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Palace Hotel, Union Street
10 The Palace Hotel, Union Street. Built 1874 for Messrs Pratt and Keith, milliners, who occupied the street level area, it operated as one of a chain of LNER hotels. Its upper stories were destroyed by fire on 31 October 1941 with loss of life, and the building was entirely demolished after the war. Union Street junction with Broad Street
18 Union Street at its junction with Broad Street, with the tower of the Tolbooth at the right of the photograph. Huxter Row, starting below the tower at the left of the photograph, ran parallel with Union Street to the Old Town House joining Union Street at right angles. These buildings were demolished in the late 1860's and the site is now occupied by the Town House designed by Peddie and Kinnear in 1874. Broad Street, Aberdeen
25 Drawing of Broad Street, at junction with Queen Street, looking towards Union Street. Spire of the Town House at the left of the image. Holburn Junction
32 Holburn Junction, looking towards Albyn Place (right) and Holburn Street (left), with Holburn Central Church in its original form (left), Babbie Law's sweet shop (centre) and the UF Christ's College (right). Babbie Law's corner was redeveloped in the late 19th century. Holburn Junction
39 Union Street at the junction with Holburn Junction. Christ's College in the distance with Babbie Law's on the corner left. Note the railings round the basement of the nearest shop. These railings were a common sight on Union Street until the basements were covered over. Castlegate at Christmas time
44 The junction of the Castlegate and Union Street at Christmas. Note the sunken public toilets at the right of the photograph. They were filled in prior to the pedestrianisation of the Castlegate. Statue of Queen Victoria
72 Statue of Queen Victoria at the junction of Union Street and St. Nicholas Street. The statue of Queen Victoria was sculpted by Alexander Brodie. The statue was inaugurated in 1866. The marble began to show weathering due to the frost and was moved to the vestibule of the Town House in 1888. The plaster model of the statue can still be seen in the Music Hall. Statue of Queen Victoria
73 A photograph showing the statue of Queen Victoria at the junction of Union Street and St. Nicholas Street. The building in the background is the Clydesdale Bank that stands next to M&S today. This fine Italian renaissance style building was originally constructed for the Town and County Bank and opened for business in May 1863.
The statue of Queen Victoria was made from marble and was sculpted by Banff born Alexander Brodie (c.1829 - 1867). The origin of this statue is closely related to another Aberdeen monument, the 1863 memorial statue of Prince Albert by Baron Marochetti, now standing, or rather sitting, in the area in front of the Central Library.
Marochetti's statue was augurated by Queen Victoria herself on 13th October 1863 and this was said to the first time the Queen had appeared at a public demonstration following the death of Albert in 1861. The Marochetti statue was the subject of great local controversy and there were various plans for an alternative, superior, memorial to the late Prince Consort. It was at a related meeting that a chap called Alexander Donald, from the Royal Tradesman of Aberdeen, moved "That a colossal statue in marble, of Her Majesty, be erected at the corner of St. Nicholas Street."
The endeavour was taken on by a variety of prominent citizens and funding was raised by public subscription. Brodie, the selected sculptor, worked on an 11-ton block of Sicilian marble for two years to complete the statue. The finished piece is 8 foot 6 inches in height and, at the request of Queen herself, depicts Victoria in Scottish regal attire. The statue stands on a substantial plinth of pink Peterhead granite.
The statue was unveiled and inaugurated on 20th September 1866 by Albert-Edward Prince of Wales, later to be King Edward VII and the subject of another of Aberdeen's notable statues. During his speech at the ceremony, the Prince said "Gentlemen, it has afforded me the greatest satisfaction to attend here today, by the wish of Her Majesty, and at your invitation, for the purpose of inaugurating a statue of the Queen, my dear mother. Her Majesty has desired me to express to you how much she appreciates the motives which have led the people of Aberdeenshire to give this lasting evidence of their attachment and loyalty to her person, of which she has so many proofs, and whose sympathy in her great sorrow has touched her so deeply."
During his visit, the Prince of Wales also received the Freedom of the City and attended the Royal Horticultural Society's Autumn Show, which was then going on in the Music Hall. An extensive account of the unveiling, the Royal visit and the town's celebrations is given in the Aberdeen Journal of 26th September 1866.
