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Institution Terrace, Banff Primary School (Former Banff Academy) with Lamp StandardsInstitution Terrace, Banff Primary School (Former Banff Academy) with Lamp Standards · Photo: Samuel Smiles · Public domain
–Not graded
History of Banff · Historic Environment Scotland

231 listed buildings, 11 of them in the top category

On the Historic Environment Scotland list, all of them stand inside Banff’s locality, 582 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 2 scheduled monuments. We have photos of 38 of its listed buildings and 3 old views of the town.

11Category A112Category B2scheduled monuments19on Castle Street
Listed buildings
231
582 per 10,000 residents
Category A
11
national importance
Category B
112
regional importance
Scheduled monuments
2
1 garden or designed landscape
In pictures

Banff in 37 photos and old views

Tap a photo to step through them full screen.

34 Low Street, Townhouse34 Low Street, TownhouseCategory A listedBanff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, BanffBanff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, BanffCategory A listed5 High Shore, Market Arms5 High Shore, Market ArmsCategory B listedHarbour Place, The VaultsHarbour Place, The VaultsCategory C listedSeafield Street, Methodist ChurchSeafield Street, Methodist ChurchCategory C listed+32See all photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.

Through time

Banff from 1890 to 1905

3 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.

Caveney Brae, Banff, Scotlandc. 1890
VictorianCaveney Brae, Banff, ScotlandPhoto: Photochrom Print Collection · Public domain
General view, Banff, Scotlandc. 1890
VictorianGeneral view, Banff, ScotlandPhoto: Photochrom Print Collection · Public domain
Banff Bridge, Scotland, over the River Deveron, looking towards Banff, from Macduff sidec. 1905
EdwardianBanff Bridge, Scotland, over the River Deveron, looking towards Banff, from Mac…Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain

Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.

The map

Where Banff’s history is

Every Category A and B building, monument and historic park.

