Alford Heritage Museum gains A listed status

By Enjoy Alford and Donside on 15/03/2022

Alford Heritage Museum has been awarded Category A listed status by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in recognition of its special historic interest as a rare surviving example of an early 20th century livestock auction mart, and an important piece of Aberdeenshire's rural and agricultural heritage.  

Opening in 1905, the Alford Auction Mart was built for and operated by Aberdeen cattle salesmen Reith and Anderson, the largest cattle firm in Aberdeenshire at that time. As regulations changed and livestock sales centralised in the years following the Second World War, small, rural livestock marts declined and the Alford Auction Mart closed in 1986 after 80 years of near-continuous operation. 

The site remains today as a largely complete and very rare example of a pre-1914 livestock mart of timber construction in Scotland, and is open to the public as a museum which aims to preserve the rural heritage of the north-east of Scotland.

Dara Parsons, Head of Designations at HES, said: "Scotland has an incredibly rich and diverse built heritage, and listing is an important way of celebrating this history and ensuring that its value is recognised by future generations.

Alison Kennedy, Trustee of Alford Heritage Museum, said: "While Trustees, volunteers and members of Alford Heritage Museum realised the importance of the former Alford Auction Mart building to the local community, the national significance has come as a huge surprise and we are overwhelmed and thrilled with the Category A listing awarded.   

"We would like to thank all at HES for their help in the listed building application and look forward to working with them in the future."