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The Hardweird
126 The street known as the Hardweird, so named as having been built on the Hardweird Croft. The last street in Aberdeen to show the 'forestairs' that were so common in the older streets of the town. Some of the houses were demolished in 1908. The Hardweird ran from Skene Row to Jack's Brae. Skene Row came off Skene Street, opposite Chapel Street.
This photograph looks east and is likely taken not far from the junction of Hardweird and Upper Denburn. These dwellings are those that stood on the south side of Hardweird. The land was later developed as utility type facilities with Skene Street School playing field above. Denburn
493 The Denburn Valley and Mutton Brae prior to the construction of Rosemount Viaduct. The Triple Kirks are visible in the middle of the image and Union Bridge can seen in the background. The Puffing Briggie
532 A scene of change and renovation in the Denburn Valley. The image looks south from Union Bridge over the suburban platforms of the old Aberdeen Joint Railway Station. The old station's large, curved roof can be seen in the background.
The area we are looking at has seen much change since this time. It is now largely covered by the 1960s retail development on the south side of the bridge, the later Trinity Centre, the development of Wapping Street and Denburn Road, and the building of Atholl House. Though many of the buildings of note we can see in this image are still visible today.
The tall buildings on the far right are the rear of those on Bridge Street. The small street in front of them, going up to Guild Street, is the start of College Street. It is now a partially pedestrianised lane that goes under Wapping Street. The building at the top of this street is the classical style suburban ticket office, built 1909 and now home to Tiffany Hair & Beauty.
Going west along Guild Street's two span road bridge we come to the Great North of Scotland Railway Company's headquarters. This was designed by architects Ellis & Wilson and built in 1894. It is now part of the Station Hotel, along with number 78 next door. The building retains many of its original features. The Guild Street entrance to the Trinity Centre now runs along the western side of this building.
The image also shows features that are no longer present. The covered walkway that can be seen on the near right of the image enabled direct access from the station's central platform to the Palace Hotel on Union Street. The hotel was owned by the Great North of Scotland Railway Co. (GNSR). The walkway was vaulted to pass over the tracks at sufficient height.
Consulting The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station, 1867-1992 (c1992), this image probably dates from 1912 when, in additional to commencing the reconstruction of the Joint Station, the GNSR also laid new loading docks and carriage storage siding in the Hadden Mills site (left of image). This was to ensure that the main station buildings were used purely for passenger traffic.
The walkway that linked Windmill Brae and the Green, known affectionately as the Puffing Briggie, can be seen in the centre of the image. It looks like a section on the left has been temporarily demolished as part of the ongoing work.
The sidings on the extreme left were used for cleaning carriages in the later 20th century. One of our correspondents recounts using the often-unattended carriages, accessible when entering the station from the Green, as an unusually exciting and plush playground during their youth in the late-1940s. Jack's Brae
710 A photograph looking north west up Jack's Brae, from its junction with Upper Denburn, in the Rosemount area. Jack's Brae was named after the owner of property there. This photograph likely dates from the mid-to-late 19th century.
The Ordnance Survey town plan of Aberdeen, 1:500 scale, surveyed in 1866-67 depicts a "Coffee Roasting and Grinding Works" at the top of Jack's Brae at its junction with Leadside Road. A large chimney of these works can be seen on the right side of this image in the distance.
These works were the premises of John Strachan. In the Aberdeen Post Office Directory for 1867-68, Strachan is described as follows:
"Strachan, John, coffee roaster, coffee, sugar, and sugar grinder, Jack's brae" (page 213).
Aberdeen City Council's Historic Environment Record describes the site thusly:
"Site of meal mills, built in the 18th - 19th Centuries and demolished in the 1980s. The works was two-storey with a basement, comprising a 9-bay range with a single kiln and a three-storey with attic 5 by 6-bay block of later date. There were also two 2-storey store blocks. The mill was originally water powered, later electrically driven. The OS 1st edition map depicts a coffee roasting and grinding works here; they are annotated as corn mills on the OS 25in map published 1924." (link here).
The business was known as John Strachan & Sons and the works as Gilcomston Mill. The business was started in around 1852 and John Strachan was succeeded as its proprietor by his son James Strachan (1838-1914). His obituary can be found in the Evening Express of 28th December 1914, page 5. His son, John Strachan, was later to become the business's managing director. The obituary of this later John Strachan can be found in the Press & Journal of 1st July 1935, page 8.
At the time of writing in 2022, the site is occupied by a residential complex called Strachan Mill Court - no doubt named after the coffee roasting and milling enterprise. Hardweird
718 The Hardweird, so named as having been built on the Hardweird Croft, is now the only street in Aberdeen showing the 'forestairs' that were so common in the older streets of the town. The Hardweird ran from Skene Row to Jack's Brae. Skene Row came off Skene Street, opposite Chapel Street. Part of old Gilcomston, it resembled a small "ferm toon" standing between the foot of Jack's Brae and Upper Denburn and it consisted of 18th and early 19th century artisan and labourers' housing - a product of the period when Gilcomston had a flourishing weaving industry. Some of the houses were demolished in 1908. One of Aberdeen's worst slums, it was cleared during the early 1930s and the playground of Gilcoumston Primary School now occupies part of the site. Jack's Brae and March Lane
773 A photograph looking south east down Jack's Brae, past March Lane, towards upper Denburn in 1927.
The Ordnance Survey town plan from 1866-67 indicates that the buildings at the foot of Jack's Brae, beyond March Lane, and shown in the centre here, had a tannery to their rear. All these buildings on Jack's Brae were demolished and the land is now a green space.
The substantial granite building in the background on the left is Skene Street School, later known as Gilcomstoum Primary School. The wall that can be seen at the junction of Upper Denburn remains at the time of writing in 2022.
A city royalty boundary stone, marked "CR" can be seen underneath the March Lane street sign. Upper Denburn and Hardweird
1515 This photo was taken from the bottom of Jack's Brae, looking eastwards. The road in middle of the photo is the Hardweird and the road to the left of the V-junction is Upper Denburn. (Brian Kennedy, Aberdeen)
The partially visible tenements on the skyline in he centre of this image are those at the junction of Skene Street and Rosemount Viaduct. Mutton Brae and Lower Denburn
1668 Mutton Brae and Lower Denburn, Aberdeen. Mutton Brae ran from Schoolhill to Lower Denburn. Many of the houses there were occupied by handloom weavers who worked in a large cotton factory at the corner of Belmont Street and Schoolhill. The missionary Mary Slessor lived here. After the factory closed in 1830, the buildings were demolished and the site was developed for the three Free Churches, designed by Archibald Simpson, which opened in 1843/44. These are now referred to as the Triple Kirks. Many of the other houses were demolished to allow the building of the Denburn Valley Junction Railway which opened in 1867.
Fishwives, the Green, Aberdeen
2703 A Valentine's Series postcard showing the view looking westwards from the Green, towards the train station and Bridge Street. This roughly corresponds to the part of the Green, beyond Rennie's Wynd, that now runs underneath the Trinity Centre to the Denburn Road.
This early 20th century image shows a significantly different scene. On the left, a row of fishwives, along the northern wall of Hadden's textile factory, display maritime stock for sale. They are attended by an assembled crowd of shoppers and children.
Beyond can be seen the bridge, known as the Puffing Briggie, that linked the Green and the foot of Windmill Brae across the train tracks. A sheltered railway platform can be seen to its left and a corner of the Palace Hotel is visible on the right. Denburn Valley
142 An illustration of the Denburn Valley, showing the Triple Kirks and Mutton Brae. Two figures lean against the wall in the foreground. |