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You searched for: More Like: 'St. Nicholas Church and Churchyard'
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Schoolhill
13 Old houses skirting St. Nicholas churchyard once formed part of the south side of Schoolhill. They were demolished in 1884-85 as part of a street widening scheme and the present wall and railing stand in their place. On the other side of Schoolhill (centre) can be seen the roof and turrets of George Jamesone's House, demolished in 1886.
The book Aberdeen in Byegone Days: Views of Streets and Buildings, etc. with Letterpress Description (1910) by Robert Anderson (page 26) suggests that the building in the centre of this image was the home of Burnett Carr, the grave-digger and assistant to the sexton of St. Nicholas Church.
Newspaper references indicate that Carr, a well known figure, died on 31st May 1844 (Aberdeen Journal, 5th June 1844, page 3, column 2).
This photograph looks north and shows the back of Carr's old house. St. Nicholas Bells
14 St. Nicholas Bells, 1887. The great fire of 1874 swept through the East Kirk of St. Nicholas, totally destroying the 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 with a great peal of bells cast in Belgium. The bells arrived at Aberdeen Station on May 11th 1887 and were paraded through the city with great pomp and ceremony. Collison's Aisle, St Nicholas Church
46 This George Washington Wilson photograph shows the memorial stones inserted in the west wall of Collison's Aisle. Originally called Aisle of the Holy Blood, it formed part of the north transept between the East and West Churches of St. Nicholas and was renamed after 1594, although it probably dates from the 14th century. Members of the Collison family held important civic offices at various times, including Provost in 1521 and 1594, and their place of burial was in this aisle. The memorial stones commemerate Andrew Cullen, Thomas Menzies and his wife Mariene Reid, and Sir John Rutherford. Andrew Cullen was a merchant and Provost of Aberdeen in 1506 and 1535, and the stone shows a sculptered coat of arms above the words "Andrew Cullen Prepositus Abd". Thomas Menzies was Provost in 1525 and (for 40 of the next 50 years), only leaving office in favour of other members of his family. He married Mariane Reid of Pitfodels. The stone has two panels above a shield bearing the Menzies coat of arms, flanked by the initials T.M. The second panel has the initials M.R. and a shield with the Menzies and Reid coats of arms. Beneath is the motto 'Spero in Deo et ipse faciet' - Trust in God and he will perform'. The third stone commemorates Sir John Rutherford of Tarland, first elected Provost of Aberdeen in 1483 and every alternate year until 1492, and again between 1496-1500. He probably died about 1520. View of Old Aberdeen
70 Print of Old Aberdeen drawn by John Slezer. General view with the Crown Tower of King's College and the spires of St. Machar's Cathedral in the distance. The small building in the right foreground was the Snow Church - St. Mary ad Nives - which was demolished in the 1600's, although part of the burial ground survives. Old Aberdeen
71 A reproduced engraving showing the skyline of Old Aberdeen. The image looks north from around the lands of Sunnyside Farm.
In the foreground can be seen two agricultural labourers. On the skyline, going left to right, is the circular Powis Hermitage, on a hill, with its small spire, the twin spires of St. Machar Cathedral in the far distance, the tower of the Old Town House at the end of the High Street, which is protruding above the southern elevation of St. Mary's United Free Church.
Moving back along the High Street, the south facing front elevation, with bow windows, of Powis Lodge can be seen above the line of trees. The crown tower of King's College is across the street. The two minarets of the Powis Gateway are just next to it. Further along are the crenelations of Cromwell's Tower.
The tower on the far left of the image may be Dunbar's Tower.
