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St. Fittick's Well
1853 A photograph from 1906 of St. Fittick's Well, located in the Bay of Nigg.
An account of the well is given by Thomas W. Ogilvie (1861-1908) in The Book of Saint Fittick, a history of Torry, written and presented as a Bazaar Book to Saint Fittick's Church, Torry, in December 1901.
Ogilvie worked as a doctor in Torry for seven years and was prominent in the public life of the district. An account of his life is given in the introduction to a posthumously published collection of his verse, Poems (1911).
Ogilvie suggests use the well dates to pagan times and gives an account of its storied healing powers and the tradition of offering gifts in the hope of good health and fortune. He suggests St Fittick, the patron saint of Torry, became the object of these benefactions after the arrival of Christianity.
He details the tradition of visiting the area and leaving gifts on the first Sunday of May. Ogilvie writes:
"Town Council and Kirk Session struggled by laws and punishments to stop those Sunday wanderings and to efface those vestiges of old superstitions, but the customs of centuries die hard, and to-day young and old, to whom the name St. Fittick is a meaningless term and the repute of his well quite unknown, ramble on Sundays and week-days to the bay once called by his name, and they find the old power still lingers, for the beauty of the Bay, the fresh sea-breeze, and the pure draught from the old spring still bless and heal."
The well is understood to have been washed away by coastal erosion in the early 20th century. Its location, latterly its site, is recorded in old large scale Ordnance Survey maps. Treasure 35: Notes and Jottings of G.M. Fraser
2323 George Milne Fraser had a lifelong interest and expertise in local history; delivering talks (as seen in the December 2015 Treasure), publishing books and numerous letters and articles in the local press. His 'Notes and Jottings' collection comprise over 70 volumes, mostly hand written (including a form of shorthand), which are a treasure trove of information about the local area.
Within these notebooks are newspaper articles and advertisements, photographs, personal correspondence, sketches and many other interesting bits and pieces. Library staff have compiled an index to this invaluable resource and consult it on a regular basis when researching enquiries. It is quite a challenge deciphering his handwriting sometimes!
As a journalist by profession, G. M. Fraser retained his talent for writing and contributed articles to the Aberdeen Free Press, Bon Accord and Northern Pictorial, Evening Gazette, and journals such as the Deeside Field.
His contributions to local literature began in 1904 with the publication of The Green. Historical Aberdeen appeared the following year and after Aberdeen Street Names in 1911 the Town Clerk Depute wrote to Fraser with the words "We must now regard you as our Principal Historian".
The Life and Work of G. M. Fraser
G. M. Fraser was appointed city librarian in 1899 and was the second public librarian in Aberdeen. He can be seen on the far right of this image from the library archive.
His name was known all over the north east and he was mentioned in the chorus of one of Harry Gordon's popular songs, The Auldest Aiberdonian: "I ken lots o' stories G. M. Fraser disna ken". On 30 October 1923 he gave a 15 minute talk on the radio about Castlegate, becoming the first librarian in Aberdeen to make a radio broadcast.
During his term of office there were many developments in the Library service:
- The Central Library was extended in 1905 to include a new reading room
- Branch reading rooms and delivery stations were established throughout the city
- The Juvenile Library in Skene Street opened in 1911
- Open access was introduced in the Lending Library 1925 (find out more about Open Access libraries in the October treasures!)
- Fraser's strongest legacy is the Local Studies collection, which still contains many of our treasures.
G. M. Fraser was remembered very fondly after his death on 7 June 1938. There were many tributes including one from the Library Committee. Perhaps one of the warmest tributes was paid by his successor as City Librarian, Marcus Milne:
"Somehow the Library and G.M. were one. You could not think of the Library without thinking of that kindly figure who was head of it; and one could not meet him without thinking of the building he graced for so long. Mr Fraser had 2 hobbies and work was both of them. He lived for nothing else. The library was ever uppermost in his thoughts and closely allied to his love for the Library was his great love for things Aberdeen".
Mr Fraser's funeral service was attended by many prominent city officials and floral wreaths included one from Lady Aberdeen with the inscription "In affectionate and grateful remembrance of a much valued friend". He is buried in Springbank Cemetery.
In 1955, Aberdeen's first post-war permanent branch library was opened at Northfield and named the G. M. Fraser Branch Library in his honour.
In further recognition of his contribution to the development of the Library service, a commemorative plaque can be found on the front of the Central Library building. Treasure 54: On the Planting of Trees in Towns
229 Aberdeen was something of a pioneer when it came to the planting of street trees in Scotland. An article on the subject in the Aberdeen Journal from 1905 states: "As is constantly remarked by visitors, Aberdeen has great reason to be proud of its trees. In some respects, it can, in this direction, show the way to other Scottish cities."
