Alford Heritage Centre, 3 Mart Road

The Alford Heritage Centre, located at 3 Mart Road, is a former cattle auction mart built between 1904 and 1905 in the village of Alford. It consists of a series of interlinked timber structures that are clad with beaded vertical timber boarding and topped with pitched roofs. The architect and builder of the mart was William Teunon & Son from Turriff. Since 1991, the building has been functioning as a local heritage museum.

The main elevation facing the road features a low lean-to range with single-glazed timber sash and case windows. The main hall is covered with a grey slate roof that includes top-lights and a central ornamental ridge vent. A tall and narrow chimney is located on the south elevation. Attached to the north elevation is a mid-19th century waterwheel, which was donated to the museum in 1993. At the rear, three interlinked former cattle sheds or byres have roofs covered with metal sheeting, and the rainwater goods are primarily made of cast iron. There is a rear yard that provides access to an enclosed grass field to the west.

Inside, the building retains a large livestock presentation hall featuring a timber sale ring and tiered bench seating for approximately 200 people. The sale ring includes an auctioneers' rostrum, timber cattle gates that lead to the rear sheds, and a water-balanced scale and weighbridge from 1905, made by Henry Pooley & Son Ltd of Birmingham. Flanking both sides of a wide central corridor with top lights are a series of sales offices, which now serve as museum display rooms, and these offices are finished with full-height timber panelling. The kitchen room to the south contains a masonry fireplace. The floors throughout the building are made of poured concrete. The entire facility, including the rear sheds, is utilized to showcase themed exhibits that relate to the history of the area as of 2021.