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The Joint Station Reconstruction
540 This image most likely shows the demolition of the original roof of the 1867 Joint Station. This work was begun in August 1913.
The Joint Station was significantly reconstructed from 1912-16 to meet increasing traffic demands and to improve facilities. The project was overseen by GNSR Chief Engineer, J. A. Parker.
Remarkably, the reconstruction was completed with very little disturbance to the station's operation.
See the Great North of Scotland Railway Association's publication The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station, 1867-1992 (c1992) for the full story. Quaker Meeting House
771 A photograph of the the Quaker meeting house that was located between Gallowgate and Sea Mount Place. This image shows the front elevation of the building that faced south east on to Port Hill.
The large scale Ordnance Survey town plan of Aberdeen (sheet LXXV.11.8., surveyed in 1867) indicates that their associated burial ground was located to the west of the building, towards Gallowgate. The plan also states that the meeting house had seating for 350 people.
The Quaker Meeting Houses Heritage Project (link here) states that the group first established their meeting house and burial ground on this site in 1672 and they continued to meet there until moving to a new location in 1800.
This building was later acquired by John Watt & Sons, leather merchants. The upper part had louvre windows which made it suitable for drying leather. Later OS maps suggest the building may have stood as a ruin into the mid-20th century.
At the time of writing in 2022, the site is now an elevated outdoor space surrounded by blocks of flats, to the south of Porthill Court, that go from Gallowgate around Seamount Road
A more recent, late-Victorian Quaker meeting house can be found at 98 Crown Street, Aberdeen.
To find out more about Quakers in Aberdeen, in addition to the above mentioned Quaker Meeting House Heritage Project, there is information on a relevant collection of books held by the University of Aberdeen, including a list of associated publications, here. Great Southern Road
859 In 1880, Miss Elizabeth Crombie Duthie of Ruthrieston bought land at Allenvale and Polmuir and the vacant estate of Arthurs Seat and donated it to Aberdeen Town Council as a public park. Today, the park covers 44 acres of wide open spaces. A restaurant was also opened in 1972 at a cost of £50,000 and the famous winter gardens built in 1899 at a cost of 1550 pounds and subsequently rebuilt in 1969 at a cost of £58,000. In the centre of the picture can be seen the old West Lodge or Duthie Lodge. When the Great Southerrn Road and King George VI Bridge were built in 1938, the lodge was bought for 60 pounds by an Aberdeen contractor, dismantled and moved piece by piece to Rubislaw Den South. The Great Southern Road was a new road from Holburn Street to Whinhill Road, linking the city with the new satellite town at Kincorth and onwards to meet the Aberdeen - Stonehaven Road. Brae Farm
1790 This photograph was taken in 1951 by James Kellas and looks east showing, on the left, the rear of Brae Farm, located on Morningside Road, and part of 142 Morningside Avenue on the right.
There was originally a Brae Farm to the north west of this location that can be seen the Ordnance Survey map published in 1869 (Aberdeen Sheet LXXV.14). Just to the north of the old farm on the map is a single Aberdeen Water Works reservoir.
An article from The Leopard magazine by Diane Morgan (October/November 1985) explains that in 1885 an Aberdeen Corporation Water Act was passed to empower the Town Council to take eight million gallons daily from the River Dee and to build a second reservoir at Mannofield. This was to keep up with the city's rapid population increase.
To carry out the expansion, the council acquired the land adjoining the initial reservoir including the first Brae Farmhouse and its steadings. They then became known as Reservoir Cottage and Reservoir House and served as the home of the inspector of the water works. A relatively early inspector was called William Clark. On 28th February 1898 he died at the cottage aged 64. He was buried in the John Knox Churchyard (Aberdeen Weekly Journal, 02/03/1898, p.4).
Clark was likely succeeded as waterworks inspector by James Forsyth. The Forsyth family lived at the cottage well into the 20th century. James was married to Margaret (née Jaffray), who died after him on 28th July 1945, aged 85. Their second son, Sapper John Forsyth, died aged 26 at Oldmill Military Hospital on 20th April 1917. He was buried at Springback Cemetery.
