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Denburn Valley
48 The Denburn Valley Railway, shown here on the right, was constructed in 1865-67. It runs from the Joint Station at Guild Street north through the valley. To the left of the railway lines is Union Terrace Gardens which were opened to the public on 11th August 1879.
The closeness of the railway led to the gardens being nicknamed the "Trainie Park". The bandstand shown here in the centre of the park was removed in around 1931.
The iron footbridge visible in this image allowed access over the Denburn and railway between Rosemount and the city centre. It was replaced by the Denburn Viaduct which was built in 1886, at the same time as Rosemount Viaduct, by engineer William Boulton. Part of the footbridge was moved and reassembled in the newly created Duthie Park.
This image also predates the construction of significant buildings on Rosemount Viaduct such as the Public Library and the Free South Church (both dating from 1892). In the background, on the left of the image can be seen the houses at the foot of a then longer Skene Terrace. These are on the site later occupied by the library and church.
To the right of those houses are Black's Buildings. Local historian Diane Morgan explains that they were "a small curving crescent of tall tenements, four and five storeys high, [and] sat below the Royal Infirmary, Woolmanhill, just west of the apex of the Woolmanhill triangle. (...) The houses were built in stages between 1789 and 1830, by the wine merchant James Black." (Lost Aberdeen: Aberdeen's lost architectural heritage, 2004). The tenements were pulled down in 1957.
Woolmanhill Hospital, designed by Archibald Simpson and built 1832-1838, can be seen in the background. Chimneys of Broadford Works, the textile factory located between Ann Street, Maberly Street and Hutcheon Street, are also visible. Allenvale Cemetery from Kincorth
60 An early photograph of Allenvale Cemetery, taking shape in the middle distance, as seen from Kincorth, with Abbotswell Farm in the foreground.
A limited company called the Aberdeen Cemetery Company was established for the purpose of creating this new graveyard. A prospectus inviting public investment was published in the Aberdeen Journal of 29th January 1873. It reads as follows:
"It is well known that in Aberdeen cemetery accommodation is limited and insufficient, and it is generally admitted that its extension is necessary, and cannot much longer be delayed. It is therefore desirable to acquire additional space for that purpose, and to treat it in accordance with modern ideas and practice.
"This company has been formed for the purpose of providing an extensive Cemetery, in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, suitable in all respects for the purposes of internment, and of easy access - but sufficiently removed from town to preserve its suburban character."
The new cemetery opened in late 1874 and, as we know, was a big hit. It was officially known as the Aberdeen Cemetery but quickly became known as Allenvale Cemetery, after the property on which it was built.
Allenvale saw major extensions in 1912 and 1932. A London syndicate purchased control of the graveyard from the Aberdeen Cemetery Company in 1958. Aberdeen Town Council subsequently took control of the cemetery in 1965 following the then owners going into liquidation and worries about Allenvale's future. Allenvale remains a fine example of a planned Victorian cemetery to this day.
Notable residents of Allenvale include John James Rickard MacLeod (1876-1935), co-discoverer of insulin, James Scott Skinner (1843-1927), fiddler and composer, and Mary Esslemont (1891-1984), the influential doctor. Though, of course, many interned at Allenvale would have their own interesting stories to tell.
In this photograph, Duthie Park, later created on the right, has yet to be landscaped. St. Machar Poorhouse, Fonthill House and Devanha House can all be seen in the distance. Tomb of Bishop Gavin Dunbar
195 The tomb of Bishop Gavin Dunbar at St. Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen.
Gavin Dunbar was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen on 5th November 1518 and died on 9th March 1532. He became a great benefactor not only of King's College, but of the town.
It was he who took over the plans left after the death of Bishop Elphinstone and created the Bridge of Dee which opened road access to the City, from the south.
Dunbar also built the twin towers at St. Machar's Cathedral and gave its magnificent ceiling at his own expense. It comprises 48 heraldic shields including the arms of Scottish monarchs, nobles, Kings of Europe, and Scottish Bishops.
When he died in 1532, he was buried in the south transept of the cathedral. This was virtually destroyed after the collapse of the great central tower in 1688, and a recumbent statue of white marble of Dunbar was broken into pieces during the Reformation.
The splendor of the six foot richly carved arch of Morayshire freestone is still obvious despite its exposure to the weather. A bishop's mitre surmounts the Dunbar coat of arms and his initials, at the right hand side. 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. Pittodrie House
270 This photograph shows Pittodrie House which stands on the east slopes of Bennachie near the village of Pitcaple about 20 miles from Aberdeen. The Mither Tap is visible in the background.
Although the house stands over 680 feet above sea level, it is surrounded by trees which provide shelter from the wind. It is a complex house of several dates and was on the estate of the Knight Erskine family for centuries, before being sold in 1903 to George Smith, a Glasgow shipping magnate who founded the City Line of Steamers. The Smith family still own the property which has been run as a luxury hotel since 1977 and the 3000 acre estate is leased for agriculture.