Duff House, garden or designed landscapeBanff Castle, scheduled monumentBanff, St Mary's parish church and burial ground, scheduled monumentBanff Parish Church (Formerly Known As St Mary's Church), Church of Scotland, High Street, Banff, Category BBanff Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, including boundary walls and railings, Low Street, Banff, Category BBellevue Road, Bellevue with Garden Walls, Gates and Gatepiers, Category BBellevue Road, St Ann's Hill Garden Walls and Gatepiers, Category BBridge Road, Bridge Gates House, Category BCastle Street, Banff Castle Enclosing Walls Surrounding Policies, Category BCastle Street, Banff Castle Gate Lodges Gatepiers and Gates, Category BCastle Street, Trinity and Alvah Church, Church of Scotland, Category BCastle Street, War Memorial, Category BClunie Street, Chalmers Hospital (Original Building Only), Category BDuff House Walled Garden, Category BHigh Shore, Banff Police Station and Garden Wall, Category BHigh Shore, Gordons Granaries, Category BHigh Street, Episcopal Rectory and Front Railings, Category BHigh Street, St Andrew's Episcopal Church and Front Railings, Category BHigh Street, St Brandon's Close, Category BHigh Street, St Brandon's and Garden Walls, Category BLow Street, Biggar Fountain, Category BLow Street, Collie Lodge with Lamp Standards, Category BLow Street, Former New Market Archway, Category BOld Market Place, Former Smithy, Category BSandyhill Road, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Rc Church, Category BSandyhills Dovecote, Category BWater Path, Path House Garden Walls, Category BWater Path, Path House and Path Cottage, Category B1 Fife Street, Category B1 George Street and Garden Walls, Category B1 High Street, Category B1 Institution Terrace, Category B1 Old Market Place, Front Wall and Gatepiers, Category B10 Carmelite Street, Former Post Office, Category B11 Deveronside, Category B11 Fife Street and Rear Garden Walls, Category B11 High Shore, Category B12 Deveronside and Garden Walls, Category B13 Boyndie Street, Category B13 Fife Street and Rear Garden Walls, Category B14 High Shore, Category B14 Old Castlegate and Garden Walls, Category B15, 17 Low Street, Category B16 High Shore, Category B16, 18 Carmelite Street, Category B19 Clunie Street, Former Free School, Category B2 Castle Lane, Category B2 Institution Terrace, Category B2 Low Street, Category B2 Old Castlegate and Rear Garden Wall, Category B2 Old Market Place, Panton House, Category B2, 4 and 6 Bridge Street, Category B21 Seafield Street, Cape House, Category B22 Seafield Street, Chattonville, Category B23, 25 Castle Street, Category B23, 25, 27 Low Street, Category B29 Castle Street and Rear Garden Walls, Category B29 Low Street, Bank of Scotland, Category B29, 31 High Street, Category B3 Fife Street, Category B3 High Shore, Category B3 High Street, Category B3 St Catherine Street, Category B3 Water Path, Category B3, 4 Sandyhill Road, Seafield Hotel, Category B3, 4, 5 Back Path and Garden Walls, Category B3, 5, 7 Low Street, Category B30 Low Street, Carmelite House and Front Garden Wall, Category B30, 32 High Street, Category B32 High Street, County Hotel, Category B33, 35 High Street, Category B35, 37, 41 Low Street, Category B36 Bridge Street, Category B36, 38 Low Street and 2 Carmelite Street, Category B37 Castle Street, Seafield House, Category B39 High Street, Category B4 Castle Street, Category B4 Water Path, Category B4, 4A Low Street, Category B4, 6 Boyndie Street, Category B4, 6 Carmelite Street, Category B40 High Street, Royal Bank of Scotland, Category B41, 43, 45, 47 High Street and Rear Garden Walls, Category B43, 45, 47 Low Street and Rear Garden Walls, Category B49, 51 Low Street, Clydesdale Bank, Category B49, 51, 53 Bridge Street, Category B5 Clunie Street, Royston, Category B5 High Shore, Market Arms, Category B5 High Street, Category B5 St Catherine Street, Category B5, 7, 7A Boyndie Street, Category B53 Low Street, Tolbooth Hotel and Old Jail, Category B55, 57, 59 Low Street, Category B6 Back Path and Garden Walls, Category B6 Castle Street, Category B6 Old Castlegate, Category B6 Strait Path, Category B7 Back Path, Category B7 St Catherine Street, Category B76 Castle Street, Category B77 Castle Street, Category B77, 79, 81 High Street, Forbes House, Category B78 Castle Street, Category B8 Back Path and 18 High Street, Category B8 Old Castlegate, St Ninians and Garden Walls, Category B8, 10 Castle Street, Category B83 Castle Street Old Brewery, Category B86 Castle Street, Category B9 Boyndie Street, Boyndie House, Category B9 Carmelite Street, Category B9 High Shore, Fernlee and Garden Walls, Category B9 Old Market Place, Category B9 St Catherine Street, Category B9, 11, 13 Low Street, Category B96 Castle Street, Railway Inn, Category BBanff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, Banff, Category AInstitution Terrace, Banff Primary School (Former Banff Academy) with Lamp Standards, Category ALow Street, Tolbooth Steeple, Category AQuayside, Banff Harbour and Pillbox, Category A1 High Shore, Category A1 St Catherine Street, St Catherine's, Category A11 Boyndie Street, Banff Town and Country Club and Enclosing Walls, Category A2 Water Path, Ingleneuk House Garden Walls and Garden Summer House, Category A31, 33, 35 Castle Street and 2 Seafield Street, Town Hall, Category A34 Low Street, Townhouse, Category A8-16 (Even Nos) Low Street, (Former Fife Arms), Fife House, Category A
Category ACategory BScheduled monumentPark or garden400 m from Banff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, Banff
10 of 11Category A buildings stand within 400 m of Banff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, Banff, a five-minute walk. So do 187 of the 231 listed buildings.

Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.

231 listed buildings by grade
11 Category A112 Category B108 Category C

Historic Environment Scotland lists buildings in three categories: Category A for buildings of national or international importance (about 7.5% of listed buildings), Category B for buildings of regional importance (about 50%), and Category C for buildings of local importance (about 43%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.

Every entry on Historic Environment Scotland’s designations whose point lies inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings.

Category A

The 11 Category A listed buildings in Banff

Buildings of national or international importance, about 7.5% of all listed buildings; 10 of these stand within 400 m of Banff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, Banff. 7 are photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.

House · listed 19721 High ShorePhoto: Jo Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0
Category B

The 112 Category B listed buildings in Banff

Buildings of regional importance. 29 are photographed.

Show the other 100
House · listed 19723 High ShorePhoto: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0
Historic streets

Castle Street has the most listed buildings

Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.

Castle Street19 listed · 8 II*
23, 25 Castle Street4 Castle Street8, 10 Castle Street
Campbell Street17 listed
Bridge Street13 listed · 3 II*
Low Street12 listed · 8 II*
High Shore7 listed · 1 Category A · 4 II*
1 High Shore14 High Shore16 High Shore
High Street7 listed · 7 II*
3 High Street39 High Street5 High Street
Carmelite Street5 listed · 3 II*
16, 18 Carmelite Street
Sandyhill Road5 listed
St Catherine Street5 listed · 4 II*
Clunie Street4 listed
George Street4 listed
Boyndie Street3 listed · 3 II*

Of the 231 entries, 186 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.