The reservoirs continue to play a vital role in supplying water to Aberdeen. The cottage and house however were demolished in the late 20th century and replaced by modern water treatment buildings.
As shown on the 1901 OS map, sometime shortly after the passing of the 1885 act the Brae Farm we can see in this picture was built to the south east, where Morningside Road met Auchinyell Bridge. To the east, Aberdeenshire County Cricket Ground was also built around the same time.
This later Brae Farm was the home to the Kinnaird family for the first half of the 20th century. The heads of the family were Frank Kinnaird and Margaret Amelia Smith.
Their son Lance-Corporal A. G. Kinnaird, of the Royal Scots, was reported as a prisoner of war in Germany in June 1918. Prior to the war he had worked with the Clydesdale Bank (Evening Express, 03/06/1918 p.3).
Frank's eldest daughter, Jessie Sinclair, married James Smith Mathieson at Ruthrieston U.F. Church on 7th September 1927 (Evening Express, 08/09/1927, p.6).
A younger daughter, Edith Kinnaird, married a man from Portsmouth called Andrew Livingstone in July 1936. The marriage took place in Ruthrieston West Church and the reception was at the Caledonian Hotel (Press & Journal, 06/06/1936 p.8).
Daughters Amelia Elizabeth and Margaret Kinnaird both left Brae Farm in the 1920s (1924 and 1920, respectively) to reunite with fiancés who had travelled ahead to Canada.
Frank Kinnaird died on 12th August 1950, aged 84.
At some point during the 1930s-1950s the residential streets we know today, Morningside Avenue, Terrace and Place were constructed between the reservoir and the new farmstead. These streets take their name from Morningside Farm to the east. As can be seen in this photograph, the farm stood into the 1950s. It was eventually demolished when Morningside Avenue was extended to meet Morningside Road. The newer bungalows can be distinguished by their tiled, rather than slated roofs. Treasure 1: Aberdeen Public Library staff photograph of 1892
2271 What a fabulous photograph of the Central Library staff from when the building opened in 1892. We get a feel for the ladies dress at the time and during our 120 celebrations in 2012 mannequins wore paper costumes replicating the Victorian style.
There were 15 staff then - the Librarian, Sub-Librarian, 9 Assistants, a Reading Room Keeper, a Janitor and 2 staff in the Binding Department but not everyone is in the photograph. The Librarian is definitely missing but we will meet him later.
We have a list of staff names and one in particular was remembered for her helpfulness, courtesy and compilation of the Local Studies catalogue. Miss Emma Valentine joined the service in 1890 as an Assistant and progressed to Assistant in Charge of the Reference Department. Sadly she died young in 1915 and is believed to haunt the building today.
Who do you think Miss Valentine is in the photograph? Stop 7: Miss Bella Walker (1887-1962) and Miss Elsie Moffat (1894-1985) St Katherine's club, West North Street, (now Lemon Tree building)
2306 The next stop is the building now known as the Lemon Tree but this was built especially for St Katherine's Club as is still known affectionately by the older generation as St Kay's.
St Katherine's Club was originally set up in October 1917 for working class girls to have a comfortable meeting place away from the crowded and dismal conditions of their homes during WW1. Held in two rooms in a tenement in the Shiprow, the club was founded by Miss Bella Walker and Miss Elsie Moffat and they provided an environment which was at once domestic, educational and recreational. There were classes in home craft, art and craft, drama and literature, and physical education. The club grew to a membership of over 500 until it moved to the purpose-built YWCA building at 5 West North Street in 1937. It continued to grow and evolved as the needs arose. In the 1960s there was a greater awareness of adolescent, social and personal issues and the 'Open Club' was set up. In 1990 with the money from the sale of the building, the St Katherine's Trust was established and has met twice yearly to make financial donations to local organisations and groups.
Aberdeen Women's Centre, Shoe Lane (1989-2006)
In the former Caretaker's flat of the St Katherine's Club, Aberdeen Women's Centre offered a women-only space for women's groups and classes to meet. With urban aid funding came staff which included the city's first Minority Ethnic Development Worker for women.
