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Summary

Description

The Fish House and Store consists of a 3-storey, former rectangular-plan granary of circa 1827-1837 and a later fish store, dated 1896, comprising 3-gabled ranges, attached to the west of the former granary at right angles. Adjacent to harbour. Former granary of random pink sandstone rubble with replacement, piended roof. Later fish store of roughly squared, snecked and tooled red stone and slated roof with some rooflights. Long and short ashlar dressings. Some blocked openings. Segmental arched opening at ground to left of north elevation with 2-leaf doors. Enlarged openings with non-traditional windows at ground floor to right of north elevation. Date stone with initials 'JSB' to centre of west elevation.

The interior was seen in 2013. Wood-lined walls at the ground floor of the former granary. Kiln to south bay of gabled fish store with timber racks.

Statement of Special Interest

This former granary with later fish store addition is an important surviving building of the period when grain was one of Gourdon's principal exports as well as demonstrating the shift to the prominence of the fishing industry. It is a rare survival of this type of modest harbourside industrial building and makes a significant contribution to this fishing village by its prominent harbourside location. In plan-form and profile the building is largely unaltered since the late 19th century, retaining its traditional character, and the original granary function of the building is still clearly readable by the small openings.

Gourdon is a historic seaport and fishing village that dates to the 16th century but expanded significantly in the 19th century. Initially a natural harbour was used but Gourdon was nevertheless by 1794 the primary port for the parish of Bervie (Graham, 1979). Improvements in infrastructure, including the construction of a harbour in 1819, a main road (now the A92) in 1820 and the railway in 1865, led to growth in fishing and trade and consequently a large number of buildings were erected, such as fishermen's houses, warehouses and granaries. In 1837 the New Statistical Account noted that the foremost export product of the parish was grain and "several large and excellent granaries have been erected in the last 8-10 years" (New Statistical Account, p16). Following the establishment of a herring station in 1830 the number of vessels visiting Gourdon increased and subsequently buildings for the herring industry were constructed.

The building is mapped on the 1st edition OS Map (1868) and is marked as a granary. It is likely that the building was one of the granaries referred to in the Statistical Account and therefore constructed between 1827 and 1837. As evidenced by the datestone the building was extended to the west in 1896 and used as a fish store. This change demonstrates the shift from grain to the prominence of the herring industry in Gourdon. The 2nd edition Ordnance Survey map (1904) depicts this addition to the west and the footprint of the building appears to have not changed since this time.

The later part of the 20th century witnessed a rapid decline in the fishing industry and in 2013 only a small number of boats operated from the harbour. Many of the granary buildings constructed in Gourdon have been demolished, such as that shown on 1st edition OS Map to the west side of the harbour, and a number of the fish stores have been converted to other uses.

References

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