| Whitehills | |
|---|---|
 Today Whitehills harbour hosts more leisure craft than fishing vessels | |
  Whitehills Location within Aberdeenshire | |
| Population | 990 (2022)[1] |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
Whitehills is a small fishing village in Banffshire, Scotland, that lies three miles (five kilometres) west of Banff on the Moray Firth. It forms part of the Aberdeenshire council area.
It surrounds a rocky bay to the west of Knock Head. It has grown as a fishing village since the C16 and developed especially in the C19. It is characterised by its C18/19 old village which stretches along the shore towards the harbour. This has developed like other Moray Firth fishing villages, with small houses clustered around each other with gable ends facing the sea. The exteriors are painted a variety of colours; gable ends face the sea and there is extensive use of rybats and edge detailing as well as distinctive white grouting between granite blocks. Most houses front directly onto the street with small informal spaces between them.
The village spread inland in the C19 through the development of terraced 1+1⁄2-storey and detached villa housing. The shore, links and extensive views from throughout the village add a sense of openness. The landmark buildings in Whitehills are the Parish Church (built in 1773)[2] and the Downie's Fish Processing Plant, as well as the marina.
The clock tower of Trinity Church of Scotland (1879) was built by Alexander Ross.[2] The Methodist Chapel, meanwhile, dates to 1840.[2]
During the C20 the town has developed to the east and also along the southerly edges. Around half the building stock is low density, private new build; these are built in a style which is typical of most modern development. The 20/21C extension to the village has little in common with old town character or its street pattern and its recent spread means that the village can clearly be seen from Banff. The village's exposed location, sea views and unique character, mean that new development is unavoidably obvious. Further expansion to the south west is likely to most favoured by developers, but this should maintain principles of good layout and sympathetic siting in order to avoid the sprawl of the village.[3]
- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ a b c McKean, Charles (1990). Banff & Buchan: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publications Ltd. p. 38. ISBN 185158-231-2.
- ^ "Aberdeenshire settlement characterisation reports 2012" (PDF).