Memories:
Memories of the St Katherine's Club 1
Memories of the St Katherine's Club 2 Treasure 35: Notes and Jottings of G.M. Fraser
2323 George Milne Fraser had a lifelong interest and expertise in local history; delivering talks (as seen in the December 2015 Treasure), publishing books and numerous letters and articles in the local press. His 'Notes and Jottings' collection comprise over 70 volumes, mostly hand written (including a form of shorthand), which are a treasure trove of information about the local area.
Within these notebooks are newspaper articles and advertisements, photographs, personal correspondence, sketches and many other interesting bits and pieces. Library staff have compiled an index to this invaluable resource and consult it on a regular basis when researching enquiries. It is quite a challenge deciphering his handwriting sometimes!
As a journalist by profession, G. M. Fraser retained his talent for writing and contributed articles to the Aberdeen Free Press, Bon Accord and Northern Pictorial, Evening Gazette, and journals such as the Deeside Field.
His contributions to local literature began in 1904 with the publication of The Green. Historical Aberdeen appeared the following year and after Aberdeen Street Names in 1911 the Town Clerk Depute wrote to Fraser with the words "We must now regard you as our Principal Historian".
The Life and Work of G. M. Fraser
G. M. Fraser was appointed city librarian in 1899 and was the second public librarian in Aberdeen. He can be seen on the far right of this image from the library archive.
His name was known all over the north east and he was mentioned in the chorus of one of Harry Gordon's popular songs, The Auldest Aiberdonian: "I ken lots o' stories G. M. Fraser disna ken". On 30 October 1923 he gave a 15 minute talk on the radio about Castlegate, becoming the first librarian in Aberdeen to make a radio broadcast.
During his term of office there were many developments in the Library service:
- The Central Library was extended in 1905 to include a new reading room
- Branch reading rooms and delivery stations were established throughout the city
- The Juvenile Library in Skene Street opened in 1911
- Open access was introduced in the Lending Library 1925 (find out more about Open Access libraries in the October treasures!)
- Fraser's strongest legacy is the Local Studies collection, which still contains many of our treasures.
G. M. Fraser was remembered very fondly after his death on 7 June 1938. There were many tributes including one from the Library Committee. Perhaps one of the warmest tributes was paid by his successor as City Librarian, Marcus Milne:
"Somehow the Library and G.M. were one. You could not think of the Library without thinking of that kindly figure who was head of it; and one could not meet him without thinking of the building he graced for so long. Mr Fraser had 2 hobbies and work was both of them. He lived for nothing else. The library was ever uppermost in his thoughts and closely allied to his love for the Library was his great love for things Aberdeen".
Mr Fraser's funeral service was attended by many prominent city officials and floral wreaths included one from Lady Aberdeen with the inscription "In affectionate and grateful remembrance of a much valued friend". He is buried in Springbank Cemetery.
In 1955, Aberdeen's first post-war permanent branch library was opened at Northfield and named the G. M. Fraser Branch Library in his honour.
In further recognition of his contribution to the development of the Library service, a commemorative plaque can be found on the front of the Central Library building. Bridge of Don
2386 This image of the Bridge of Don is taken from the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, George Stephen's, Christmas card from 1959.
The bridge was constructed to meet an increased volume of traffic. It incorporates the previous 1830 granite bridge that was built to a design by Thomas Telford. The reconstructed bridge was officially opened on 25th May, 1959, by The Queen Mother. Dee Village Electricity Works
2885 A photograph showing the eastern side of the Dee Village Electricity Works under construction on 28th December 1901.
On 2nd November 1901, as the facility was being built, it was found necessary to start operating the works early to meet the increasing demand for electricity. This was achieved with the construction of a temporary wooden engine-room and boiler-room that was replaced as building progressed. The wooden structure shown here is most likely the temporary engine room.
This image is from an album of photographs held by Aberdeen City Libraries detailing the construction of the Dee Village Electricity Works. March Stone 12
3194 This stone is located adjacent to the footpath at the amenity area, south of Friarsfield Road and Kirkbrae junction, Cults. It is marked '12 ABD'.
In 1698 the then marker was described as "ane merch stone, with an sauser and four witter holes...".