What’s protected

Most of Banff’s listed buildings are homes

Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.

Houses, terraces & villas199
Public & civic buildings13
Walls, gates & bridges10
Churches, chapels & priories5
Street furniture2
Memorials, crosses & tombs1
Inns, shops & warehouses1

199 entries (86%) are houses, terraces and villas. 5 are churches, chapels and priories.

Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.

Category C

108 Category C listed buildings

This category covers buildings of local importance. Open any building to read its official list entry.

All 108 Category C listed buildings, A to Z
Castle Street Trinity and Alvah Church HallsCastle Street, Manse of Trinity and AlvahChurch Street, House Incorporated Into Banff Tyre Service PremisesHarbour Place, Old Customs HouseHarbour Place, The VaultsHigh Street, Banff Museum and LibraryHigh Street, St Mary's Church HallHigh Street, The Cottage, St Brandon's CloseQuayside, WarehouseSandyhill Road, Rc PresbyterySeafield Street, Kingswell Nursery SchoolSeafield Street, MansefieldSeafield Street, Methodist ChurchSeafield Street, YMCA HallSt Catherine Street, Jail Walls1 Back Path, Trevona1 Braeheads1 Campbell Street1 Clunie Street1 and 3 Old Castlegate, Greystone House Including Shop to Ground1, 1A Carmelite Street1, 3 Strait Path1, 3, 5 Bridge Street10 Bridge Street, Royal Oak Hotel10 Campbell Street10 Deveronside10 Sandyhill Road11 Campbell Street11 St Catherine Street11, 12 Sandyhill Road12 Campbell Street12 High Shore12, 14, 16 Castle Street Elm Bank13 Campbell Street13 Sandyhill Road and Rear Garden Wall13, 15 Bridge Street14, 15 Sandyhill Road15 Campbell Street16 Campbell Street16 Fife Street and 21 Clunie Street17 Campbell Street18 Campbell Street18 Sandyhill Road and Rear Yard Wall19 Castle Street2 Back Path2 Braeheads2 Campbell Street2 George Street20, 22 Low Street21 High Shore, Shore House and Garden Walls23, 25 Clunie Street24 High Street, Oakbank24 and 26 Low Street and 55 Bridge Street27 Clunie Street27, 27A Castle Street28 Low Street (With 48 Bridge Street)28, 30, 32 Bridge Street3 Campbell Street3 Church Street3 Clunie Street3 George Street31, 33 Low Street32 Low Street38, 40 Bridge Street39 Bridge Street39 Castle Street, Winston House4 Braeheads, St John's Masonic Hall Including Boundary Walls4 Campbell Street4 George Street41, 43 Castle Street41-47 (Odd Nos) Bridge Street42, 44 Bridge Street46 Bridge Street47 Castle Street, Castle Bar and Garden Walls49, 51 Castle Street5 Campbell Street5 Carmelite Street5 George Street5 Old Castlegate5, 6 Sandyhill Road and Rear Garden Wall5, 7 Fife Street53, 55 Castle Street57, 59 Castle Street6 Campbell Street6 Deveronside, 30A, 32A High Shore6 Low Street61, 63 Castle Street62, 64 Castle Street66, 66A Castle Street68, 70 Castle Street and Rear Courtyard Walls7 Bridge Street7 Campbell Street7 Coldhome Street, Chapelhome Including Garden Wall7 Old Castlegate7 Quayside7, 8 Deveronside, Ship Inn72, 74 Castle Street79, 81 Castle Street8 Bridge Street8 Campbell Street8 Sandyhill Road8 and 9 Braeheads8,10 Strait Path9 Bridge Street9 Campbell Street9 Sandyhill Road9 Strait Path, The Broken Fiddle94 Castle Street and Rear Garden Wall
Conservation areas

2 conservation areas cover 29% of Banff

Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.

Banff 197047 ha
Banff - Scotstown 19701 ha
48 hain conservation areas, of 169 ha inside the locality.

The first, Banff and Banff - Scotstown, were designated in 1970; the newest, Banff - Scotstown, in 1970. 224 of the 231 listed buildings stand in one.

Historic Environment Scotland’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the locality.

How the list grew

More than half of Banff’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1972

The year each building now on the list was first listed.

