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You searched for: More Like: 'Treasure 118: Aberdeen Harbour Plans'
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Girdleness Lighthouse
467 Girdleness Lighthouse at the Bay of Nigg. Constructed in 1833, the architect was Robert Stevenson, grandfather of the Treasure Island author. Treasure 31: Hays' Isometrical View of Aberdeen 1850
2586 In September 1850 an advert appeared in the local papers of Aberdeen for "Hays' Isometrical View of Aberdeen, giving a Distinct and Correct View of the Whole City and Environs". We hold copy of the plan from 1850 in our Local Studies collection.
The plan was available to purchase for 3s. 6d. and measured 34 inches by 19 inches. Carvers and gilders, J. & J. Hays, had premises at 2 Market Street where they also sold prints and optical instruments. At the bottom left of the image we see the words George Wilson, Delt. (abbreviation of delineator, i.e. the artist). George Wilson was to find fame a few years later as George Washington Wilson when he became one of Scotland's premier photographers.
George Washington Wilson
George Washington Wilson was born in 1823 at Waulkmill of Carnousie in Banffshire and left school at 12 years of age to be an apprentice carpenter. He practised his artistic skills by drawing portraits of friends and neighbours and, after training at art schools in Edinburgh and London, he returned to Aberdeen to become an art teacher and portrait painter.
By the late 1840's Wilson was attracted by the work of Fox Talbot in the new art of photography and after initial experiments with a homemade camera, he advertised a business offering photographic portraits before eventually expanding into landscape photography.
A Bird's Eye View of History
Wilson created this panoramic view of the city by making numerous sketches from the roofs of high buildings and then merging them into one comprehensive drawing. We are looking north across the city from the harbour with Union Street running horizontally across the centre and Old Aberdeen in the far distance. We can see how small the city actually was at this time - open fields are visible just to the north of the west end of Union Street.
A key to the most prominent buildings was provided and it is interesting to see which buildings have survived until today, often with additions, and which had yet to be built. Robert Gordon's Hospital (now College), Marischal College, and various churches including the Triple Kirks and St Nicholas East and West are all still standing but the West Prison, Castlehill Barracks and the Poorhouse have been demolished.
Bird's Eye View 1889
In December 1889, the Aberdeen Free Press offered its readers an updated version of the Bird's Eye View as a supplement to their newspaper. Numerous changes to the landscape of the city had taken place since Wilson's view. Treasure 25: Alexander Ogg, Land Surveyor: Inverurie, Aberdeen and New Zealand
196 November 27th 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the death of the land surveyor Alexander Ogg. Local historian, and Central Library user, Dr Douglas Lockhart made the excellent suggestion that we celebrate this anniversary by displaying Ogg's rare Map of New and Old Aberdeen (1855) as a treasure for November.
The tremendous level of detail; annotation of residential and business occupants and the inclusion of various proposed city developments, make the map a particularly interesting historical item.
This version of the map was corrected to 1855 and published by J. Gellatly, 26 George Street, Edinburgh.
There is a brief description of the map in the bottom right of the sheet that reads:
"This map, continued from the Original Survey made in 1809, by John Smith Architect; has been revised and corrected to 1848, by Alexr. Ogg Land Surveyor; the Railways and Approaches by Alexr. Gibb, C.E. and the Harbour Improvements by James Abernethy, Harbour Engineer."
The National Library of Scotland hold a version of the map corrected to 1847 and published by D. Wyllie & Son, 111 Union Street, Aberdeen. It features a similar description to the one above, the only difference being it states it is corrected by Ogg to 1847.
There are visible differences between the two versions, particularly around the railway areas. How much these amendments are due to Ogg in 1848 or a later cartographer is unclear. Treasure 42: Marischal College Ground floor Architectural Plan by Archibald Simpson
211 The highly-respected architect Archibald Simpson (1790 - 1847) designed many of our city's well-known landmarks and, along with architect John Smith (1781-1852), is widely regarded as transforming Aberdeen into the Granite City in the 19th Century.
At Aberdeen City Libraries, we hold a collection of Archibald Simpson's architectural plans. Many of the originals were destroyed by a fire in his house in 1826 but the copies we hold demonstrate his initial thoughts and first sketches of some of Aberdeen's most famous buildings.
An architectural plan is usually a drawing or a sketch used by an architect to develop a design idea. The document also includes a scale and precise measurements.
Marischal College, as it stands today, was designed by Simpson in the 19th Century and this image shows a floor plan he drew when working on the project in the 1820s.
The plan depicts the ground floor which occupied three sides of a courtyard opening towards Broad Street. The building proposed by Archibald Simpson formed a U-shaped quadrangle with symmetrical rooms. The exterior granite façade, the second largest granite faced construction in the world and enclosing the quadrangle, was built by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie between 1893 and 1905 which is why it is not represented on the plan. Originally, the entrance to the courtyard was by Guild's College gateway.
Tiny lines were drawn to represent the walls between each room and the often curving stairways can be clearly seen. The rooms dedicated to classes of divinity, mathematics, moral philosophy or Greek and Latin were constructed like semi-circular amphitheatres. To the top of the plan, we can see classrooms connected by the science department, including the Anatomical Museum and Dissecting Rooms.