The 1929 Blue Book includes an image of the stone against a rough stone wall.
The sluice gate and stream visible in the background of this image is the Cults Burn. Above the slope shown here was once Cults Dam. The junction of Friarsfield Road and Kirk Brae has been significantly altered since this photograph was taken.
Frairsfield Road has since been extended to meet Kirk Brae in a straight line. The previous, smaller junction, that curved to the south west, has been replaced by the footpath through the newly created amenity area.
In 2020 the March Stone remains at broadly the same location shown here, just off the footpath, on the other side of the burn from a public bench.
A slide of this image was kindly lent to Aberdeen City Libraries by Colin Johnston so that we could create a digital copy for public use.
The image was taken in the early 1980s when Colin worked as a teacher at Bridge of Don Academy. He led several current and former pupils, and staff members in an investigation into the location, physical condition and public knowledge of Aberdeen's historic boundary markers. His Majesty's Theatre: Arlette
3451 Cover of the programme for the Operette Arlette from September 1918. Note that "Hats are not allowed in Private Boxes, Orchestra Stalls or the first three rows of the Dress Circle". "Special Tram Cars are arranged to meet at the Theatre every evening for Circular Route". [Image from the Aberdeen Performing Arts Archive.] Torry
3584 This wide shot has been taken at "Maritime Strangers Rest," where the point of The Esplanade and Point Law meet.
Torry Harbour is in the background, with its leading lighthouse on the left. A large fifie with two men aboard tows a smaller boat.
Engineering is taking place in the right side of the background, in front of the fish curing yards. This could possibly be the construction of Mr. J. W. Cowie's herring barrel factory, placing the image no earlier than 1905.
The Aberdeen People's Journal of 11th November 1905 mentions the acquisition of a site for the herring barrel factory. Joint Station
3926 This image shows a East Coast passenger train on the platform to the south of Aberdeen Joint Station. Well dressed passengers wait to board the train.
In the background can be seen the large curved roof of the original 1867 Joint Station. The station, including its roof, was significantly reconstructed from 1912-16 to meet increasing traffic demands and to improve facilities. This indicates this image dates from before this work, probably in the early 20th century.
In the background, on the southern elevation of station building, an advertisement can be seen for Hudson's Soap. Hudson's was a well known soap business during the early 1900s.
On 10th August 1901 The Aberdeen Daily Journal commented on the company's clever advertising methods. At the start of the month, Hudson's Soaps had four massive war balloons around Aberdeen. They were being used by the military, but their sides displayed the company name. Treasure 29: The Snow Queen and Hans Christian Andersen
202 Hans Christian Andersen wrote 'The Snow Queen' in 1844. Aberdeen City Libraries hold a number of interesting resources relating to the author. Perhaps the most notable is a 1926 reprint of his autobiography 'The True Story of My Life' translated by Mary Howitt and published by George Routledge & Sons.
Born in Odense, Denmark in 1805, Andersen wrote three autobiographies during his lifetime. 'The Book of My Life', written in 1832 aged 27, was for close friends, the Collin family, and was not intended for publication. 'The True Story of My Life' in 1846 was to accompany a German edition of his collected works and his final autobiography, 'The Fairy Tale of My Life', was published in 1855.
Mary Howitt (1799-1888) was an English author who came to prominence as a translator of Scandinavian literature, in particular eighteen volumes of the Swedish novelist Frederika Bremer (1842-1863) and many translations of Hans Christian Andersen. In the 1926 preface to 'The True Story of My Life' Scottish author and poet, Violet Jacob, claims that Howitt's "precise and innocence English" is the ideal vehicle for conveying Andersen's writing. It was through Howitt's translations that the English speaking world first came to know Andersen's work.
Howitt dedicates her translation of 'The True Story of My Life' to the Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind (1820-1887). Lind was world famous for her immaculate voice, generosity and strong religious convictions. She and Andersen were good friends. When Lind rejected Andersen as a suitor she became the model for the Snow Queen with a heart of ice. Their friendship endured nonetheless and in 'The True Story of My Life' Andersen explains the central influence Lind had on his work: "Through Jenny Lind I first became sensible of the holiness there is in art; through her I learned that one must forget oneself in the service of the Supreme. No books, no men have had a better or a more ennobling influence on me as the poet, than Jenny Lind, and I therefore have spoken of her so long and so warmly here."