1972 · 1661995 · 52
19501960197019801990200020102020

The first 166 entries were listed in 1972, 11 of the 11 Category A buildings among them. Only 0 have been added in the last 15 years.

Monuments & landscapes

Monuments, parks and gardens

Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.

2 scheduled monuments

Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from Historic Environment Scotland.

Banff Castle
Banff CastleSecular: castle
Banff, St Mary's parish church and burial groundCrosses and carved stones: effigy; Ecclesiastical: church

1 garden or designed landscape

Duff HouseGarden and designed landscape
Born here

14 notable people born in Banff before 1900

Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.

William Saunders
George Duff
James Grant Duff
James Wilson
John Geddie
Henry Robertson
John Rhind
Eliza Brightwen
Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald
George Horne Russell
Alexander Gordon Stephen
William Bankier
William Grant Craib
Christopher Collier
170017501800185019001950
Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald
Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald1852–1935 · British politician and general (1852-1935)
WC
William Grant Craib1882–1933 · British botanist (1882–1933)
Eliza Brightwen
Eliza Brightwen1830–1906 · Scottish naturalist (1830-1906)
James Grant Duff
James Grant Duff1789–1858 · British soldier and historian (1789–1858)
CC
Christopher Collier1886–1916 · English cricketer (1886-1916)
George Duff
George Duff1764–1805 · Royal Navy officer
Henry Robertson
Henry Robertson1816–1888 · British politician (1816–1888)
WS
William Saunders1743–1817 · Scottish physician

Everyone born in Banff → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.

Towns its size

Banff has the 2nd most Category A buildings of 204 towns its size

Scottish towns of 2,000–10,000 people, by Category A listed buildings.

Lanark25
Banff11
Kelso10
Jedburgh8
Rothesay7
Brechin6
North Berwick6
Dunblane6
Anstruther5
Kirkcudbright5
Campbeltown5
Biggar5
#2 of 204for listed buildings per resident (582 per 10,000). Kirkcudbright, Banff and Anstruther lead.

Only Lanark has more. The typical town its size has 0.

Neighbours

Listed buildings in the places around Banff

TownPeopleListedCategory AHistory
Banff3,97123111—
Macduff3,794250—
Turriff4,609221—
In brief

Banff in brief

The official list counts 231 listed buildings in Banff, 11 of them in the top category, including 34 Low Street, Townhouse. Its Category A buildings cluster together: 10 of them stand within 400 m of Banff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, Banff. Only one of the 204 towns nearest its size has more Category A buildings. Castle Street alone has 19 listed buildings.

Its older streets lie in 2 conservation areas, the first designated in 1970. Most entries on the list, 86%, are houses, terraces and villas. Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald (1852), William Grant Craib (1882) and Eliza Brightwen (1830) are among the 14 people born here before 1900. Beyond that, it also has 2 scheduled monuments.

Questions about Banff’s history

How many listed buildings are there in Banff?

Historic Environment Scotland lists 231 buildings inside Banff’s locality: 11 Category A, 112 Category B and 108 Category C.

What are the Category A listed buildings in Banff?

11, including Banff Castle including flanking pavilions and well, Castle Street, Banff, Institution Terrace, Banff Primary School (Former Banff Academy) with Lamp Standards, Low Street, Tolbooth Steeple, Quayside, Banff Harbour and Pillbox, 1 High Shore and 1 St Catherine Street, St Catherine's.

Which street in Banff has the most listed buildings?

Castle Street (19), Campbell Street (17) and Bridge Street (13) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.

Are there scheduled monuments in Banff?

Yes, 2 scheduled monuments, including Banff Castle and Banff, St Mary's parish church and burial ground.

How many conservation areas are there in Banff?

2, covering about 48 hectares of the town. The largest are Banff and Banff - Scotstown.

When were Banff’s buildings listed?

The first in 1972; the most, 166, in 1972.

Are there old photos of Banff?

Yes: 3 public-domain photos and postcards from 1890 to 1905, all on this page.

Who was born in Banff?

Among people born before 1900: Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald (1852), William Grant Craib (1882), Eliza Brightwen (1830), James Grant Duff (1789) and Christopher Collier (1886).

Banff has no History Grade.

Listed buildings, scheduled monuments, gardens and designed landscapes, battlefields, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites: Historic Environment Scotland, Open Government Licence v3.0. Check an entry on Historic Environment Scotland’s portal before relying on it.

Sources: Historic Environment Scotland designations (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, gardens and designed landscapes, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary · Historic Environment Scotland conservation areas (compiled from councils; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.