The picturesque ports of Banff and Macduff at the mouth of the River Deveron are connected by a seven-arched bridge which makes it difficult to separate the two towns. As early as the 12th century Banff was a busy trading center in the "northern Hanse", but it did not have its own harbor until 1775. A number of Georgian houses which belonged to
the Scottish gentry during the 17th and 18th centuries line the steep lanes and most of them are now protected by a preservation order. An elegant mansion designed by John Adam was built on the foundations of a medieval castle in the 18th century.