The Beating Heart of Buchan
Our History
In 2002, the Maud Village Trust purchased the cattle mart from Aberdeen Northern Marts with a grant from the Scottish Land Fund. The Trust's mission was to develop the site for the benefit of the Maud and District Community, putting the heart back into Maud.
Over 130 years of history
The Railway Junction and Agricultural Hub
Maud Village was a major part of the area's commercial success. Because of its strategic location, Maud became a major junction for the railway lines to Fraserburgh, Peterhead and south to Aberdeen and beyond. The line from Dyce to Mintlaw opened in July 1861, with extensions reaching Peterhead in 1862 and Fraserburgh in 1865. Maud Junction featured four platforms - two serving the line east to Peterhead and two serving the line north to Fraserburgh - making it one of the most significant railway intersections in the North-east.
Before the railway, Maud held monthly cattle fairs in the traditional open market format. The transformation came in February 1887 when the Aberdeen firm of Messrs Reith and Anderson opened their Buchan Central Auction Market at Maud. This strategic decision capitalised on Maud's position as the railway junction, which made it an ideal livestock marketing centre. The railway connection proved vital, as the cattle market became exceptionally busy and generated much traffic in the transport of cattle to southern markets.
The establishment of the auction mart marked a significant shift from monthly fairs to regular fortnightly auction sales, offering farmers a more efficient way to sell their livestock. This innovation proved so successful that by May 1895, a second operation - the County Auction Mart - was established by auctioneer John Bell.
Key Dates in Maud's History
1861 – Railway line from Dyce to Mintlaw opened
1862 – Railway extension to Peterhead completed
1865 – Fraserburgh line opened, establishing Maud as a railway junction
1887 – Reith and Anderson opened the Buchan Central Auction Market
1895 – County Auction Mart established at Maud
1948 – Reith & Anderson Ltd acquired by Aberdeen & Northern Marts
1965 – Passenger rail services withdrawn (Beeching cuts)
1970 – Freight trains to Peterhead ceased
1979 – Freight trains to Fraserburgh ceased
1980s – Peak era: Largest one-day fat stock market in Britain (£26m annual turnover)
2002 – Maud Mart closed and purchased by Maud Village Trust
2008 – Community Service Centre opened for business
2010 – The Old Mart Cafe opened
2011 – Car parking facilities and garden/play area developed
A Bustling Commercial Centre
The agricultural mart was located in the centre of the village and drew in other businesses. This included agricultural supplies, chemists, cobblers and food supplies. A shanty town of businesses grew up around the Marts, creating a vibrant commercial ecosystem. Maud was at this time a bustling hive of activity and the village people prospered because of this.
In 1948, Reith & Anderson Ltd was acquired by Aberdeen & Northern Marts as part of a consolidation that gave the company control of more than 30 marts throughout Aberdeenshire, Morayshire, and Banffshire.
The Peak Years
The cattle market at Maud reached its zenith during the 1980s, when it became the largest one-day fat stock market in the whole of Britain. During this peak period, the Marts had an annual turnover of approximately £26m, making it a major contributor to the prosperity of the North East of Scotland. The village population was around 770, but on mart days this figure swelled to anywhere between 1,200 and 1,600 as farmers, dealers, butchers, and agricultural workers descended on the village for the sales.
Railway Closure and Its Consequences
The mart's fortunes were closely tied to the railway that had made its success possible. Passenger services on the Buchan lines were withdrawn in 1965, followed by freight trains to Peterhead in 1970 and to Fraserburgh in 1979. With the railway went the coal yards and other businesses that provided service to it. The railway line went on to form the Formartine and Buchan Way walkway, but the village never recovered from its loss.
The final blow came at the turn of the millennium. Changes in the supply chain, combined with the devastating impacts of BSE and the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak - which cost Scottish farming an estimated £231 million - finally led to the closure of the mart in 2002. When the mart was lost, the village had lost its centre, its main commerce and its position as a centre for the area. But don’t worry there is a happy ending to the Mart’s story.
Regeneration and Hope for the Future
In 2002, the Maud Village Trust purchased the cattle mart from Aberdeen Northern Marts with a grant from the Scottish Land Fund. The Trust's mission was to develop the site for the benefit of the Maud and District Community, putting the heart back into Maud. All the cattle pens and buildings were dismantled and sold off to generate funds.
A Community Service Centre was built in 2006 and opened for business in May 2007. The first tenants were Buchan IT and Learning Services (Bites) and Buchan Dial a Community Bus (BDACB), both charitable businesses. Other units have been leased over the years but current tenants are: Allathan’s Agricultural consultants, Lisa & Sonia Agricultural Consultants, Baxter Podiatry, Buchan Dial a Community Bus, The Gift Gallery and our very own Old Mart Community Cafe.
In 2006, the Trust was approached by NHS Grampian, who wished to build a Medical Resource Centre in central Buchan. The NHS took the view that the mart site was the ideal location for such a building . Negotiations resulted in the building being constructed with funding from the Scottish Government through NHS Grampian. As part of the funding agreement, the building had to be in the ownership of a community group, and therefore the NHS handed it over to Maud Village Trust in 2008.
In 2011, the final phase began, featuring car parking facilities for the Service Centre and a garden/play area with equipment for the young and young at heart. A small area still requires completion, and development plans and funds for these proposals are being progressed.
Today, the site has been transformed into a community asset, housing the Old Mart Gym, The Old Mart Cafe, and the Old Mart Community Resource Centre - a fitting tribute to the site that once made Maud one of the most important agricultural centres in Britain.