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Site of Mar's Castle
108 Site of Mar's Castle, Gallowgate after its demolition in 1897. The building in the background was for many years the meeting place of the Society of Friends (Quakers). They also had a burial ground in this area in the 1670s. The building was acquired by John Watt and Sons, leather merchants. The upper part had louvre windows which made it suitable for drying leather.
The two doorways that remain standing in the centre of the image were part of the tenement located just north of Mar's Castle. Above the one on the left can be seen a sign indicating that this was once the pend leading to Logan's Court. In the late 19th century the address of this tenement would have been 150 Gallowgate.
The demolition of Mar's Castle, and likely this tenement too, began in January 1897. The Town Council bought the property and ordered its demolition so that the street could be widened. Quaker Meeting House, Gallowgate
765 Site of Mar's Castle, Gallowgate after its demolition in 1897. The building in the background was for many years the meeting place of the Society of Friends (Quakers). They also had a burial ground in this area in the 1670s. The building was acquired by John Watt and Sons, leather merchants. The upper part had louvre windows which made it suitable for drying leather.
The two doorways that remain standing in the centre of the image were part of the tenement located just north of Mar's Castle. Above the one on the left can be seen a sign indicating that this was once the pend leading to Logan's Court. In the late 19th century the address of this tenement would have been 150 Gallowgate.
The demolition of Mar's Castle, and likely this tenement too, began in January 1897. The Town Council bought the property and ordered its demolition so that the street could be widened.
This photograph was taken at the junction with Innes Street and looks east across Gallowgate. Free Gardener
1659 Photographic portrait of a man wearing the sash and medallion of the Order of Free Gardeners.
The Free Gardeners were a friendly society founded in Scotland in the mid-17th century.
Newspaper reports indicate that the Order was considerably active in Aberdeenshire until at least the mid-20th century.
An article in the Press and Journal of 2nd May 1949, page 6, records the address to the North of Scotland district delegation in Aberdeen of the retiring Worthy District Master Charles I. Crighton.
Crighton reports a drop in local membership of the Order, both among the adult and juvenile branches, largely crediting this to the introduction of the National Health Service. The district adult membership stood at 5124, a drop of 110, and a juvenile membership had decreased by 206.
This photograph of an unknown Free Gardener likely dates from the early 20th century. Acknowledgments
2364 How Aberdeen Women's Alliance City Centre Heritage Walk developed:
Following the group's involvement with Women of Scotland's Mapping Memorials to Women website (http://www.womenofscotland.org.uk/), with our partners at Glasgow Women's Library (http://www.womenslibrary.org.uk/),
at the Central Library in February 2013, we felt there was a number of women in Aberdeen who have made an important and significant contribution to the life of our city that we rarely ever hear about.
This inspired a group of volunteers to develop the Aberdeen City Centre Women's Heritage Walk.
By creating this virtual version of the walk we aim to share the many stories of these wonderful women and their achievements with as many people as possible. We also aimed to enrich the account of these women by recording, and making available, the fascinating memories of members from community members.
How to get involved:
Aberdeen women's history is still largely unwritten and not visible to the public. There are many ways women can get involved with us to address this. You are welcome help us with research or join our tour guide teams. If you have information that can be added to this walk, suggestions of how it can be improved, or memories you would like to share - we want to hear from you!
How to contact us:
Email: awainfo@btinternet.com
Postal address:
Aberdeen Women's Alliance
c/o Equalities team
Aberdeen City Council
Marischal College
Broad Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1AB
Many thanks to our virtual tour partners:
Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen City Libraries
And special thanks to:
Aberdeen Local Studies Diamond Wedding (1 of 2)
2514 A group portrait at the Diamond Wedding celebrations of Mr. and Mrs. William Symon. William Symon was from Portsoy and Elspeth Geddes was from Fochabers. They were married in Fochabers on 26th February 1859 by Rev. Robert Cushnie. The celebrations took place in Turriff on 26th February 1919 and were ministered by Rev. Duncan MacLaren.
Many of the figures in the photograph are wearing military uniforms, which suggests they fought in the world war that ended the previous year.
