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Gala and Heather Day in the Duthie Park
395 This Adelphi Series postcard shows the Gala Day taking place in Duthie Park on 21st August 1915.
The Gala in Duthie Park and the accompanying Heather Day were both organised to raise funds for the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The Gala Day is one of largest events ever to take place at the park. It was estimated that between 25,000 and 26,000 people attended. Tickets cost 6 pence (6d) for general admission and 2s 6d for carriages or motor cars.
Within the park there was an elaborate programme of entertainment and refreshments organised. Details of the programme were published in a 32 page booklet prior to the event. Upwards of 1,300 people took part in the programme.
Gates to the park opened at 3pm and the event officially commence at 3pm with a grand military parade. Lieut-Colonel A. H. Leith of Glenkindie, Garrison Commander, and Lord Provost James Taggart "took the salute" opposite the Hygiea statue.
The Gala and Heather Day were organised by a distinct committee; Taggart was its president and Alexander Findlay, Superintendent of Cleansing, was its chairman. Councillor H. J. Gray was the secretary and treasurer and Mr John Lints was his assistant. There were also conveners and secretaries for various sub-committees concerned with aspects like entertainment and refreshments.
There was a wide range of entertainment organised for within the park including singing, dancing, gymnastic displays, musical drill, motor cycle gymkhana and bayonet fighting. Various platforms saw performances from acts such as a company lead by D. M. Kinghorn, pierrots directed by Minnie Mearns, Dan Williams, and W. A. Craig's operatic choir. Charles Soutar lead a 500 strong choir of children from the city's public schools.
Practically all naval and military units present in the city were represented at the event and individuals from many of them took part in the sporting competitions. The day also included a 5-a-side football and tug of war competition. Preliminary matches for these took place prior to the day at Pittodrie Park.
The Gala Day was filmed and this was later shown as part of a special programme at the Picture House on Union Street from the 25th of the month.
Over £500 was taken at the gates for the event. Entertainment and refreshments within further increased the figure raised.
Heather Day itself generated another £474. This involved over 1,500 vendors going around all parts of the city selling sprigs of the plant. The sale started on the afternoon of the Friday and continued all through Saturday. Entertainment venues throughout the city were also visited.
The vendors were primarily young women and members of organisations like the boys brigade. Stores present in all areas of the city were replenished from a central depot at 173a Union Street. This in turn was supplied by the cleansing department buildings in Poynernook Road, where the preceding week had seen 200,000 sprigs prepared for sale. Peterhead, Inverurie, Ellon and Banchory organised their own Heather Days for the same fund.
The sum taken from both the Gala and the Heather Day was estimated at considerably over £1,000.
See the report in the Aberdeen Journal, Monday 23rd August 1915 page 8, for further details about the occasion. Lord Provost Mearns' Garden Party
1924 A photograph of a garden party hosted by Provost Daniel Mearns (1838 - 12th February 1913). A game of putting is underway. Provost Mearns' Garden Party
1926 Those in attendance mill around at Provost Daniel Mearns' garden party. Mearns served as Provost of Aberdeen between (1895-1898) in addition to many other civic roles such as Governor of Robert Gordon's Technical College. 1929 This illustration shows Queen Victoria receiving the keys of the City of Aberdeen in October 1857 as she travelled to the railway station after a summer spent at Balmoral. The Queen and the Prince Consort had travelled by coach the 60 miles from Balmoral to visit the Earl of Aberdeen at Haddo House on Wednesday 14th October. Their route was decorated with flags and arches at various points. A dinner, with a number of guests, including Lord Provost Webster of Aberdeen, was held at Haddo that evening and huge bonfires on surrounding hills lit the scene. On Thursday 15th October, the Queen and Prince Consort left Haddo, accompanied by the Earl and his son. More decorative arches had been erected on the roads south to Aberdeen. The Lord Provost, magistrates and councillors met the Queen at this Royal Arch near the city boundary at Love Lane (now Nelson Street) on King Street. The arch had been designed by the City Architect, William Smith. It was 15 feet wide, 26 feet high, with two smaller side arches. It was surmounted by the Royal Arms, flags and banners, with the words, "God save the Queen" and "Victoria", on either side in gilt letters. The side arches had the City motto, "Bon Accord", with floral crowns above, with flowers, evergreens and heather decorations. Many of the Guard of Honour wore the Crimean medal. The Lord Provost presented the silver keys on a velvet cushion to the Queen, who touched them, returned them to the Provost and said, "It affords me great gratification to be once more in my City of Aberdeen". The dignitaries returned to their coaches and the procession traveled on to Guild Street railway station, where, after a luncheon, the Royal Party now joined by the Royal children, who had come direct from Balmoral, boarded the train for Windsor. King's College Chapel