Alongside St. Andrews, Aberdeen led the way in the extensive and effective planting of trees on city streets. This was largely due to the work of Aberdeen's first park superintendent, Robert Walker. The 1905 article states: "To those who know Mr Walker only as the busy man in charge of Victoria and Westburn Parks, the Union Terrace Gardens, the Links, and the grounds of Robert Gordon's College, the fact of his being an author may be new, but it is something to which Mr Walker can look back with pride, because the publication of 'On the Planting of Trees in Towns' was the means of stimulating the movement for tree-planting, not only in Aberdeen, but also in a good many more places in Scotland."
Walker's book, printed in 1890 at the University of Aberdeen, consists of two papers read before The North of Scotland Horticultural Association in 1889. The volume was issued by the two Aberdeen members of Mr Ruskin's Guild of Saint George after a strong request to publish was made by those unable to attend Walker's lectures. The book argues that trees should be planted not just in parks, but in city streets too: "The slight good effected by fine parks placed here or there towards the outskirts of a city is as nothing to what might be carried out by so planning and planting streets and roads, that the air might be comparatively pure and free, and the eye refreshed with green at almost every point."
The Aberdeen Journal states that the value of the book is "very much materially enhanced by illustrations of a number of our best-known trees from drawings from Sir George Reid, lithographed by Messrs Thomson and Duncan." George Reid (1841-1913) was a nationally renowned Aberdeen-born painter. A year after the publication of the book, in 1891, he was elected as the president of the Royal Scottish Academy and knighted by Queen Victoria. In 1905 he played a significant role in the extension of Aberdeen Art Gallery, determining the layout and contents of the building. He died at his home in Somerset in 1913 and was buried in St Peter's Cemetery, Aberdeen.
On the publication of Walker's book a copy was send to keen arboriculturist and habitual Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. The 1905 Aberdeen Journal article reports that, in his acknowledgement of the gift, Gladstone wrote that "he would read the book with the greatest pleasure, the subject being one in which he took a special interest." At the time, the post card with acknowledgment could still be seen framed in Mr Walker's house. The Journal article also states that the book has been unobtainable for a long time but that a copy is available to view at the Reference Department of the Public Library. Over a hundred years later this is still correct and the item now sits in our Local Studies collection.
"Trees not only afford shade and shelter," states Walker's book "but adorn the landscape and purify the air. They improve the heart as well as the taste; they refresh the body and enlighten the spirit. And the more refined the taste is, the more exquisite is the gratification that may be enjoyed from every leaf-building tree." Treasure 60: Library bindery
236 This month we pay tribute to a number of craftsmen whose daily work was seen as essential to the maintenance of the book stock in the library service. These were the library bookbinders who, with their assistants, ensured that the library books were in as good condition as possible.
The Library Bindery was based in the basement of the Central Library and bookbinders would spend their working day there rebinding and repairing damaged books, in addition to numbering and labelling new stock.
This photo dates from around 1950, and shows bookbinder Joseph T. Duncan and his assistant Ruth Chalmers in the bindery. He is applying gold lettering to the spine of a volume using the tools laid out on the rack beside him.
Find out more about Mr Duncan and the library service's bookbinders over the years in our interactive exhibition on touchscreens.
Treasure 72: George MacDonald Victorian Children's Books
274 In our Local Studies collection we hold a number of works by Victorian author George MacDonald. He wrote extensively over his lifetime in a variety of genres yet it is probably for his fantasy writing that he is most highly regarded. He is sometimes referred to as the founding father of modern fantasy writing and subsequent renowned writers C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien drew inspiration from his work.
MacDonald's novels "At the Back of the North Wind" (1871); "The Princess and the Goblin" (1872) and its sequel "The Princess and Curdie" (1882) are titles that we are still familiar with today and, as a result of their enduring popularity, they continue to be reprinted and sold nearly 150 years after they were first published.
In common with other popular fiction from the Victorian period, they were originally serialized and instalments appeared in Good Words for the Young - a magazine which aimed to provide wholesome literature for children to read.
The editions of George MacDonald's children's books in our collection are all printed by Glasgow firm Blackie & Son Ltd whose business activities included bookselling, publishing, printing and book production. Their children's publications are notable for their colourful covers and striking illustrations.
View the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on our touchscreens to find out more about the Victorian author and his varied works.
Treasure 95: Todd Family Album, 1858-1865
314 This treasure is a family photograph album of the Todd family covering the years 1858 to 1865. The photographs were taken by James Joseph Todd (1834-1904) and the album was donated to the library by Lorna L. Todd, née Lawrence, (1886-1971).
Lorna was the wife of Reginald Todd (1868-1948), the second child of James Joseph Todd and Ann Hogarth (1845-1882).