The building contained sixteen classrooms in addition to lodgings for porters and sacrists, the museum, the chemical laboratory and rooms for the professors. Other sources from the period suggest that the public hall, the museum and the library were spacious and magnificent rooms.
The small entrance via an archway, called 'Vestibule' on the plan, is represented at the courtyard side of the building. It is surrounded by two octagonal towers. A grand staircase, contained in the tower, rose to a height of nearly 100 feet.
The architect added the measurements for each room. As suggested by the scale, the unit of measurement is the foot. More information is given by the city librarian G. M Fraser in his 1918 study into Aberdeen's architecture:
"A centre building, 150 feet long, 50 feet wide, 60 feet high. 450,000 cubic feet at 6d: £11,250 Two side buildings, each 80 feet by 40, and 40 feet high. 128,000 cubic feet at 6d: 6,400 Medical class-rooms at end of garden: 1,500 Allowance for porticoes: 2,000 ______ £21,500" [From G. M. Fraser. Archibald Simpson, Architect and his times. A study in the making of Aberdeen. Published in the Aberdeen Weekly Journal between April and October 1918] Architectural plans are a fascinating insight into days gone by. Although at first glance appearing fairly basic, on closer inspection the plan allows us to view one of the Granite City's best loved landmarks through the eyes of the students learning in amphitheatre-style lecture rooms, anatomical museums and dissecting rooms in 19th Century Aberdeen. Treasure 62: City of Aberdeen Links and Sea Beach Layout Plan showing Proposed Development (August 1923)
238 In its heyday Aberdeen attracted visitors from all over the UK and established itself as one of Britain's leading holiday resorts. This is the Links and Sea Beach Development Plan of 1923 which ultimately led to the transformation of Aberdeen into a first class holiday resort.
In September 1919, Aberdeen Town Council took the decision to develop and improve Aberdeen Beach with the construction of a large entertainments building comprising a concert hall, restaurant, dining room, dance hall and lounge, beach pavilion and two shopping arcades.
Messrs. Roberts and Hume of Bathgate were chosen to design the proposed scheme in 1926, at an estimated cost of £42,717. The final design incorporated all requested features excluding the shopping arcades, but the dance hall - known now as Aberdeen Beach Ballroom - became one of the finest dance halls in Scotland. Treasure 69: Mrs Elmslie's Institution Plans by Archibald Simpson, 1837
269 Mrs Elmslie was one of a number of Victorian philanthropic benefactors sympathetic to the plight of those who were poor, neglected or homeless and on 19 November 1840, she opened the Aberdeen Female Orphan Asylum - known also as Mrs Elmslie's Institution - on 19 Albyn Place.
This lithograph shows the building as originally envisaged by architect Archibald Simpson with little gate-houses at either side of the street entrance. Aberdeen City Libraries hold a series of 14 plans of the granite building which have been bound together into a single volume. The collection includes elevations, sections and floor plans dated September 1837.
The Orphan Asylum closed its doors on 27 July 1891 and the remaining girls were transferred to the Girls' Home and School of Domestic Economy on King Street. The building was sold to the Aberdeen School Board for £4,500 and, after extensive additions and refurbishment, it became the new home of Aberdeen High School for Girls, renamed as Harlaw Academy in 1970.
Find out more about Mrs Elmslie and her Institution, including its rules and regulations, daily meals and class timetables, in the Treasures from our Collections exhibition on touchscreens in Central, Airyhall, Tillydrone and Mastrick libraries. Treasure 78: Northfield and Mastrick Libraries
289 Both Northfield and Mastrick Libraries opened during the month of October in 1955 and 1957 respectively as part of a plan formulated by the Library Committee to extend the provision of branch libraries into new housing areas. From photographs, plans and news cuttings in the Library Archive we can take a look at the early history of both libraries.
In January 1950, building began on the Northfield estate, the first major housing development in post war Aberdeen. By June 1952, 800 families had moved to the area and were served by the mobile library which made evening visits to Marchburn Drive and Deansloch Terrace. These sites were very busy with over 9000 books issued and people often queued to use the service.
At a meeting of the Public Library Committee in January 1953 it was agreed to ask Aberdeen Corporation to erect a library building on a site in Northfield.
The construction of a new branch library began in the autumn of 1954. On 12 October 1955, the G. M. Fraser Branch (named in memory of the late City Librarian) was officially opened on Byron Square by Mr. Thomas Johnston, former Scottish Secretary.
The success and popularity of Northfield Library inspired the committee to open a similar unit on the adjacent housing estate of Mastrick. The first section of the new Mastrick Branch Library opened on Greenfern Road on 18 October 1957, with the second section opening in 1961.
View the Treasures from our Collection interactive exhibition on the touchscreens in Central, Airyhall, Tillydrone and Mastrick libraries to find out more about the history of Mastrick and Northfield libraries. Treasure 81: John Morgan Plans
293 In this year of Innovation, Architecture and Design, we feature original building plans which provide us with an insight into the development of Aberdeen in the late 19th century. The plans were designed by builder John Morgan (1844-1907), who worked with many well-known city architects.