The autobiography also contains other glimpses into the inspiration behind 'The Snow Queen'. For example, Andersen's childhood surroundings are said to have inspired the roof top garden on which the story's heroes, Gerda and Kai, first meet and become friends: "Our little room, which was almost filled with the shoemaker's bench, the bed, and my crib, was the abode of my childhood; the walls, however, were covered with pictures, and over the work-bench was a cupboard containing books and songs; the little kitchen was full of shining plates and metal pans, and by means of a ladder it was possible to go out on the roof, where, in the gutters between and the neighbour's house, there stood a great chest filled with soil, my mother's sole garden, and where she grew her vegetables. In my story of the Snow Queen that garden still blooms." Treasure 83: Aberdeen Roll of Honour
295 Following the end of hostilities in the conflict which became known as 'The Great War', numerous efforts were made up and down the country to pay heartfelt thanks and ensure future generations would never forget the terrible losses suffered.
A National Roll of Honour was created by the War Office in 1922. This was an enormous work, and took information from official casualty lists. The work was produced to meet the demand for information to be used on many public memorials.
Aberdeen's public memorial involved the construction of the Memorial Court in the Art Gallery. The city's Roll of Honour was to be placed upon a marble pedestal within.
The Roll drew together many separate lists provided by Churches, the University of Aberdeen, schools, guilds and businesses. The final copy of the Roll contained five thousand and forty names.
During the dedication of the War Memorial in September 1925, the ceremonial copy of the Roll of Honour was placed under glass by Mr Peter Tocher, an ex-serviceman who lost five sons during the conflict.
Duplicate copies were made to ensure that the public could view them. Our Treasure for November 2016 is the copy of the Roll of Honour presented to Aberdeen Central Library by Mr James Davidson, the Town Clerk.
View our interactive exhibition on the touchscreen to find out more about how Aberdeen's Roll of Honour was compiled and what makes it unique to those from others cities. Woodside Congregational Church from Annals of Woodside and Newhills, by Patrick Morgan (1886)
303 The churches in Woodside have always provided a strong community base where various clubs and social groups could gather. From bible classes to indoor bowling and a wide range of youth clubs, these locally designed buildings remain an important part of the area.
The Woodside Congregational Church building shown in this image was built in the year 1867. It replaced the congregation's previous building on the same site that was known as the Cotton Chapel. The construction of the later church is usually credited to the liberality of Provost William Leslie.
The congregation temporarily closed down in around 1994. It started meeting again after about three years but unfortunately the congregation could no longer use the church building on Great Northern Road.
Woodside Congregational Church currently meet in the nearby Printfield portable cabin and the church building is derelict. Treasure 102: Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanatorium
323 Aberdeen City Libraries has a large and significant collection of historic photographs. This month we are highlighting a collection of images of Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanatorium in the 1930s.
The album contains 58 photographs of the home's buildings, grounds, staff and patients. The institution is shown at different times of the year and celebrating special occasions. The majority of the images are delightful portraits. We do not have names for the individuals shown but the pictures convey a sense of the life and community of the home. If you are able to identify any of those photographed, we would be pleased to hear from you. The Newhills Convalescent Home was founded by Christian Catherine Smith in 1874. She was the wife of Rev. James Smith, the minister of Newhills Parish Church. It was shortly after arriving in the parish that she recognised the potential for a place for ill people to come to rest and regain their health. Annual newspaper reports on the home described its purpose as being for "the benefit of respectable persons in humble life who appear to be failing into dishealth, or are convalescing after non-infectious ailments."
The convalescent home was started at Dykeside Cottage in Newhills. It was a great success and operated at this location for 7 years. In 1882 a new building just north of the parish church was constructed to meet the rising demand for treatment. By 1900 patients with tuberculosis were admitted, with the home operating a sanatorium department from 1902.
Learn more about this Home's history in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreen. |