The minaret gateway was finished in 1834 and this image likely dates from around that period. 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 Bridge
81 Union Bridge, Aberdeen, from Bridge Street, looking east. The spires at the left belong to Kirk House, later a restaurant and bar, and to St. Nicholas Church. The corner of the Palace Hotel is just visible at the right. St. Nicholas Street
87 St. Nicholas Street looking up the Netherkirkgate. The old Frigate Bar is seen in the middle distance with the Wallace Tower to its right. The buildings on the right were demolished in the 1960s to allow Marks and Spencer to extend their store across the Netherkirkgate. The Wallace Tower was relocated to a site near Tillydrone and Seaton Park. 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. Wallace Tower, Netherkirkgate
103 Wallace Tower in the Netherkirkgate looking towards St. Nicholas Church. The tower never had any connection with William Wallace. It is believed to have been the town residence of Sir Robert Keith of Benholm. The name "Wallace" may have been a corruption of "well-house". The Wallace Tower was re-sited at Tillydrone in the 1960s.
Correspondent Ed Fowler suggests that the ornamental building shown on the left at the end of the Netherhirkgate, next to the horse and cart, is the Dyers' Hall.
The name refers to the Dyers' or Litsters Society who were once an important and wealthy industrial group in Aberdeen. Newspaper notices suggest the building was used as a public house, where societies regularly met, and that it, and other buildings, were demolished in around 1807 to make way for a new street between Union Street and Tannery Street. Wallace Tower, Netherkirkgate
112 Wallace Tower in the Netherkirkgate looking towards St. Nicholas Church. The tower never had any connection with William Wallace. It is believed to have been the town residence of Sir Robert Keith of Benholm. The name "Wallace" may have been a corruption of "well-house". The Wallace Tower was re-sited at Tillydrone in the 1960s. Schoolhill from St. Nicholas Churchyard
120 This photograph taken in 1880 from St. Nicholas Churchyard looks north showing a row of houses which stood between it and Schoolhill.
These houses were demolished around 1884 as part of an improvement scheme to widen Schoolhill - named after the old Grammar School which stood nearby.
A dwarf wall with ornamental railings was erected in place of these buildings and a porter's lodge was removed from Robert Gordon's College to form a lodge for the sexton at the entrance to the churchyard.
The book Aberdeen in Byegone Days: Views of Streets and Buildings, etc. with Letterpress Description (1910) by Robert Anderson (page 26) suggests that the building in the centre of this image was the home of Burnett Carr, the grave-digger and assistant to the sexton of St. Nicholas Church.
Newspaper references indicate that Carr, a well known figure, died on 31st May 1844 (Aberdeen Journal, 5th June 1844, page 3, column 2).
This photograph looks north and shows the back of Carr's old house. Rosemount Viaduct
154 Union Terrace looking towards Rosemount Viaduct. On the left is St. Mark's Church and on the right His Majesty's Theatre. In front of the theatre is the statue of William Wallace with Prince Albert at the left. Newhills Parish Church
174 This picture shows the present Church of Newhills as it would have been at the time of its opening in June 1830.
It was built to replace the old kirk, endowed by George Davidson of Pettens in 1662, the ruins of which can still be seen among the tombstones in the churchyard.
After a decline in membership in the 1940s and 1950s, the church benefited from the building of a private and a council housing estate in its area. Membership of the church and its organisations increased till, in 1978, it was reported to be one of the most vibrant and successful in the Aberdeen Presbytery.
The external appearance of the church is little changed but a huge congregational effort in recent years has resulted in the building of a two-storey extension housing a number of meeting rooms plus toilets and kitchen facilities.
