First Houses

In 1677 it is believed the first houses were built in Portknockie by a fisher family from Cullen.

Laying the Foundation Stone

On 25th April 1890, the foundation stone for Lady Seafield Jetty was laid at Portknockie Harbour. This was part of broader developments during the fishing herring boom of the late 19th century, which significantly increased the prosperity of Portknockie. The harbour construction provided access at all tidal states, supporting the thriving fishing industry that saw as many as 150 boats based in the village during its peak.

The Evangeline

This poem tells the story of a fishing boat lost at sea on the 10th January 1906

Portknockie Railways

Originally operated by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) until 1923 when it came under the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). On the 1st January 1948, the line became part of British Railways and remained so until closure as part of the Beeching cuts.

Portsoy to Tochieneal, opened to public traffic 1 April 1884.
Tochieneal to Garmouth opened 5 April 1886. The two-year delay in extending was due to the need to cut through rock to the south of Cullen and the construction of the bridges and viaduct at Cullen. The rock excavated from the cutting was used as the base for the formation of the embankment beyond the viaduct heading towards Portknockie. The route taken from Tochieneal to Portknockie was due to the refusal of Seafield Estates to allow the railway to run through the grounds and come close to Cullen House.

Portknockie station consisted of a passing loop with a single goods siding. Initially, the signals were controlled by two signal boxes (East and West) and came into operation upon the opening of the line.

The East signal box was destroyed by fire in 1892 and temporary arrangements were made to have control of the east side of the station operated by Tochieneal. On 2nd January 1893, the rebuilt East box opened. The West box continued in operation until 29th May 1927 when operation was transferred to the East box. The East box continued in operation until closure on the 24th July 1966 when the passing loop was taken out of service and the station operated as a single platform until closure.

In the early days, freight would have been a mixture of fish, coal, and parcel traffic. By the sixties, the freight was mainly coal for R.G. Wood, the local coal merchant. Occasional parcel traffic was conveyed by passenger trains.

The line subsequently closed on 6 May 1968 and track lifting was completed shortly after.

The Great North of Scotland Railway Association (GNSRA) may be able to supply photos from their archive: http://www.gnsra.uk/contacts.htm

WWII Bombing

During World War II, Portknockie faced a bombing incident on 19th February 1941.

This raid was part of the Luftwaffe’s tactical and terror campaign on Scotland’s north-east, known as “Hellfire Corner,” which ran from 1940 to 1942. The believed target was the train stationed at Portknockie Station. Two bombs were dropped during the attack. One failed to detonate and was safely dealt with later by the Bomb Disposal Squad. The second bomb caused tragic loss of life, injuries and property damage. Missing the train, it flew through a gap between the streets and exploded in the backyards between 8 Seafield and 9 Admiralty Street.

More information can be found in the Spring 2012 Edition of the K’nocker
Listen to the Spring 2012 Podcast

Paddling Pool

The Portknockie paddling pool was created as part of a community project around the Portknockie Harbour. It is a notable feature covered in historical accounts of the village, particularly highlighting its importance to the community and its picturesque setting near the harbour.

Millennium Time Capsule

Portknockie buried its Millennium Time Capsule and the village was a finalist in the Scottish Community of the Year Awards.

Memorial to Fishermen

The New Memorial to Fishermen lost at sea is dedicated on Sunday, July 25th.

The harbour has been the main focus of Portknockie since its earliest times. It was at its most significant during the great herring fishing times of the nineteenth century up to the 1930s when daily it was crammed with drift-ears, fishermen, and gutting quines.

It is most appropriate that Portknockie 2004 should acknowledge this tremendous heritage and to do so by creating a permanent stone cairn memorial to the fishermen who were lost at sea. It is in a most suitable spot by the re-instated Flagstaff overlooking the harbour and the Moray Firth.

The idea for a memorial came to Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Campbell whilst planning the Festival. Grateful thanks are extended to all those who have helped to get this Memorial established — the donors, the designers, and the builders.

Mosaic

The idea to commission a piece of permanent artwork for Portknockie emerged from responses to a feature in the village newspaper (The K’nocker) seeking a suitable activity to engage the community in a commemorative project for the 2009 Year of the Homecoming. A scheme emerged that would highlight the themes of the Homecoming and involve the whole community, especially the children in the research, design and execution of a piece of public artwork that would excite visitors and enhance the village landscape.

Resident artist, Geoff Roberts met the brief with his innovative design, using recycled tiles, of two 5m long herrings in mosaic inspired by the Portknockie coat of arms. Each of the fish features handprints taken from the community and cryptic images from the past and present story of the village. The Mosaic was created between March and June 2009 at workshops in the school and the village hall led by Geoff Roberts and completed in his studio in Hill Street. It was unveiled on June 27th 2009.

Villagers and friends of Portknockie have been very generous in supporting the project with funds and donations in kind and encouragement also came from grants provided by The Homecoming Community Grant Fund and the Arts Council for Moray. The project has been a unique community-wide collaboration yielding an inspired added attraction to the Moray coastline.