After some time at this location, the statue's marble began to show weathering due to the frost and so it was moved to the vestibule of the Town House in 1888, where it remains to this day. It stands at the foot of the building's splendid main stairway. The plaster model of Brodie's statue has also been on display in the Music Hall for many years.
A new bronze statue of an older Victoria, by sculptor Charles Bell Birch, was erected at the St. Nicholas Street location on 9th November 1893 and "the Queen" became a regular meeting place for generations of Aberdonians. To make way for the extension of Marks & Spencer, the 1893 statue moved to its current site at Queen's Cross on 22nd January 1964. Victoria now stands looking east towards Balmoral. St. Nicholas Street
78 St. Nicholas Street at its junction with Union Street, showing the statue of Queen Victoria (right). The premises of H. Samuel the jewellers is on the left. Union Street
84 Union Street looking towards Holburn Junction. This section of the street was originally known as Union Place. The spire is that of Gilcomston South Church. Note the railings round the basements of the houses. Union Terrace
86 Union Terrace at the junction with Union Street. The imposing building on the left is the Northern Assurance Building (Commercial Union Assurance), designed by A. Marshall Mackenzie and known locally as "The Monkey House". The statue of Prince Albert was relocated to the other end of Union Terrace to make space for the new statue of King Edward VII in 1914. Union Street
88 Union Street at the junction with St. Nicholas Street. The marble statue of Queen Victoria at the corner of St. Nicholas Street was removed to the Town House to prevent further erosion of the marble and a bronze statue of the older Queen was erected in the 1890s. Crimonmogate House
107 Crimonmogate House, Union Street, prior to its demolition in 1963/64. It stood just west of the Music Hall at the corner of Huntly Street. It was designed by John Smith in 1810 as a town house for Patrick Milne of Crimonmogate, Lonmay, near Fraserburgh. By 1840, it had passed to Sir Charles Bannerman and the original arched entrances to the garden behind were replaced by the wings seen in this photo. From 1874, it was the home of the Royal Northern Club until it moved to other premises in 1955. Plans were submitted in 1959 for its demolition, along with the YMCA next door, to make way for a supermarket. Massey's supermarket was opened in 1965. It was a branch of Somerfield, around 2007, and later Sainburys and the Co-op. Holburn Junction
117 Union Street from Holburn Junction, looking east. This final section of Union Street was originally known as Union Place. Broad Street
118 Broad Street at its junction with Union Street prior to the building of the Town House. Huxter Row can be seen. Photograph taken in June 1867. Union Bridge from Windmill Brae
123 This photograph by George Washington Wilson, looking towards Union Bridge, shows the old red-tiled roofed houses in the Windmill Brae area in the 1850s. Most of these were swept away with the construction of the railway and the building of Bridge Street around 1865-1867.
The house at the left, on the corner of Union Terrace, was owned by Harry Lumsden of Belhelvie and later by the Northern Club. Its site became part of that occupied by the Northern Assurance Company offices.
The spire of the Triple Kirks and the tower of the South Parish Church are visible in the background. Aberdeen Savings Bank, Union Terrace
178 Aberdeen Savings Bank, Union Terrace, 1894. Aberdeen Savings Bank was established in May 1815 "for receiving such small sums as may be saved from the earnings of tradesmen, mechanics, labourers, servants etc". As the bank became more successful, they moved from premises in the Guestrow to a new building in Exchange Street. By the 1890s, the directors decided that a new site was necessary, especially as the population in the city was moving westwards. This illustration, by the architect William Kelly in 1894, shows the building that was to be constructed at the junction of Union Terrace and Diamond Street at a cost of £11,000. The design is of Renaissance style, with the central entrance leading to an inner porch lined with red and grey granite, then a short flight of steps led to the main telling office. This office had a deeply panelled ceiling and dome partially filled with painted and decorated glass. Coats of Arms of the City and Lord Provosts were also displayed. The counter and desks were made of mahogany and oak with wrought iron and wrought copper grills. In the 1960s, a large extension was built on an adjacent site and, in 1983, the bank became part of the Trustees Savings Bank in Scotland and in 1999 became part of Lloyds TSB. Union Street looking west from Union Bridge
216 Union Street looking west from Union Bridge, showing the Palace Hotel on the left. The hotel was built in 1874 for Messrs Pratt and Keith, milliners, who occupied the street level area.
