We are busy preparing grant applications for our exciting project at Portsoy, Aberdeenshire – The Marbles Creative Hub at Portsoy Harbour, which will see the repair and adaption of the Marble Warehouse and Marble Workshop into a Creative Hub. We have been working with architect Willie Watt and team at Nicoll Russell Studios and are delighted to share this walk through of the concept design for the Marbles Creative Hub on our You Tube channel.
A full Options Appraisal of the buildings was carried out in 2022/23 with support from The Architectural Heritage Fund. The work included extensive public consultation. The conclusion was that the two buildings should be renovated, linked together and converted to form the Marbles Creative Hub with artist’s studios and craft workshops available to rent. The new link section will contain a lift to enable full accessibility to both buildings.
The Marble Warehouse was designed by John Adam and built in 1765. It is category A listed. It was built as a granary for the Earl of Findlater on the site of a former salmon fishing station. It was subsequently used for a number of shipping related activities and as a jail and a wood store for the buoy factory next door. It was bought by Tom in 1967. In 1984 the lower ground floor opened as the Portsoy Marble Shop with the Portsoy Pottery (opened in 1971 and closed in 2020) on the upper ground floor. The first and second floors are used for storage. The Marble Workshop is a category B listed building dating from the mid-18th century. It was originally built as housing but was subsequently adapted as a granary and then as a buoy factory. It was bought by Tom in 1961 and became the workshop where Portsoy Marble was polished and worked.
Both buildings are held in deep affection by the local community and they hold a special significance, having been maintained and cared for by Tom for over 50 years. The NESPT will be working hard to ensure these historically significant buildings are brought back into use for the benefit of the Portsoy community and visitors alike.