During the years covered in the album the Todd family lived at Maryculter House on the banks of the River Dee. The head of the family was Thomas Todd (1803-1868). He came to Aberdeen in 1849 and became one of the principal partners in the firm of Alexander Hadden & Sons, manufacturers in the Green, with his brother in law James F. Hadden.
Thomas was born in London in 1803. His father, Joseph Todd Snr., began his working life as a haberdasher and silk mercer and steadily became one of the wealthiest men in the country.
The Todd family owned Twickenham Park estate and had architect L. W. Lloyd design a large mansion there by the side of the River Thames that was completed in 1828.
The album documents not just the Todd family, and connected families like the Haddens and Hogarths, but also includes other prominent Aberdonians such as Sir Andrew Leith Hay and Hugh Leslie of Powis. They appear to have been photographed during visits to Maryculter House.
View our Treasures exhibition on the interactive screen to find out more about this early example of portrait photography Treasure 98: Kissing postcards
317 To celebrate Valentine's Day, we have chosen to display four historic postcards from our collections conveying messages of love and friendship.
The postcards are slightly smaller than those in circulation nowadays and they all have a different title, written in capital letters and in colour on the top of the cards. Up until the end of the 19th century, most postcards presented an undivided back; England was the first country to divide the back of the postcards in 1902, before France in 1904, Germany in 1905 and the United States in 1907. It allowed people to write both the message and the address of their recipient on the same side. The front side was then mainly used for the picture or artwork. Postcards can be a useful tool for learning more about society and people's interests and sense of humour.
The text on the postcard entitled 'The Science of Kissing' is from a publication called The People. It first appeared in British newspapers in 1866 and has been republished many times since. Amusingly, the author of the text gives some tips to improve a kissing performance and describes in detail what a proper kiss on the lips should feel like: "People will kiss, yet not one in a hudred [sic] knows how to extract bliss from lovely lips, any more than he knows how to make diamonds from charcoal. And yet it is easy, at least for us. First know whom you are going to kiss. Don't make a mistake, although a mistake may be good."
Want to find out more about the art of kissing in time for St. Val's Day? Check out our interactive exhibition on the touchscreen! Treasure 116: Aberdeen Dance Festival Week 16-20 August 1948 Souvenir Brochure
339 This treasure is a souvenir brochure and programme for the first Aberdeen Dance Festival Week, held from 16 - 20 August 1948, which aimed "to make Aberdeen Scotland's mecca for good dancing". It was staged by the directors of the Palais de Danse dance hall and organised by the managing director, Mr. Ernest A. Bromberg. This delightful brochure describes competitions such as the Novice 3-Dance, Pre-amateur 4-Dance and Team Dancing Championship, gives details of the panel of adjudicators, and features adverts for local dancing schools.
It also includes a personal message from Mr Bromberg who stated "Since the inception of the Palais de Dance it has been my consistent desire to do everything possible to encourage a greater incentive to improve Ballroom Dancing and to provide facilities to make dancing a popular and healthy form of recreation, exercise, and entertainment". The Palais de Dance in Diamond Street was believed to be the oldest principal ballroom in Aberdeen, dating back to the mid-1920s.
In 1965 it underwent an extensive interior reconstruction at a cost of £75,000 with a new lounge bar, rounding of the dance floor from its previous square shape, and a circular balcony to watch the dancers. It became Raffles night club in 1976.
If you have memories of dancing in Aberdeen or any booklets/brochures on the subject, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact our Local Studies department at the Central Library.
Find out more about dancing in Aberdeen and see some fantastic images in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreen. Treasure 121: Annals of the Road by Captain Malet (1876)
344 One of our final treasures is a very rare book dating from 1876 which tells us about the history of the stage and mail coaches in Britain. A subject that perhaps, on first glance, would appear to be rather dry and uninteresting, becomes significantly more dramatic when you consider the limitations and risks inherent in a journey by coach in the days before rail, car and plane. Indeed, with many of us venturing out on a journey for the summer holidays, a lot of us will take for granted the ease and speed with which we may reach our destinations. Journeys such as these would have been nigh on impossible in the days of the stage coach in terms of time and expense.
Our book is entitled Annals of the Road, or Notes on Mail and Stage Coaching in Great Britain. By Captain Malet, XVIIIth Hussars, to which are added Essays on the Road by Nimrod, published by Longmans, Green, and Co., London 1876. According to Capt. Malet, stage coaching came into general use between 1662 and 1703. However, travel on horseback was still considered preferable by many due to the discomfort of the early coaches, the bad state of the main roads (which were few) and the constant danger of highway robbery. Coaches were an easy, slow-moving target for highwaymen as they carried more baggage and the passengers would be unable to ride away at speed. Mail coaches began in the 1780s from Edinburgh and by 1835, 27 coaches were running to various places from Aberdeen.
To see some beautiful illustrations of coaches and coach travel - and find out just how expensive it was (very!) - have a look at the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition.
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