The photograph was taken by the Milne Photographic Studio of Turriff. It was based at 45 High Street and was likely started by a James Milne who ran a clothes shop at the same address.
These two photographs were donated to the library by a descendant of the family. Diamond Wedding (2 of 2)
2515 A group portrait at the Diamond Wedding celebrations of Mr. and Mrs. William Symon. William Symon was from Portsoy and Elspeth Geddes was from Fochabers. They were married in Fochabers on 26th February 1859 by Rev. Robert Cushnie. The celebrations took place in Turriff on 26th February 1919 and were ministered by Rev. Duncan MacLaren.
Many of the figures in the photograph are wearing military uniforms, which suggests they fought in the world war that ended the previous year.
The photograph was taken by the Milne Photographic Studio of Turriff. It was based at 45 High Street and was likely started by a James Milne who ran a clothes shop at the same address.
These two photographs were donated to the library by a descendant of the family. 123-125 Union Street
2798 Royal Liver Friendly Society and William W. Gray, ladies & gents tailor, at 123 and W. Barratt & Co., Ltd., boot and shoe makers, at 125 Union Street in 1937. 123 Union Street was also the address of Aberdeen & District Motor Club, The Federated Employers Insurance Association, Ltd., Canada Life Assurance Co., Paton, Lythgoe & Co., Paton's Shipping Offices, Ltd., Northern Pools, Walker & Johnston, commission agents, George Dawson Cable, check trader, D.L. Debt Recovery Agency, Philips & Piper, Ltd., Robert J. G. Menzies, T. M. Newbigging and Helen Cassie, solicitor. 229-245 Union Street
2831 A. R. Milne, booksellers, at 229, the entrance to 231A, Charles A. Michie, chemists, at 231 and Milne-Wyllie Building, at 245 Union Street in 1937. 231A was the address of J. B. Rennet, advocate and C. A., Samuel Pope, solicitor, John H. Drummond and the City of Glasgow Friendly and Approved Society.
The Milne-Wyllie Building, at 245, was the address of A. H. L. Mackinnon, architect, A. J. Morrison, architect, Bower & Smith, C. A., Mrs. Smith, apartments, and Mrs. Clara Willis. Aberdeen Theatres: Aberdeen Arts Centre
3386 In 1960 the education committee of Aberdeen Town Council proposed the conversion of the empty North and Trinity Parish Church into an adult education and civic arts centre. The plan was given final approval in February 1961, much to the delight of Aberdeen's art enthusiasts.
The Evening Express detailed the need for such a venue at the time by describing the difficulties faced by the William Gavin Players, a local drama group, in staging a play earlier that week in the ballroom of the Music Hall. They had to overcome the roar of a nearby wrestling audience, the incessant ringing of an unanswered telephone, a cramped stage and poor acoustics.
A temporary restriction on capital expenditure and a particularly severe winter caused delays for the conversion. Work began in late 1961 and was concluded by the autumn of 1963. The work cost around £33,000 and saw the reconstruction of the interior and a thorough re-vamp for the building's exterior. At one point the new centre was going to be called Longacre, but this idea was scrapped in favour of Aberdeen Arts Centre.
The completed venue was opened on 18th October 1963 by Sir Herbert Read (1893-1968), an art critic, poet and anarchist philosopher. In his speech Read criticised the main political parties of the day for neglecting the development of the arts and the human imagination in favour of a blind drive for scientific and technological efficiency.
In addition to the 385-seat auditorium, the venue had an exhibition space, a lounge, and a tea bar. The Arts Centre has remained the focal point for local arts groups and arts education to this day. It has also served as a meeting place and provided a useful stage for theatrical productions of all types.
In 1998, facing the need to cut £17.5 million from their budget, Aberdeen City Council withdrew their funding from the Arts Centre. This left the future of the venue in danger. A popular campaign to avoid its closure was led by Annie Inglis MBE (1922-2010), Aberdeen's first lady of theatre.
