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Royal visit by Princess Beatrice
315 A photograph showing Princess Beatrice at Aberdeen Music Hall to open a bazaar in aid of the Sick Children's Hospital.
The bazaar took place in the Music Hall on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October 1898. Princess Beatrice, then known as Princess Henry of Battenberg, opened the bazaar the day before on Friday 28th October.
The opening ceremony was covered in the Aberdeen Journal of 29th October 1898, page 5. The article states that Beatrice arrived by train at the Joint Station before travelling to the Music Hall from Guild Street by the horse drawn carriage that we can see here.
The route travelled and much of the surrounding area were specially decorated for the occasion. The various businesses and buildings along the route decorated their own premises and many of these decorations are described in the newspaper report.
The city gardeners Peter Harper of Duthie Park and Robert Walker of Victoria Park were tasked with creating floral displays. Harper decorated the interior of the Joint Station and the Music Hall, while Walker decorated the route between the two.
The special royal train arrived at the joint station a couple of minutes before its scheduled time of 12:15pm. Beatrice was greeted at the station by a large civic and military reception and crowds of onlookers.
The newspaper report indicates that travelling in the horse drawn carriage with Beatrice was Miss Minnie Cochrane and Lord William Cecil, both were royal courtiers. The man sat in the carriage is therefore most likely the latter.
Following the opening ceremony, Beatrice was entertained at a luncheon at the Palace Hotel by the directors of the Royal Aberdeen Hospital for Sick Children.
Beatrice and her party returned to Balmoral on a train leaving the station at 2:45pm.
The newspaper also tells us that Messrs. Walker & Company, cinematographers, Bridge Street, filmed the procession as it passed along the railway bridge on Guild Street. Assistant photographers with still cameras captured the rest of proceedings. This photograph was likely taken by one of these assistants.
A sign for Walker & Company can be seen hanging above the Music Hall entrance. This dates the image as belonging to this later royal visit by Princess Beatrice. She previously visited the city on 27th September 1883 to open an earlier bazaar for the Children's Hospital and to open the newly created Duthie Park 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. The Pleasure Park, Aberdeen Beach
397 A postcard showing John Henry Iles' Pleasure Park in the 1930s. The park's esplanade site, south of Wellington Street (roughly where Amadeus nightclub/the Range and part of the Queen's Links carpark would later stand), was leased to Iles by the Council in 1929. Illes was an amusement entrepreneur originally from Manchester.
The park's biggest attraction, in all senses, was the Scenic Railway roller coaster shown here. Iles was involved in several amusement parks around Britain and during a visit to New York he obtained the European rights to the design of the latest roller coasters. He subsequently erected his Scenic Railway in Aberdeen in 1929.
The roller coaster rose to 100 feet in the air at its highest point and was popular with holiday makers and locals throughout the 1930s. The local press recorded 21,000 children, between 3 and 14 years of age, carried on the ride during a special children's day that was held on Saturday 20th August 1932.
Part of the message written on the back of this postcard by a young visitor to Aberdeen reads "This picture shows you the scenic railway which I have been on and liked very much".
The Scenic Railway was sadly badly damaged by fire on the night of 5th December 1940 and was consequently demolished. Other attractions of Iles' park included rides such as The Caterpillar, The Whip, Water Dodgems, and the Brooklyn Racers (petrol driven cars).
In the background of this image be seen the tower of St. Clements Church and a row of tenements, likely those on Wellington Street. European Cup Parade
652 Aberdeen Football Club's open top bus parade of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983. The photograph looks north west across Union Street towards its junction with Union Terrace.
Aberdeen defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the final held in Gothenburg, Sweden on 11th May 1983.
The conquering heroes landed, cup in hand, at Aberdeen Airport at 14.40 the next day. The team received a rousing reception and were given a celebratory cake on arrival from an offshore catering company.
It was then on to the open top bus for the journey from Dyce to Pittodrie. Grampian Fire Brigade lined-up their engines outside their Anderson Drive headquarters as a unique guard of honour for the team as they headed for the city centre.
As shown here, the city streets were packed with fans of all ages, including some who had travelled back from Gothenburg.
