fishing lasted from July to September and summer haddock fishing from March to July. Some 22 small yawls were used for this type of fishing. The price obtained for haddock was £3 to £4 per 100 and each boat might reckon on catching up to 3000 fish during the season.

 

A harbour was constructed to the north of the lighthouse in 1831. Lord Aberdeen added another harbour in 1842 and this led to a great increase of boats employed both in the white and herring fishing. By 1840, there were 23 herring boats working from the harbour and in 1881 there were 151 drifters using the already very busy harbour. In its heyday, Boddam could boast a total of 13 curers resident in the village. In 1845, Boddam became a registered port by Act of Parliament. By the end of the nineteenth century, despite the widening of the harbour in 1878, Boddam declined as a fishing port while Peterhead reaped the benefits of a larger harbour.

Done