2387 A photograph of King's College Chapel from the Lord Provost of Aberdeen George Stephen's Christmas card of 1961.
This image looks north east and was taken from the garden of Powis Lodge, located across College Bounds from the chapel and its crown tower. Hamilton Place, Looking West
2732 A postcard of Hamilton Place likely dating from the early 20th century. The view looks west from the juntion with Westfield Road. The house on the left foreground appears to be 8 Hamilton Place. A small part of 3 Hamilton Place can be seen across the road.
Correspondent Urlan Wannop, a former resident at 41 Hamilton Place, shared his memories about this place:
"My family lived in Hamilton Place between 1935 and 1948. The trees have since been removed, but on warm summer evenings we played ball games in the street before cars became prevalent. The trees stood in for stumps for games of cricket. In wartime, snow clearance for the very few motor cars and steam powered coal delivery wagons meant walls of snow at the pavement edge. I still have weights cast from lead left when all garden railings were removed in an abortive attempt to build tanks and ships for the war effort. (...)
[The] photograph precedes the wartime removal of railings. For historical record, the photograph was possibly taken in the 1920's, judging by the motor car in the background, the presence of the railings and the trees being less fully grown than in the days when they stood in as wickets for street games of cricket.
No sign of the knife grinders, bicycles of visiting French onion sellers nor of the street singer that progressed down Hamilton Place. All disappeared except from my memory.
The wartime Lord Provost, Tommy Mitchell - of Mitchell and Muil, the bakers - lived in a house at the near left; my Headmaster at the Grammar School, JJ Robertson, lived in one at the near right. Like me, he would walk to school down Craigie Loanings". Aberdeen Sailors' Mission and Home
2751 The granite facade of the Aberdeen Sailors' Mission and Home building, built in 1893-95, that has been retained and incorporated into a large residential development on Mearns Street. This appears to be all that remains of the building.
The eastern elevation we can see here was part of a three block extension to the institute designed by architect James Souttar. There was also an entrance to the building on James Street. A preview of the opening of the building, with a detailed description of it, can be read in the Aberdeen Journal of 26th September 1895, page 7.
Queen Elizabeth II's first solo opening ceremony was the Aberdeen Sailor's Home, after it was reconstructed, on 3rd October 1944.
Also of local interest in this image is a car from the well-known firm Panda Rosa Metals. This family business specialise in ferrous and non-ferrous metal recycling and have been operating in Aberdeen for many decades.
Mearns Street, originally running from Regent Quay to Virginia Street, was constructed on the site of a previous thoroughfare called Pork Lane. This was described as a narrow lane of congested tenements and had a reputation for ill-health and crime.
Post Office directories indicate that Pork Lane was demolished in around 1885-86 and that Mearns Street was established by 1887-88. This development was part of a programme called the Shorelands Scheme of Improvements.
In October 1886, the Improvement Committee of Aberdeen Town Council recommended the name of the new street in compliment to the master of shore works who had initiated the improvement scheme, Daniel Mearns (Aberdeen Weekly Journal, 23rd October 1886, page 4).
