MAUD VILLAGE COMMERCIAL HISTORY

Maud Village was a major part of the areas commercial success, because of the location Maud became a major junction for the railway lines to Fraserburgh, Peterhead and south to Aberdeen and beyond. Because of the railway junction this saw the expansion of the agricultural mart and it became the major centre for the farming communities of the area.

The agricultural mart was located in the centre of the village and drew in other business to the village, this not only included agricultural supplies but also Chemists, Cobblers and food supplies. Maud was at this time a bustling hive of activity and the village people prospered because of this.

A "shanty town" of business around the Marts

During the “Beeching” era Maud lost its railway and with it the coal yards and the other businesses that provided service to the railway, the railway went on to form the Banff and Buchan walkway but the village never recovered from its loss.
When later in history the mart was also lost the village had lost its centre, its main commerce and also its position as a centre for the area. The mart was left as a reminder of Maud’s importance to the commercial growth of the area and slowly the buildings and pens became more derelict and with it the centre of the village became an eyesore.

 

Maud junction during its heyday

Not only did the mart business vanish but also a number of smaller businesses closed or moved away, the village lost its butchers, cobblers and chemist, in addition to this the population of the village declined. During the 1980’s the Marts had an annual turnover of some £26m and was the largest sale facility of its type in the UK, a major contributor to the prosperity of the North East of Scotland.

The population of the village was during its heyday about 770, but on mart days this figure swelled to anywhere up to 1200-1600, this trend has been changed over the last 2-3 years and the population of the village is now rising again and currently stands at about 850 with a further expansion to the village planned 2005-2006 when some 40-50 new houses will be built.

 

Following the BSE crisis the Mart was primarily sheep not cattle