This led to the Aberdeen Arts Centre Association taking over the venue on a voluntary basis and the eventual formation of the Castlegate Arts Limited, a company with charitable status who continue to run the venue today.
Over the years the Arts Centre has played host to many noted local theatre groups like the Attic Theatre Co., The Revue Group, the aforementioned William Gavin Players, Phoenix Theatre, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Aberdeen Opera Company, Confederate Theatre, Dragongate Theatre, and no doubt many more. It remains a much-loved venue for performers and audiences of all ages. Gilcomston South Church
4403 A photograph, taken on 3rd February 2024, of Gilcomston South Church on Union Street, Aberdeen. The street on the left of the image, going north from Union Street, is Summer Street.
This church was designed by architect William Smith (1817-1891). It was opened 1868 and served as the second, more elaborate premises of the United Free Church in Aberdeen. The first had been a more simple granite box-auditorium on Huntly Street. An illustration of this earlier building features in Gammie's Churches of Aberdeen (1909) on page 127.
Historic Environment Scotland, in the entry for the building on their listed building portal, describe Gilcomston South as an interesting example of asymmetrical planning. This style had been advocated 30 years prior to its construction by the Camden Society and Ecclesiologists in England and continued to be advocated by the Aberdeen Ecclesiological Society into the late 19th century.
The church was officially opened on 6th September 1868 with services from the Rev. Mr Nixon (1803-1900) of Montrose, moderator of the Free Assembly, and Rev. Dr Walter Macgilvray (c1810-1880), pastor of the congregation (see Aberdeen Journal, 9th September 1868, page 8).
A book titled Gilcomston: A Congregation was written by Francis Lyall and published in 2020. It traces the history of the congregation from 1777 to 2013, when it left the Church of Scotland. 221-227 Union Street
4405 A photograph, taken on 3rd February 2024, showing the building at 221-227 Union Street, Aberdeen. This block is known as Langstane House and also has the address of 6 Dee Street.
The ground and basement floors are occupied by a branch of the Burger King hamburger fast food company.
As indicated by the signage on the blinds, the above floors are occupied by Mental Health Aberdeen (MHA) and Home Start Aberdeen. The former is a charity which aims to break the stigma around mental health, empower individuals with guidance and increase awareness. The latter is a charity which supports families facing different challenges.
Burger King started trading in Aberdeen, with premises at 221 Union Street and 48 Upperkirkgate, in November 1991 (see Evening Express, 2nd October 1991, page 13).
221-227 Union Street was formerly the site of the department store Watt & Grant, who operated from there from 1882 to 1981 (see Aberdeen Journal, 19th September 1882, page 1 and Press & Journal, 20th November 1981, page 7).
A bookshop at 247 Union Street continued the name of Watt & Grant on Aberdeen's granite mile for some time after the closure of the above department store. The Foundry
4409 A photograph of The Foundry pub and restaurant at 41-43 Holburn Street taken on 21st March 2024.
43 Holburn Street, today The Foundry, was built in around 1915/16 as a motor showroom and workshop for Mr. John Harper, engineer of Bournemouth, to a design by architect George B. Mitchell (Aberdeen Daily Journal, 20th September 1915, p. 4).
In November 1916, during the First World War, the Harper Motor Company put their new garage, at the junction of Holburn Street and Justice Mill Lane, at the disposal of the Red Cross. The commodious building, ideal for transport work, became the headquarters of the Aberdeen Transport Section of the Red Cross Society (Evening Express, 21st November 1916, p. 5).
43 Holburn Street was occupied and in use by the Harper Motor Company until at least 1979. In 1986, George Dowdles, who had ran a roller skating rink called Rollerland Disco in Bon-Accord Terrace, proposed to turn the premises into a leisure centre for teenagers (Press & Journal, 19th June 1986, p. 3).
The new venture at 43 Holburn Street was to be a soda and burger café modelled on the TV show Happy Days and called Up The Junction. It opened in October 1986 (P&J, 10th October 1986, p. 3).