Mearns (1838-1913) was a shipping merchant, councillor for the St. Clements Ward, active in the Aberdeen Harbour Board and went on to serve as Aberdeen's Lord Provost between 1895 and 1898. Aberdeen Theatres: Tuberculosis exhibition
3375 Throughout its history the Music Hall in Aberdeen has been used for all manner purposes beyond the performing arts and film screenings.
In March 1912 an exhibition on the infectious disease tuberculosis was held in the Music Hall on Union Street. This striking poster, with the headline "War on consumption", advertised the six-day event and the accompanying series of lectures.
The exhibition was organised by the Town Council of Aberdeen and the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption. The majority of the exhibition was brought to the city by the latter party with local additions from the Aberdeen Public Health Department, the pathological and public health laboratories of the University of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Mothers' and Babies' Club.
The exhibition arrived in Aberdeen on the 16 March from Dundee where it had been visited by 30,000 people. It had also toured Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Hull.
At the close of the "six day crusade against tuberculosis", Lord Provost Maitland described the exhibition and lecture series as "Magnificent" and local paper The Aberdeen Journal stated that the success of the event, "judged by popularity, is beyond all doubt." In total 39,960 attended over the six days, placing Aberdeen behind only Hull which was open for an extra day.
Approximately 20,000 health pamphlets were disseminated around the city, including 15,000 catalogues freely distributed by the Public Health Committee. A copy of this catalogue, which includes an instructive article from Aberdeen's Medical Officer of Health, Matthew Hay, is kept in the collection of Aberdeen Local Studies. Winter Gardens
3809 A photograph of the interior of the Winter Gardens at Duthie Park. This image likely dates from the 1970s.
The indoor gardens shown here were constructed as a replacement for an earlier structure on the same site.
The original winter gardens were known as the Palm House. It was designed by the then city architect, John Rust, and erected from 1899. It was constructed from St. Petersburg redwood and cost £1,550 in total. It officially opened on 1st August 1900.
The roof of the Palm House suffered extensive damage during a storm in May 1969 and after 70 years of public use the building had to be demolished and rebuilt. The new Winter Gardens, those shown here, were opened by Lord Provost Robert S. Lennox on 8th April 1970.
This photograph shows a large number of people enjoying a large garden to the east of the building. Duthie Park's lodge and the park's northern entrance can be seen out the windows at the back.
In 2002 the Winter Gardens were renamed in memory of David Welch. He was an influential director of parks in Aberdeen and is generally credited with transforming the city's parks and gardens during the 22 years he held the post.
This image comes from a collection of slides donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by Aberdeen City Council's publicity department. Treasure 48: Tuberculosis Exhibition Poster
219 In March 1912 an exhibition on the infectious disease tuberculosis was held in the Music Hall on Union Street. This striking poster, with the headline 'War on consumption', advertised the six day event and the accompanying series of lectures.
The exhibition was organised by the Town Council of Aberdeen and the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption. The majority of the exhibition was brought to the city by the latter party with local additions from the Aberdeen Public Health Department, the pathological and public health laboratories of the University of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Mothers' and Babies' Club.
The exhibition arrived in Aberdeen on the 16 March from Dundee where it had been visited by 30,000 people. It had also toured Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Hull.
The exhibits were arranged in the Music Hall's Ball Room and Square Room by Mr Haughton, the organising secretary, with assistance by officials of the Public Health Department. The exhibition included two full sized model rooms. Living conditions such as good ventilation, fresh air and sunlight were considered vital in combating the disease. A "bad room" was modelled on a real property in the East End of London.
Tuberculosis was a grave health concern at the time. The poster states that "During the past Ten Years in Aberdeen 1997 persons died from Consumption, and 1039 from other forms of Tuberculosis." In a preview of the exhibition from 19 March, the Aberdeen Journal wrote "The object of the exhibition is to draw attention to the enormous wastage of life and work caused by tuberculosis in its various forms; to show how the disease is caused and spread; and to illustrate the methods of cure and the precautions for its prevention."