In the 1930s the hotel had one of the most famous restaurants in Aberdeen and could boast of a Gleneagles trained French chef.
It operated as one of a chain of LNER hotels. Its upper stories were destroyed by fire on 31st October 1941, with loss of life. Six female servants, including two sisters died in the fire. The building was entirely demolished after the war and C&A clothing shop was built on the site. Union Bridge and the Trinity Hall from Union Terrace Gardens
238 Union Bridge and the Trinity Hall from Union Terrace Gardens. Trinity Hall was the home of the Incorporated Trades until they moved to their new Hall at the junction of Holburn Street and Great Western Road. This building, designed by John and William Smith in 1846, was incorporated into Littlewoods Store and the Trinity Shopping Centre. Victoria Park
241 In 1871 Aberdeen Town Council decided to convert nearly 14 acres of Glennie's Parks, which had been used for cattle grazing, into a public recreation ground - Aberdeen's first public park.
Aberdeen's lack of a public park up to this point had become a contentious issue. For example, newspaper reports indicate that those opposed to the Municipality Extension Act of 1871 (which extended the boundary of the city, brought the functions of the Police Commissioners under the Council and incorporated the gasworks) repeatedly suggested that the expense involved in the new bill would be better used in the creation of a much wanted public park.
It is not unreasonable to suppose that this debate, and criticism of the Council, hastened the creation of Victoria Park. While work likely begun in 1871, it was not until March 1873 that the Improvements Committee of the Council recommended that the new park should be called "Victoria Park". At the same time, they also outlined a series of 13 rules and regulations for agreement by the full Council. There does not appear to have been an official opening for the new amenity.
Glennie's Park was not the only site considered for Aberdeen's first public park. Interest in such an undertaking was increasing at the same time as work was underway to divert the River Dee and improve the harbour. The new ground created in this latter project, encompassing the old, more northerly course of the river and the Inches, was a much proposed location for a park. Following the creation of Victoria Park this newly leveled ground was instead given over for buildings related to the expanding fishing industry.
A nurseryman called Robert Walker (1848-1930), originally from Perth, was chosen out of 450 candidates to be the city's first public park keeper and appointed to Victoria Park. He was likely largely responsible for the park's initial layout and appearance. His Press & Journal obituary (21/04/1930, p.6) suggests that prior to his appointment the site was "little better than a waste space".
Walker subsequently laid out Westburn Park, Stewart Park, Union Terrace Gardens and the Promenade. He also advocated and pioneered the planting of street trees. He served the Corporation for 46 years, retiring in 1919, and must be considered one of the unsung heroes of Aberdeen history.
This photograph, taken around 1900, shows one of the main paths leading to a large granite fountain, which was designed by J.B. Pirie. It is built of 14 different types of granite and was presented by the granite polishers and master builders of the city.
Since the park is almost in the city centre, it is an oasis of peace with its mature trees and, in spring, there are masses of flowering bulbs scattered through the grass. Castlegate, Aberdeen
271 The Castlegate, Aberdeen looking west towards Union Street, showing the spires of the Town House and Tolbooth. The building on the right at the corner of Union Street and King Street, was designed by the architect Archibald Simpson as the North of Scotland Bank, later Clydesdale Bank. After its closure as a bank, the building was refurbished and opened in 1997 as a pub named 'The Archibald Simpson'.
In the foreground is the statue of the 5th Duke of Gordon which is now in Golden Square. Adjacent to the statue is the shelter used by cab drivers. Spring Garden
275 This photo shows the premises of William McKinnon & Co, ironfounders and engineers in Spring Garden, at its junction with Loch Street. The company was founded by William McKinnon in 1798, when they did work for local factories. In the 1860s, they became involved in the production of equipment for coffee, cocoa, rice and sugar plantations. By the 1890s, they employed 170 men, making steam engines, boilers, sugar machinery, as well as machines for polishing granite. Eventually, 90% of their manufacturing was exported; they had agencies in 60 countries worldwide and they produced catalogues in English, French and Spanish. During World War 2, production switched to munitions work, producing shells, mortars and parts for Hercules Aero engines. They appear to have ceased trading around 1992-93. |