The road seen in this picture is now used by a large numbers of vehicles en route to Kingswells and the west of Aberdeen. View of Aberdeen from Cornhill
181 View of Aberdeen from Cornhill, c.1840. This picture was contained in a series of lithographs of Aberdeen published in 1840 by J and D Nichol, booksellers, Montrose. The elevated position of Cornhill provided one of the best points of view over the city. The idyllic rural scene in the foreground is in contrast to the array of smoking chimneys in the distance, interspersed with the spires of various buildings. In the middle is Broadford Textile Works with Hutcheon Street on the left. On the far right, there is the tall chimney of Rubislaw Bleachfield Works, which was demolished in July 1908. The spires belong to the East and West Churches of St. Nicholas, and the Tolbooth while, in the centre, there are the four turrets of the central tower of Marischal College and the tower of the North Church. The chimneys were evidence of the extent and importance of manufacturing in the city, while the western suburbs were the most attractive, with beautiful villas whose residents were often those citizens whose wealth came from these industries. Rosemount Viaduct at night
239 The illuminated facade of His Majesty's Theatre and St. Mark's Church from Union Terrace Gardens. United Free Church, Culter
262 United Free Church, Culter, which became Kelman Memorial Church, and more recently has amalgamated with St. Peter's to form Peterculter Church. Portrait of Dr. William Guild
305 Portrait of Dr. William Guild, born in 1586, who in 1633 gifted the old Trinity Monastery and Chapel to be a hospital and meeting house. He was chosen Principal of King's College in 1640 and was deposed in 1651. He died in 1657 and was buried in St. Nicholas Churchyard. Monument to Dr William Guild
307 Monument in St. Nicholas Church graveyard to Dr William Guild, Incorporated Trades. Gaelic Chapel, Belmont Street
322 The Gaelic Chapel was founded in the 18th century in response to the increasing numbers of Highlanders who came to the city in search of work.
At first, they held services in the East Church of St. Nicholas but, in the 1790s, they obtained ground in the area between Belmont Street and Back Wynd, now known as Gaelic Lane.
The opening services in the new church were conducted on 30th August 1795. In 1843, at the Disruption, the whole congregation followed their minister, Rev. Hugh Mackenzie, into the Free Church.
By 1882, the church had become old and dilapidated and needed so much renovation that the congregation decided to move. The property was disposed of and was used as a printing office by G. & W. Fraser for a number of years.
The congregation moved to a church on Dee Street which had become vacant on the disbanding of the United Free Methodists and it was named St. Columba United Free Church.
In 1907, they amalgamated with the High United Free Church and moved to their church at the junction of Belmont Street and Schoolhill.
Comparing the scene shown here and large scale historic maps suggests that this is likely a view of the rear of the Gaelic Chapel buildings, looking north, potentially taken from the back of a building on Union Street. James Beattie's House
362 This house stood in Crown Court at 36 Upperkirkgate, Aberdeen. It had an internal stone stair and some of the rooms were oak panelled. James Beattie was born in 1735 in Laurencekirk and in 1760 he was appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy at Marischal College. He died at this house on 18th August 1803 and was buried in St. Nicholas Churchyard.
His house became the home of an advocate, but in the 1850s and 60s it was used by the Aberdeen General Dispensary, lying in an vaccine institution which supplied advice and medicines to the sick and poor. In more recent times, the area behind the Upperkirkgate was cleared and redeveloped as the Bon-Accord Shopping Centre.
Correspondent Ed Fowler suggests that the items that can be seen in front of the house are likely early Victorian laundry mangles. This would account for the trail of water draining from its position. The tarpaulin that is visible would have been to protect the wooden rollers and gears from the elements. The drying area was probably in the garden beyond the Dispensary building, to the north, as no improvised window drying jibs are visible. St. Nicholas Street, Aberdeen. 1898
363 This image taken in 1898, shows two prominent Aberdeen citizens crossing St. Nicholas Street under the watchful gaze of a statue of Queen Victoria. The building behind them was then the Town and County (now Clydesdale) Bank. These two individuals were lifelong friends and both came from a poor background, however their industry and intelligence, combined with self education led to their successful careers. William Cadenhead on the left began work in a thread factory but later became a traveller for a wine and spirit merchant, eventually succeeding to the business. He died on 11th December 1904 aged 85. William Carnie on the right was apprenticed as an engraver, but his ambition to write for newspapers was fulfilled when he began on the North of Scotland Gazette. However in 1861, he was appointed as Clerk and Treasurer of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the Royal Lunatic Asylum. After his retirement he wrote three volumes entitled Reporting Reminiscences covering the period 1850 - 1876, recollecting local events and people he knew. He died on 2nd January 1908 aged 83. |