Up The Junction appears to have struggled financially and 43 Holburn Street was remodelled and opened as Rollerland Mark II in August 1987 (EE, 22nd February 1988, p. 8). The original Rollerland skating rink had been on the second floor of 5 Bon-Accord Terrace and operated from 26th June 1981 to mid-1986.
Rollerland on Holburn Street was briefly owned by Cove Rangers football club and was temporarily renamed Wheels Leisure Centre. George Dowdles remained its manager (P&J, 1st April 1989, p. 1). The venue was reopened as Rollerland under the ownership of Aberdeen District Council in July 1989. DJs Robin Galloway and Gary Stein provided music for a reopening gala night (EE, 27th July 1989, p. 5).
Rollerland finally closed in February 1991 on safety grounds. Water leaks had warped the floor making it unsafe for skating. The venue had struggled financially and the estimated cost of repair was too large (P&J, 18th September 1991, p. 3). In June 1995, there was a significant fire in the building (EE, 19 June 1995, p. 2).
In September 1995, the company Alloa Pubs and Restaurants, who had leased the building from the District Council, unveiled plans for a £500,000 transformation of the run-down property. It was to be turned into a prestige bar-diner called The Granary, with a lay-out based on the company's Glasgow venue of the same name (EE, 16th September 1995, p. 7).
With a final redevelopment cost of £600,000, The Granary opened to the public on 6th February 1996 (P&J, 7th February 1996, p. 11).
A search of Aberdeen City valuation rolls indicates that by April 2005 The Granary had changed its name to The Foundry. At the time, The Foundry was operated by Mitchell & Butlers, one of the largest restaurant and pub businesses in the UK.
Mitchell & Butlers own the O'Neill's chain of Irish pubs, the first branch of which opened at 9-10 Back Wynd, Aberdeen on 22nd September 1994. This was formerly the premises of the Tappit Hen pub (P&J, 16th September 1994, p. 3).
In 2010, Mitchell & Butlers disposed of 333 of their town and community pubs to the Stonegate Pub Company. This likely included The Foundry ('Our history' page on Mitchell & Butlers website: https://www.mbplc.com/about-us/our-history/: accessed 22/03/2024).
In November 2023, The Foundry reopened to the public following a brief closure for a significant redevelopment. Backed by a £277,000 investment from the Stonegate Group, the UK's largest pub company, the work aimed to shift the venue from a sports-focused pub to a more family-friendly food destination. The exterior design changed from a black and gold colour scheme to the red and gold of Aberdeen Football Club (Aberdeen Business News, 23rd November 2023, https://aberdeenbusinessnews.co.uk/the-foundry-unveils-stylish-transformation-after-major-investment/: accessed 22/03/2024).
Treasure 80: The Great Wizard of the North's Hand-Book of Natural Magic by John Henry Anderson
291 Ninety years since the Aberdeen Magical Society was founded, we feature a rare edition of the Hand-book of Natural Magic written and published by the famous 'Wizard of the North', John Henry Anderson, one of the best magicians of the 19th Century.
The book reveals 128 experiments "adapted for performance at the parlour or drawing-room table or fire-side? practicable without expensive chemical or mechanical apparatus".
The book features tricks such as The Conjuror's Table, The Gun Trick, and The Self-Balancing Pail, in addition to a number of card tricks and ruses.
For nearly forty years of his life, John Henry Anderson baffled appreciative audiences with his popular performances, which often featured advanced and intricate props. The 'Wizard of the North' travelled around the world delighting audiences in many countries, including Australia and America.
John Henry Anderson died in February 1874 and was buried alongside his mother Mary Robertson, in Mither Kirk graveyard in Aberdeen. He had many imitators and the great Houdini himself said he was one of his mentors. Houdini paid his respects to John Henry Anderson when he visited the Granite City in 1909.
In 1930, the Aberdeen Magical Society arranged to have the gravestone of Professor Anderson restored "as a mark of respect to this past-master in the art of conjuring entertainment" (Press and Journal, 8 August 1930).
Explore the life and work of the great wizard, and find out more about Aberdeen Magical Society in our interactive exhibition on the touchscreens in Central, Airyhall, Tillydrone and Mastrick libraries. 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! |