Lord Provost Alex Collie, the Queen Mother and Margaret Thatcher all provided messages of congratulations. Celebrations ended at a teeming Pittodrie.
Aberdeen FC had another triumphant tour through the city centre only 10 days later after they beat Rangers 1-0 in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park. The match was on the Saturday 21st May and the parade in Aberdeen was the next day. School sports day, Culter
978 A photograph showing pupils lined up before a race at a school sports day in Culter, Aberdeen on 24th June 1934. The teacher, pipe in mouth, stands ready to start the race. Boys' Brigade King's Message
1010 A photograph showing the Boys' Brigade King's Message at Stonehaven Market on 23rd April 1935. The town's 1827 Market Buildings can be seen in the background.
To mark the silver jubilee of King George V on 6th May 1935 the Boys' Brigade undertook a roughly 2300 mile relay run of a silver baton containing a message of homage and congratulation from John O' Groats to London.
The journey started in stormy weather at 7am on 16th April 1935. As the baton travelled south it was passed from runners from one Brigade company to another.
The leg from Culter to Maryculter was carried by Sgt. W. Duthie, Cpl. D. Birse and Pte. D. Angus. The baton was then transferred to Sgt. H. Douglas, Pte. W. Brooks and Pte. L. Gordon for the next leg to Netherley and the leg to Stonehaven was carried by Sgt. J. Brown, Pte. A. Brown and Pte. I. Hay.
This photo likely shows the latter three runners having handed on the baton for the next leg. An account of this part of the baton's journey can be found in the Press & Journal of 24th April 1935 on page 5. The article indicates the baton left Culter at 7.45am on 23rd April 1935 and reached Stonehaven at 11am the same day.
The next stage south, to Kinneff, was undertaken by Sergeant J. Thomson, escorted by Corporal Christie and Lance-Corporal G. Thomson, all of 21st Aberdeen company. MacPherson outing
1036 This image taken in 1902 shows a horsedrawn coach full of people ready to go on an outing. It had been organised by James MacPherson, joiner in Cults and the photo is taken at the east side of Kirk Brae. Such outings were commonplace at this period when firms organised day trips into the country for their employees. Duthie Park
1772 The opening of the Duthie Park in September 1883. The park was officially opened by Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. The park had been gifted to the city by Miss Elizabeth Crombie Duthie in 1880. Members of the Choral Union, who took part in the ceremony are standing in front of the platform.
Queen Victoria was originally intended to perform the opening ceremony but she sustained an accident earlier in the year and was unable to undertake the engagement. Princess Beatrice, the Queen's youngest daughter, then residing at Balmoral Castle, officially opened the park in her place on 27th September 1883.
The day was declared a public holiday and there were great celebrations throughout the city, concluding with a huge fireworks display over the River Dee. Arrival of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
1996 The arrival at Aberdeen Harbour in September 1848 of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The original of this painting by the artist Peter Cleland is now in the possession of Aberdeen City Council. The Royal Family had traveled from London on the Royal Yacht - a wooden paddle steamer called 'Victoria and Albert', with the intention of berthing at Aberdeen and then proceeding by coach to Balmoral. The City's careful arrangements were thrown into disarray when the vessel made such good time under Captain John Cargill that she arrived on Thursday 7th September 1848 - a full day ahead of her expected arrival on the 8th. By good fortune the Harbour Engineer happened to be supervising another vessel when he recognised the Royal Yacht arriving. So that he could arrange its safe mooring and send messages to the Lord Provost George Thompson, bells in the city were set ringing and crowds rushed to the harbour to see the Queen and prince Albert. Aberdeen Women's Alliance: Maggie Myles
2345 A photograph of Margaret Myles with a large group of prize winning nurses at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 1965. Myles is seated in the centre with the bouquet and presented the prizes on the day. Seated next to her is Professor R. Ireland, chairman of the board of management for Aberdeen General Hospitals. This image was featured in the Past Times section of The Press and Journal of 28th October 2014. The Tour Series 2017
2585 On 25th May 2017 Aberdeen hosted round 8 of the annual professional team cycling race, The Tour Series.
The series held races in ten locations around the UK. As can be seen in this photo, the Aberdeen route went past the Central Library.
