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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. Postcard of ruins of Huntly Castle
288 Located on the outskirts of Huntly, the castle stands on the south bank of the River Deveron. The castle dates from the late 12th century with a Norman Motte and Bailey , a medieval L-Plan tower house and defence earthworks of the Civil War nearby. The castle was the home of the Gordons, a powerful Catholic family who once ruled over much of the North-East. The main structure was begun by Lord Gordon in 1452, being built in the new 'Palace' style. The castle was not completed in its final form until 1597/1606. In 1650 it was visited briefly by Charles ll, on his way to Worcester, defeat and exile. After the Civil War, the castle fell into disuse and the Dukes of Gordon moved to Fochabers. Much of the impressive ruin still remains including the fine heraldic doorway. The castle is now the property of Historic Scotland, and is open to the public. Scottish North East Counties Constabulary - Traffic Department - 1962
2221 This photograph was taken in September 1962 at the Bridge of Don Barracks and just prior to the visit of HRH Princess Margaret to Fraserburgh and Peterhead.
The five officers shown are (left to right) Constables John Petrie, Hugh Matheson, Bob Davidson, Charlie Milne and Sergeant Charles Cruckshank. The notation below the images suggests the police officer on the right is Eric Simpson.
The four vehicles are (left to right) a Divisional Ford Transit van, an Austin A55 Patrol car, an Austin A99 Traffic car and a Jaguar Mk9 Traffic car.
(The above information was provided by Geoff Marston, Curator of the Grampian Police Heritage Museum, October 2015).
424 Union Street
2822 Charles Weir, hatter, at 424 Union Street in 1937. The business is closed down in this image as Weir had retired the previous year due to ill health.
Charles was born in Liverpool to Aberdonian parents and moved to the North East as a child. He started his hatters business with his brother J. Park Weir. The brothers and their Union Street premises were well known in Aberdeen for many years.
Charles died aged 71 at his home in Redcot, Cults on 4th December 1946. He was survived by two daughters and one son. Aberdeen Theatres: His Majesty's Theatre
3356 Seating more than 1400, His Majesty's Theatre is the largest theatre in North-East Scotland and is now a category A listed building.
Situated on Rosemount Viaduct, it was designed by the architect Frank Matcham and costed £35,000. It was originally built as a replacement for the former Her Majesty's Theatre (now the Tivoli), meeting the need for a larger venue and better staging facilities.
Robert Arthur, the theatre impresario, submitted the plans for the new theatre in 1901. Construction started in 1904 and it opened on the 3rd December 1906 with a production of the pantomime Little Red Riding Hood, of which you will see the programme next in this exhibition. The pantomime played to a full house on its opening night and ran until the end of the year to great success.
Arthur's company presented plays, opera and pantomimes until 1912, when it ran out of funds. Robert Arthur Theatres Ltd. sold the theatre in 1923 to Walter Gilbert, managing director of the Tivoli Theatre. It changed hands again in 1932, after Gilbert's death, when it was bought by Councillor James F. Donald. The new owner refurbished the venue and introduced new features such as a revolving stage and a cinema projector.
In 1975, Aberdeen City council bought the venue, then allocated £3.5 million to give it a new life. After being closed for 23 months, His Majesty's Theatre was reopened on the 17th of September 1982 by Prince Charles.
In 2004, the theatre was once again closed for refurbishment. It reopened in 2005, renovated and modernised with a new green room, a coffee shop and re-upholstered seating. Torry
3586 This photograph shows snow covered fifies and small line boats moored in the Torry Harbour. Two Peterhead steam drifters rest mid-shot.
This image faces North-East, towards a Torry leading lighthouse and North Kirkhill, which is visible in the distance. The South Breakwater lighthouse is visible just beyond.
The steam drifters presence indicates this photo was likely taken no earlier than 1905, when the Aberdeen Daily Journal started showcasing their launches.
Two buildings on the right of the image sit along Torry Quay. The building on the left, as indicated by its sign, is the University Bar. This was a pub in the building that still stands at the time of writing in 2023, though altered, at 170 Sinclair Road. It was a pub for many years, called Campbell's, and is currently a school of dance.
The Aberdeen Pub Companion (1975) by Archibald Hopkin suggests its original name was due to a connection to University boating activities. By the time of Hopkin's book, the pub was called the Nineteenth Hole, after its proximity to the Balnagask golf course.
Hopkin describes the Nineteenth Hole as a "splendid traditional pub", praising its wide range of drinks, decoration and fine view over the harbour to the North Sea. He also states that the licensee for many years, Charles Campbell (likely the source of the pub's later name) was regularly adding to the pub's range of over 130 whiskies. |