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Crown Street
27 Crown Street. The view of Crown Street changed when the block of three houses seen on the right was demolished to make way for the construction of the new General Post Office opened in April 1907. The shop seen on the left was Alexander Maver who was a tailor specialising in military uniforms. Image c.1897 Desswood Place
29 Desswood Place was laid out in 1888 by the City of Aberdeen Land Association in what was then a relatively rural area in the west end of Aberdeen but it was rapidly being filled with large granite houses for the more prosperous citizens. It was named after Alexander Davidson of Desswood who was Chairman of the Land Association for many years. Desswood was his country property near Kincardine O'Neil on Deeside. Northfield Mission Church
34 Engraving of Northfield Mission Church and School, Gilcomston. Drawing by Andrew Gibb.
Popularly known as 'Laing's Kirkie', Northfield Mission Kirk was opened in Leadside Road on 10 November 1850. The building was designed and funded mainly by Alexander Laing, coachbuilder, as part of the Free Church Mission in the Northfield area of Gilcomston. At that time the area had a bad reputation and poor housing conditions. In 1863, Mr Laing handed over the chapel to the charge of the Free East Church, and the school was transferred to the School Board. Although the new Rutherford Church opened in 1870, the Mission Kirk continued its work. Bridge of Dee
65 The Old Bridge of Dee dating from the early 16th century was begun by Bishop William Elphinstone c.1493. Further building started in 1518 and was carried out by Alexander Galloway and Thomas Franche. In 1840, the bridge was widened by John Smith, the City Architect. Drawing by Curtis Green. Lithograph by Gibb & Hay. Bridge of Dee
69 The Bridge of Dee from the south. The Old Bridge of Dee dating from the early 16th century was begun by Bishop William Elphinstone c.1493. Further building started in 1518 was carried out by Alexander Galloway and Thomas Franche. In 1840, the bridge was widened by John Smith, the City Architect. 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. Upperkirkgate
80 Upperkirkgate, showing Marischal College's towers and spires. Drawing by D. R. Alexander. Rubislaw House
104 Rubislaw House, 50 Queen's Road, Aberdeen. It was designed by J.B. Pirie and built in 1886 for the builder, John Morgan. Woodside electric tram
137 The inaugural procession on 23rd December 1899 for the electrification of the Woodside tram route, the first in Aberdeen to be modernised.
Lord Provost John Fleming is at the helm, with Tramways Convener Alexander Wilkie standing next to him, and Councillor Alexander Glass has his foot on the platform.
Next to Fleming and Wilkie, and above Glass, appears to be Alexander Lyon, provost between 1905-1908. Baillie James Taggart, also later to be provost, is the right-most figure in the back row on the roof of the car. Two to the left of Taggart may be James Walker, provost between 1903-1905.
James Alexander Bell, City Electrical Engineer for Aberdeen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is the bowler hatted figure on the stairs above Lord Provost Fleming.
This inauguration is detailed in an article titled 'Electric tramways in Aberdeen: Opening of Woodside section' in the Aberdeen Journal of 25th December 1899, page 7. It details the celebratory tram trip shown here and a luncheon in the Town and County Hall that followed. Interior of King's College Chapel
139 Interior of King's College Chapel, University of Aberdeen, Old Aberdeen, c.1900. King's College was founded by Bishop William Elphinstone under a Papal Bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on 10th February 1495. Marischal College was founded as an independent university in 1593 and the two became the University of Aberdeen in the Fusion of 1860. Work began on the College in 1500 and it took 6 years to complete the Chapel. This photograph shows the interior looking west, showing Bishop Stewart's pulpit on the right, through the nave and choir to the choir stalls and rood screen, with the antechapel behind it. Non-residents entered through the west door and occupied the antechapel, while students entered from the College Library via a special staircase within the rood screen. The central gallery of the screen is still used to house the organ. The 52 choir stalls, commissioned by Elphinstone, are "a unique survival as well as the finest of their king in Scotland". The finely panelled Renaissance pulpit of William Stewart (Bishop 1532-1545) bears his coat of arms and was originally in use in St. Machar's Cathedral. The timber ceiling was constructed soon after 1506 and was probably designed by John Fendour. It consists of a diagonal arrangement of ribs and widely spreading foliage sprigs radiating from centre bosses. The choir stalls and ceiling both show a strong Flemish influence. The Chapel is still in use today for University services and is a popular marriage venue for graduates. Bridge of Grandholme
160 An engraving showing Grandholm Bridge over the River Don from a drawing by James Giles. The inscription in the bottom right indicates that the engraving was printed at the Deaf and Dumb Institution.
This drawing likely looks west up the river and in the middle distance shows the Cruive Dikes, a complex of weirs and sluices across the River Don built for the purpose of fishing. Remains of these are located not far to the east of the modern Diamond Bridge.
Some information on the ownership and operation of the cruives is given in the book The Annals of Aberdeen (Volume II, 1818) by William Kennedy, on pages 207-209.
In the far distance is Grandholm Bridge. Aberdeen City Council's Historic Environment Record states that the bridge was built by the firm of Leys, Masson and Company in 1810 to improve access to its Granholm Works. It was a wooden bridge with a small lodge and was known locally as the "White Bridge."