The importance of the exhibition was further stressed in a later article which stated: "There is no single disease that causes among civilian communities so many deaths and manifests itself in such various forms, and nothing can be more desirable than to bring home to the masses of people how the deadly scourge can best be prevented or checked. In Aberdeen alone the number of deaths yearly from all forms of tuberculosis is about 270, and of these about two-thirds, or 180, are due to pulmonary tuberculosis. The disease usually lasts long, and the number of definite diseases attributable to it at any one time in the city is probably not less than four or even five times as large as the deaths."
The exhibition was opened by the Principal of the University of Aberdeen, George Adam Smith, and was accompanied by a series of daily public lectures by experts on the disease. Each day's lecture was followed by cinematograph presentations illustrating the precautions taken in connection to tuberculosis. The lectures were held next-door to the Music Hall in the Aberdeen Y.M.C.A. Hall.
At the close of the "six day crusade against tuberculosis", Lord Provost Maitland described the exhibition and lecture series as "Magnificent" and the Journal stated that the success of the event, "judged by popularity, is beyond all doubt." In total 39,960 attended over the six days, placing Aberdeen behind only Hull which was open for an extra day. Approximately 20,000 health pamphlets were disseminated around the city, including 15,000 catalogues freely distributed by the Public Health Committee. A copy of this catalogue, which includes an instructive article from Hay, is kept in the collection of Aberdeen Local Studies. The Highland and Agricultural Society's Show
405 The inside 2 pages of a 4-page Evening Gazette supplement about the large Highland and Agricultural Society Show that took place in Aberdeen on 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th July 1894.
These pages show illustrated portraits of various prominent individuals involved in the Society and the show:
A. M. Gordon of Newton
Walter George Hepburne-Scott (9th Lord Polwarth)
F. H. Forbes of Irvine of Drum
Arthur James Balfour (then an M.P., later to be Prime Minister between 1902 and 1905)
George V (then the Duke of York)
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox (6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon)
Dr Alexander Profeit (Royal doctor at Balmoral from 1874)
James Macdonald (Secretary of the Highland and Agricultural Society from 1893 to 1912)
Baillie Daniel Mearns (later Provost of Aberdeen from 1895-1898)
J. Campbell of Old Cullen
George Bruce (Secretary of the Royal Northern Agricultural Society)
J. Sleigh of Strichen
W. H. Lumsden of Balmedie
Sir George Macpherson-Grant
Colonel Smith of Midmore
J. Marr of Cairnbrogie
Sir Arthur Henry Grant (9th Baronet of Monymusk)
P. M. Turnbull of Smithston Mr. Ross of Rossie
499 This broadside, dating to around 1832, regards Horatio Ross. Ross was the Member of Parliament for the historic British parliamentary constituency called Montrose Burghs.
The broadside regards debate over the reform bill, which promised to provide greater voting rights for men across the country. The broadside defends him from what it asserts are false charges of political misconduct. The broadside reprints correspondence as it feels that this will clear Ross's name. It states that the charges began with a Joseph Hume, who has since regretted his words, but that these assertions have been revived. The broadside asserts that the slanderers want to deceive the Constituency of Aberdeen.
Ross declares that he is not attached to any particular party. He says that he supports Lord John Russel's reform bill but does not want something less than ideal passed. Ross indicates that he is not unhappy with a Tory Government.
In another letter, Joseph Hume expresses his dismay at the perceived support that Ross had of the Duke of Wellington, which he saw as contrary to the cause of the Liberal Government. Hume tells Ross that he has written to the Provost of Arbroath saying that Ross had given Wellington his support. Ross rebukes Hume for this, saying that he never actively supported Wellington, and had evidence of it in a letter already sent to the Provost of Montrose. Eventually, Hume admits his mistake for claiming that Ross supported Wellington in several letters.
This broadside was printed by J. Davidson & Co. of Aberdeen. |