The race started on Union Bridge, went down Union Terrace, along Schoolhill, turned into Back Wynd, then back on Union Street up to the junction with Market Street before turning around and finishing back at the bridge.
There were a variety of amateur races throughout the day, before the elite race at 19.30, and a Cycling Activity Village was held in Union Terrace Gardens.
This photo is of the senior race that started at 14.45. First aeroplane at Aberdeen
2713 An Adelphi Series postcard showing Mr B. C. Hucks preparing the first flight of an aeroplane over Aberdeen on 29th August 1912. The postcard states that he will ascend from the foot of Broad Hill at Aberdeen Beach.
Hucks was a member of the Royal Aero Club and his exhibition was sponsored by the Daily Mail newspaper, as indicated on the plane's wings.
Hucks brought his plane to Aberdeen by train. On the 29th his exhibition flights at the Links were initially delayed by bad weather. He subsequently made two flights that day.
The next day's Aberdeen Daily Journal reported "Aberdeen yesterday got its first glimpse of the marvels of modern aviation, when, in its thousands, it witnessed two remarkably successful flights of eleven and thirteen minutes duration respectively". Victory Day picnic at Culter
2741 A photograph of a Victory Day picnic held at Culter on 8th June 1946. Victory Day was a national celebration of winning the second world war. It was a day of pageantry, military parades and community events. In the north of Scotland the celebrations were characterised by merry making and a focus on fun events for families and children, as shown in this image from Culter. Victory Day picnic at Culter
2742 A photograph of a Victory Day picnic held at Culter on 8th June 1946. Victory Day was a national celebration of winning the second world war. It was a day pageantry, military parades and community events. In the north of Scotland the celebrations were characterised by merry making and a focus on fun events for families and children, as shown in this image from Culter. Victory Day picnic at Culter
2743 A photograph of a Victory Day picnic held at Culter on 8th June 1946. Victory Day was a national celebration of winning the second world war. It was a day of pageantry, military parades and community events. In the north of Scotland the celebrations were characterised by merry making and a focus on fun events for families and children, as shown in this image from Culter. Town House Extension Foundation Stone
2757 The foundation stone of the Aberdeen Town House extension on Broad Street.
As stated on the stone, it was laid by Lord Provost Robert S. Lennox on 17th November 1975.
The city architects responsible for the extension were I. A. Ferguson and T. C. Watson. It was built by Taylor Woodrow Construction (Scotland) Ltd.
The stone also makes reference to a casket buried five metres below the foundations to commemorate the dissolution of the Corporation of the City of Aberdeen as part of local government reform.
The casket ceremony was held on 15th May 1975 shortly after the last meeting of the Aberdeen Town Council which was being replaced by the City of Aberdeen District Council.
The casket ceremony was the final act of John Smith as lord provost. The official switch over of councils was marked by the "Bon-Accord" bell of the West Church of St Nicholas tolling from 11:50pm to midnight on 15th May. Earlier in the day saw a fireworks display at the Queens Links, pipe bands and a special lunch and church service for members and officials of the corporation. See local newspaper coverage from the time for more details on the occasion.
Around 80 people, including councillors, family and Taylor Woodrow employees watched Lord Provost John Smith place 29 items of interest into the copper clad box. Smith joked, "About the year 3048, an unsuspecting archaeological digger may come upon this box and he will no doubt remark on my genius."
Among the buried items were copies of the Press & Journal and the Evening Express, local books, records and cassettes of Scottish music, local government data, sets of coins of the realm and postage stamps, local stones, a phial of North Sea oil and plans for the Town House extension.
The casket was placed on a crane hook by Aberdeen Town House project manager Tom Nisbet and guided into the ground by foreman Andrew Benzies.
The ceremony was reported in local newspapers and the July 1975 issue of the construction company's magazine, Taywood News. 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. Aberdeen Theatres: Libraries' book sale
3378 This photograph shows the queue for the first ever Public Library book sale held in the Ballroom of the Music Hall on Saturday 24 February 1979, when well over a thousand people swarmed through the doors to grab a bargain. The Press and Journal covered the event with the headline: "Bonanza Day for Bookworms; bargain hunters pack the Music Hall".