The 1810 bridge was replaced by the present steel structure, built by the Motherwell Bridge Company, in 1922. Brig o' Balgownie over the River Don
168 An engraving showing the Brig o' Balgownie over the River Don from a drawing by James Giles. The inscription in the bottom right indicates that the engraving was printed at the Deaf and Dumb Institution.
The title of this engraving describes the Brig o' Balgownie as the Bridge of Don. This is due to it serving as the main bridge over the river until the construction of the bridge known today as the Bridge of Don in 1827-30 by engineers John Smith and Thomas Telford.
This image likely looks south east along the river, towards the bridge, from between Tam's Hole and Black Nook. This was an important salmon fishing area in the past. Some information on the catching of fish on the river is given in the book The Annals of Aberdeen (Volume II, 1818) by William Kennedy, on pages 206-211. Marischal College, University of Aberdeen
186 Marischal College, University of Aberdeen, Broad Street. The front of Marischal College as seen on this postcard was built between 1903 and 1906 and designed by Alexander Marshall MacKenzie. At the right are the tower of the North Church (converted to the Arts Centre) and the spire of Greyfriars Church. Deeside Hydropathic
209 Deeside Hydropathic at Murtle, five miles to the west of Aberdeen City Centre, was built for the Rev Dr Alexander Stewart in 1899. He had founded a similar establishment in 1874 at Heathcot, Kincardinshire, and the growth of business there led to the selection of this new site close to Murtle Station on the Deeside Railway. It was also seen as a convenient centre for visiting the Deeside area. The extensive grounds included a croquet lawn, bowling green and tennis courts, while the Deeside Golf Club was only a mile away. The building itself had 92 bedrooms, there were Turkish, Russian, vapour, electric and spray baths. Since hydropathy was a medical treatment consisting of the external and internal application of water, the proximity of an artesian well supplying abundant pure water was also a feature. After the first World War, the building was sold and converted into Tor-Na-Dee Sanatorium in August 1918, specialising in the treatment of tuberculosis. More recently it has been used as a convalescent hospital, but it is now being re-developed for housing. Dr Stewart was born in 1835 in Coupar, Angus and studied at Glasgow University and did the medical course at Aberdeen University. At his death in 1909, he was Minister of John Street Congregational Church in Aberdeen, having been ordained there in 1864. Union Street at its junction with Huntly Street
237 Union Street at its junction with Huntly Street, showing St. Mary's R.C. Cathedral, designed by Alexander Ellis in 1860. The building on the left was designed in 1910 by George Bennett Mitchell for Royal Insurance. 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. Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, c.1870
280 An early surgical operation at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The fourth figure from the left is Dr Alexander Ogston, the eminent surgeon. An assistant attends to the carbolic spray worked by hand, as used by Lister for the first time in Edinburgh in 1869. The era of sterilised gowns, caps, masks and gloves with antiseptic of dressings, instruments or even the fingers on which Lister later insisted, had not yet arrived. Doorway of Provost Skene's House
283 Doorway of Provost Skene's House with the coat of arms of Provost George Skene. He was Provost of the City from 1676 - 1685, although the house dates from around 1545. The motto above the doorway reads "Gratis a Deo duta", which means "Thanks be given to God". The doorway is surrounded by thistles and roses to commemorate the restoration of Charles II. Rubislaw House
328 Rubislaw House, No 50 Queens Road. Architect J.B. Pirie built for the Aberdeen builder John Morgan. 1886. Rubislaw House
332 Rubislaw House, No 50 Queens Road. Architect J.B. Pirie for the Aberdeen builder John Morgan. Built in 1886. Marischal College quadrangle
347 Marischal College quadrangle showing the buildings designed by Archibald Simpson and the Peterhead granite obelisk designed by James Giles and Alexander Ellis in 1860 to celebrate the life of Sir James McGrigor, graduate of Marischal College who later became Director General of the Army Medical Department. The obelisk was relocated to Duthie Park in 1906. The shipyard of Alexander Hall and Company
349 The ship yard of Alexander Hall and Company. Two ships under construction. c.1862 Queens Cross Free Church
369 Queens Cross Free Church, Aberdeen. This photograph taken by G.W. Wilson whose house was almost adjacent. In 1877, the Free Church discussed the possibility of a church to cater for those who lived in the increasingly popular west end of the city. They secured a triangular site at the junction of Albyn Place and Carden Place at Queens Cross. Competitive designs were sought and John Bridgeford Pirie, of Pirie and Clyne, architects, were successful with his French Gothic design in granite. The steeple is 150 feet high and the grand entrance doorway is flanked by massive pillars leading into the nave where there was space for around 800 worshipers. There is a circular window in the east end, stained glass windows having been gifted by members of the congregation. The building was opened for worship on 17th April 1881, and the popularity of its first Minister, the Rev Dr George Adam Smith brought large audiences to the church. Smith was later to become Principal of Aberdeen University. The church became the only one of the city's free churches to have instrumental music when it acquired an organ built by Henry Willis. Queens Cross became Church of Scotland in 1929 when the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church merged. Various extensions have taken place, including a new hall and vestry in 1939, and the building was extensively restored in 1980. |