John Morgan's memoirs are held in our collections and the 282-page document provides a first-hand account of the builder's career. Along with his memoirs, we hold a bound volume of Morgan's original plans which were donated by a tobacconist named James Yule Keswick, husband of John Morgan's eldest daughter, Elisabeth Jane.
Together, the plans and memoirs reveal the personality of an important figure from our city's past, and map the changing landscape of Victorian Aberdeen as witnessed by Morgan himself.
Find out more about John Morgan and the many buildings he constructed in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreens in our libraries. Treasure 82: Linksfield Library
294 Did you know there were once plans to build a Branch Library on the corner of School Road and King Street? In the Library Archive we hold a set of drawings showing the proposed library, prepared by A.B. Gardner, City Architect.
In January 1938 the Sub-Committee accepted the proposal for a new library building constructed in white dressed Kemnay granite and referred the scheme for final approval to the Town Council.
Unfortunately, due to a shortage of construction workers in the City, the scheme was deferred and the outbreak of World War II further delayed the plans. Linksfield Branch Library did not open until December 1975, several hundred yards south of the original School Road site, within the newly constructed Linksfield Academy.
Linksfield Academy closed in 2002 due to falling numbers and its pupils transferred to St Machar Academy. The building was occupied by the public library, community centre and swimming pool, all of which remained open following the school closure.
Linksfield Public Library closed on 30 September 2010 after which Linksfield Academy was demolished to make way for the new Aquatics Centre on King Street.
View the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreen to find out more about the history of Linksfield Library.
Treasure 113: Railway Station Plans
334 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the main railway station in Aberdeen. One of our treasures this month is a plan which shows the siting of the original joint railway station and the beginning of the Denburn Valley Line.
This plan was published as a supplement to the Aberdeen Free Press and is dated May 29th 1863. The plan shows the proposed station and the surrounding area. The station and areas around it which require alteration are tinted in dark and light red. We can see that the plans involved the extension of Guild Street and the creation of access roads to the station so that it could be easily reached via a variety of approaches. Other features of note are the proposed tunnel earmarked for the Woolmanhill area and also the Scottish North Eastern Railway Station on Guild Street which indicates that the joint station was not the first station to be built in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Joint Station was opened on the 4th November 1867 and a glowing report and detailed description of the new building can be found in the Aberdeen Journal: "it is truly a magnificent building; and its proportions are such as few stations in the three kingdoms will surpass in point of elegance." William Smith, city architect at the time, was the architect of the joint station and John Willet the engineer.
Learn more about the other stations of Aberdeen, now vanished, in the Treasures from our Collections digital exhibition on the touch screens. Aberdeen Harbour plans by John Smeaton
522 A plate showing two plans, titled Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen as it was in 1769 and Plan of the Harbour with its Alterations, as proposed 1787 by J. Smeaton.
This plate (no. 2, from opposite page 38) features in the book Reports of the late John Smeaton, F.R.S. made on various occasions, in the course of his employment as a civil engineer, volume III, (London, 1812). It accompanies a report by Smeaton about Aberdeen Harbour, dated to 19th February 1770, outlining the engineer's proposed measures, including estimated costs, to prevent the silting of the harbour and improve its access, particularly for larger ships.
The main element of Smeaton's improvements, as proposed in his report and shown on both plans, was the construction of the harbour's North Pier. Completed by around 1780, the pier was subsequently extended first, on the advice of Thomas Telford, between 1810 and 1816 and again between 1869 and 1874.
The shown plans are credited to J. Smeaton, with J. Farey Jun. given as the delineator and W. Lowry as the engraver ("scupl.").
The three volume book contains Smeaton's reports from various engineering projects. A copy of each volume is available in the Local Studies reserve stock at Aberdeen City Libraries. Aberdeen Harbour plans by John Smeaton
523 This plate of two coloured plans was included in the book The reports by Smeaton, Rennie, and Telford, upon the Harbour of Aberdeen. Printed and circulated by order of the Harbour Trustees (Aberdeen: G. Cornwall, Herald Office, 1834).
This volume contains two reports by Smeaton, dated 19th February 1770 and 22nd March 1799, respectively, plus a letter by him concerning the Harbour from the same date as the 2nd report.
The two plans are titled Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen as it was in 1769 and Plan of the Harbour with its Alterations, as proposed 1787 by J. Smeaton.
Different versions of these plans can be found reproduced in the earlier book Reports of the late John Smeaton, F.R.S. made on various occasions, in the course of his employment as a civil engineer, volume III, (London, 1812). These other versions are also available to view on this website.
Smeaton, along with John Rennie and Thomas Telford, was a key engineer in the development of the modern harbour of Aberdeen. Smeaton's most crucial improvement was the construction of the North Pier, completed in around 1780.
A copy of The reports by Smeaton, Rennie, and Telford, upon the Harbour of Aberdeen. Printed and circulated by order of the Harbour Trustees (1834) is held by Aberdeen City Libraries in our Local Studies reserve stock. |