Books were divided into three categories: Children's, Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction (including reference books) and prices were kept low at 20p for fiction books and non-fiction titles slightly more at 50p.
Best sellers included children's books purchased by play groups, out of date encyclopaedias and Whittaker's Almanacs, and bound volumes of National Geographic Magazine. By the end of the day, the event was deemed an overwhelming success, selling over 13,000 books and raising more than £3,645 for the purchase of new stock. Aberdeen Cinemas: Electric / Capitol
3401 An Aberdeen Journals Archive photograph of the Capitol cinema at 431 Union Street in February 1980. At this time the Capitol was in more regular use as a concert venue than as a cinema. This image shows large numbers of people queuing to get tickets for a performance by the band Genesis.
The Capitol was built as a cinema back in 1933. A few days before its opening, it was advertised in local papers as "Aberdeen's wonder cinema". Opened to large crowds on Saturday 4th February 1933, the Capitol was then the largest venue of its kind in the north of Scotland and had a stage that could be adapted for both film and variety entertainment.
The Capitol was built by Aberdeen Picture Palaces Ltd. on the site of an earlier upmarket cinema called the Electric Theatre that dated from 1910. When the Capitol opened, it was regarded as the most up-to-date theatre in the country due to its complex lightning system, organ music and other modern features, some of them being introduced for the first time in Scotland.
The venue could accommodate more than 2,000 people. The building's plans were prepared by Aberdeen architects Alexander Marshall MacKenzie and Clement George. Local newspapers stressed the local ownership of the cinema and the local craftsmanship that went into its construction.
Aberdeen City Libraries hold a souvenir brochure of the cinema's opening. One interesting feature of the brochure is the inclusion of specially created adverts for all the companies involved in the construction and furnishing of the new cinema. Some of the adverts provide rich information on the history of the companies and give an insight into how the companies saw themselves. The brochure details the companies behind every aspect of the buildings from the cinema seating and terrazzo work to the innovative lighting.
On the opening day, Mrs A. D. Hay, wife of the chairman of the Aberdeen Picture Palaces, unlocked the main entrance door with a gold key. This key is still held by the Hay family today. The cinema's first, busy evening featured a variety of entertainment. In addition to the showing of films, there was a ballet performance by the Henrietta Fuller Dancers and Mr Edward O' Henry played the theatre's new top of the line Compton organ.
During the opening ceremony, Bert Gates, another director of Aberdeen Picture Palaces, said: "It was a long lane that had no turning. They had built the Capitol not for to-day, but for the generations of Aberdeen people to come. The company had dedicated the Capitol to the people of Aberdeen, their children, and their children's children in the hope that in generations to come they might appreciate what had been given them."
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson]
Image © Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Aberdeen Cinemas: Picture House / Gaumont
3406 An Aberdeen Journals Archive photograph showing the exterior of the Gaumont Cinema at 181 Union Street in October 1972. Promotion for Doomwatch, the British science-fiction film, Cabaret, starring Liza Minelli and The Concert for Bangladesh can all be seen.
This image dates from when the Rank Organisation, the cinema's owners, applied to Aberdeen City Council for permission to demolish the venue and redevelop the site for shops and office space.
As detailed in Michael Thomson's book Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) the Rank Organisation had a special department that considered cinema sites they owned that could be profitably redeveloped by the company. Aberdeen was experiencing a pre-oil property boom and the early 1970s saw the closure and redevelopment of a number of cinemas.
The final night of the Gaumont was Saturday 6th October 1973. The last film to be shown as The Lovers with Paula Wilcox and Richard Beckinsale. This photograph was used in the preview of the cinema's final night in the Evening Express of the day before.
The majority of the cinema was demolished not long after. The façade of the upper floors was retained as it was listed as of architectural and historic interest. The site laid empty for some time due to the financial recession of 1974-75 and subsequent uncertainty over its occupancy. In 1976 the site was redeveloped as a Job Centre and shops.
