is a
Town in
Scotland with a population of approximately 18,000. It is situated in
Aberdeenshire , at the easternmost point in mainland Scotland.
Peterhead, like
Fraserburgh , first grew as a
Fishing Port , and became the largest white fish port in Europe . Although the industry is in decline, it is still important to the town. The
Ugie Salmon Fish House showcases traditional fish preparation methods. The town grew again following the discovery of
North Sea Oil in the
1960s .
Peterhead is also home to one of Scotland's high security prisons and until April 2005 was home of the nearby Royal Air Force station -
RAF Buchan .
Peterhead is Aberdeenshire's largest settlement. It has a relatively diverse economy, including food processing, textiles, service industries and, importantly, fishing. Peterhead was founded by the Keith
Earls Marischal in
1587 , and was developed as a planned settlement. In 1593 the construction of Peterhead's first harbour, Port Henry, established a base for trade and safety which has grown into Europe's premier white fish landing port. Over 90,000 tonnes of fish, with a value of around £60m are now landed at Peterhead, which is also base to over 550 fishermen.
A new phase of growth was initiated in the 1970s with Peterhead becoming a major oil industry service centre, and the completion of the nearby St Fergus gas terminal. At this time, considerable land holdings were allocated for industrial development. In recent times, the town has suffered from several high profile company closures and is facing a number of pressures, including Common Fisheries Policy reforms and uncertainty over the future of
HMP Peterhead .
The Peterhead Project initiative under the Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership brings together the Council, Scottish Enterprise Grampian, Communities Scotland, commerce and community representatives. In addition to Wellbank, the programme is assisting business diversification and town centre environmental improvements.
Peterhead Bay Authority plan to extend the northern breakwater as a stimulus to the town's economic development.
Peterhead is often referred to as The Blue Toon and people who were born there as Blue Tooners. More correctly they are called Bloomogganners, supposedly from the blue
Worsted stockings that the fishermen originally wore. In May 2007, the Peterhead Football Club adopted as its fan song "The Blue Toon Tune".
Population 17,952
Source: General Register Office for Scotland data and Council forecast
'''Activity'''
- Score Europe & Score Energy Engineering
- Scottish Prison Service
- (HM Peterhead Prison) Prison Services
- ASCO Plc Oil Services
- Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd Oil Company
- Walmart ASDA Retailing
- Morrisons Supermarket Plc Retailing
- Smiths of Peterhead Ltd Woollen Manufacturing
- Fresh Catch Ltd Fish Processing
- Forman Fish Ltd Fish Processing
- Taylor Crane Company Ltd Crane Hire
- Macdonald Hotels (UK) Ltd
- (Waterside Inn) Hotel Services
- Macrae Foods Ltd Fish Processing
- Barchester Healthcare Ltd
- (Kirkburn Court Nursing Home) Nursing Home Services
- Community Media Ltd Printing and Publishing
- Strachans Ltd Grocery Wholesale
- Ken Cassells Ltd Fish Processing
- The Palace Hotel
- (Peterhead) Ltd Hotel Services
- Alexander Buchan Ltd Fish Processing
- Dales Engineering Ltd Steel Fabrication
- Precision Powertrain (UK) Ltd Transmission Manufacturing
- Stagecoach Bluebird Bus Services
- Department of Social Security Government Benefits Office
- Aberdeenshire Council Local Government Services
- Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust Health Services
- Box Factory
Definition based on more than 70 employees.
Source: Various
The harbours, maritime and built heritage are the town's principal tourism assets. Recent initiatives include investments in the Peterhead Bay area, which have included the berthing of
Cruise Ship s in the harbour. A number of projects are planned under the auspices of the Peterhead Project initiative, including tourism strategy development, enhancement of existing attractions, measures to improve the town's physical attractiveness, and improved marketing and promotion. Robert (Bob) Simmers (Peterhead-citizen) has been one of the foremost persons in the town to have established the Peterhead-Aalesund-friendship. In Aalesund, Norway, Mr. Simmers is famous for this. Bob Simmers is well-known in Aalesund - and he has been very important for the friendship with
Ålesund .