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson]
Image © Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Queen's Cross in 1911
4271 A photograph showing the procession organised in Aberdeen to celebrate the coronation of George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary (1867-1953). The image shows the procession passing north up St. Swithin Street and across Queen's Cross. A number of trams and horse drawn gigs are shown outside the lines of spectators.
This photo is taken from the Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial coronation souvenir number published on 12th May 1937, page 55. This special issue celebrated the crowning of George V's son, George VI (1895-1952) and Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002).
This photograph illustrates an article by journalist William Diack (1871-1942), part of a series looking at the changes in Aberdeen between the coronations of George V and VI. Diack's article is titled 'Scotland has witnessed Coming of New Age and the Triumph of Youth' and discusses the changing political scene in the city during the period.
The caption for this photograph reads as follows:
"This was the Aberdeen procession on June 22, 1911, the day of the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. The procession is just reaching Queen's Cross by way of St. Swithin Street, the photograph having been taken from the belfry of Rubislaw Parish Church. Note how the fashions have changed. Horses predominated then, this time motor vehicles will be in the majority. And women's fashions! Well, there's just no comparison possible." Stonehaven-Bervie Bus
4272 A photograph showing a busy Stonehaven-Bervie horse drawn bus about to start its journey. It is taken from the Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial coronation souvenir number published on 12th May 1937, page 87. This special issue was published to commemorate the crowning of George VI (1895-1952) and Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002).
This photograph is one of a number illustrating an article titled '"One Hundred and Six Years - Six Sovereigns - Four Coronations - One Lifetime" Mrs. Caird's Great Record'. The article is about the life of a long-lived resident of Stonehaven called Grace Caird, nee McPhail (1831-1937), who was known as the "Grand Old Lady of the North East." At the time of her death late in the year, she was reputed to be the second oldest woman in Scotland (The Scotsman, 27th November 1937, page 16).
The caption accompanying the photograph reads as follows:
"In Granny Caird's young days the horse bus and stagecoach called regularly at the mill in Stonehaven. Here we have the Stonehaven-Bervie 'bus' about to take its departure. It passed nearby Granny's home in Kinneff daily, but in those days Mrs Caird thought nothing of walking 20 miles a day. The 'bus' was a luxury that could be only indulged in at frequent intervals." Procession of St. Nicholas bells
4376 The great fire of 1874 swept through the East Kirk of St. Nicholas totally destroying the old oak and lead steeple and sending the great bells crashing to the ground. A decade later, the citizens of Aberdeen combined to replace the bells destroyed in the fire with a great peel of bells specially cast in Belgium.
The bells arrived in Aberdeen Railway Station on 11th May 1887 and the following day were paraded through the city with great pomp and ceremony. They were mounted on horse drawn lorries and led through the streets by a pipe band in a parade that lasted two and a half hours.
This image was taken by photographer George Washington Wilson as the procession passed his house at Queen's Cross. Wilson had a vested interested in the proceedings having provided one of the bells at a personal cost of £44 and 3 shillings. The Last Speech, Confession and Dying Declaration of Three Unfortunate Men
171 Originally broadsides were single sheets of paper printed on one side. They were mainly text, intended to be read unfolded, posted in public places. They were first used for the printing of royal proclamations and official notices but later they served as a vehicle for political agitation and popular culture such as ballads, songs and scaffold speeches.
They were sold on the streets and cost a halfpenny or penny. The mechanisation of the printing industry at the beginning of the 19th Century saw a phenomenal increase in the amount of street literature, including broadsides. By the middle of the century, however, cheap newspapers, weekly magazines and "penny dreadfuls" started to take over.
This broadside tells of the day of execution for three Aberdeen men for the crime of theft and stouthrief (which is the associated crime of assaulting a person defending their property). The sheet details the repentant manner of the offenders and their admonishment to the gathered spectators to "take warning and beware of braking the Sabbath, bade company, and disregard of parental instruction, &c."
This is followed by a resigned letter from William Buchanan's parents that, in the context of the severity of the punishment, evokes the austere moral and religious character of Aberdeen at the time.
A variety of other broadsides are available to view on the Silver City Vault, including one detailing the life and execution of William Allen for the crimes of murder and robbery. |