The original house probably dated from around 1490, and a wheel stair from that period still survives, although the house was burnt by Montrose during the Covenanting Wars.
A date stone commemorates the re-building by the Erskines in 1675, and in 1841, the architect Archibald Simpson created the large neo-Jacobean extension with three storey balustraded tower on the east side - seen here covered in ivy. A billiard room was added in the early 1900s and further extensions took place in 1990.
The word 'Pittodrie' is thought to be derived from the Gaelic 'todhar' which can mean either manure or bleach. Aberdeen Football Club's ground is known as Pittodrie Stadium, because the Knight Erskines also owned the lands in the city where the stadium was built. 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 Exchequer Row
687 This view shows the narrow congested Exchequer Row, around 1900. It is a photograph of a watercolour painting by Alexander J. Murray that is in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums (AAGM).
The Balmoral style tower of the Salvation Army Citadel, opened in 1896, is seen in the distance with the Market Cross surrounded by an ongoing market.
Exchequer Row (first mentioned in 1350) was a short street connecting the Shiprow to the Castlegate, and on its right side, were a number of courts leading into an area crammed with insanitary dwellings which were later demolished.
It was popularly supposed that the name Exchequer Row derived from the Aberdeen Mint which stood in the area. However, it comes from the name of the Royal Customs House - the Skakkarium, dating back to the 14th century. Union Terrace Gardens and the Denburn
692 This view taken about 1884 shows the railway line which runs north from the Joint Station through the Denburn Valley.
The Denburn ran as an open burn throughout this area with bleaching greens next to it, until the railway was constructed in 1865-7, when the burn was covered over and the greens removed.
In the late 1870's, Union Terrace Gardens was laid out next to the railway, and it was sometimes referred to as the 'Trainie Park'. The bandstand has long since been removed.
The iron footbridge on granite supports which allowed access across the gardens from Schoolhill to Union Terrace was replaced by Schoolhill Viaduct in 1886/7. This created a site for His Majesty's Theatre, South UF Church, and Aberdeen Public Library. 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. Lower Justice Mill, Union Glen
810 Justice Mills of one kind or another are first mentioned in the 1300s, and were the site of a famous battle. In their final form, an Upper Justice Mill occupied a site later partially covered by the Odeon Cinema building, while the Lower Mill stood in Union Glen, at the bottom of the steep slope with its mill dam above and behind it (see water wheel centre left). The left hand part of the building and the wheel were removed when the cinema was built, the dam was drained and a thoroughfare created into Union Glen, but the central and right hand parts survived, albeit derelict, into the 1960s.
The wagon in front of the buildings is painted with the business name James Alexander & Son, Grain Merchants. The 1866-67 Ordnance Survey large scale town plan of Aberdeen indicates that Lower Justice Mill was a corn mill.
A black cat can also be seen in the centre right of the image and a woman carrying some type of load is in front of the waterwheel.
Correspondent Geoffrey Mann has been in touch to inform us that in 1793 there was a miller at the Justice Mills called George Reid. This information was found from an Old Machar baptismal record for his and Margaret Smith's (his wife) daughter Elizabeth.
Coincidentally, there was another George Reid (1826-1881) who was a partner in the prominent seedsmen and agricultural implement makers, Messrs Benjamin Reid & Co., who had their Bon-Accord Works just to the east of the Justice Mills. The obituary of this later George Reid from The Aberdeen Journal 16/07/1881 states that at the time his death he lived with his two sisters in Justice Mill Lane. Rob Roy statue number 2, Culter
960 The statue of Rob Roy at Culter - number 2, 1850-1926. A Rob Roy figure has stood on this rocky ledge high above the Leuchar Burn just before it reached Culter Paper Mills for around 150 years. It has become a tourist attraction for those travelling on the North Deeside Road at Peterculter, about 8 miles from Aberdeen. However, there is no historical evidence to support the legend that Rob Roy MacGregor left the gorge to escape his pursuers. The original figure is supposed to have been a figurehead from a Peterhead whaling ship and it was replaced in about 1865 with the carved wooden stature seen here. It apparently suffered damage before the First World War when local Territorial soldiers practised their firing skills on it. However, by 1925, the figure was in a poor state due to the effects of time and weather. A committee was appointed to secure a new stature and an Aberdeen woodcutter, David Graham, created a figure from a nine foot high block of Quebec yellow pine. It was unveiled on 3 July 1926. This figure lasted until 1991, when it had to be replaced again after being damaged by vandals. Morison's Bridge
1098 This photograph of Morison's bridge, or the Shakkin' Briggie, is reproduced from the book 123 Views of "Royal Deeside" (1903). This volume was printed and published at the office of the Aberdeen Daily Journal and Evening Express, 18-22 Broad Street, Aberdeen.
The photographs that feature in the book were taken by Mr. William J. Johnston of Rockcliffe, Banchory.
William Jaffrey Johnston (1864-1914) was a professional photographer, considered an expert in outdoor photography, and was well known around Deeside. He was also a church organist, latterly with Banchory's South U.F. Church for 16 years.
Johnston died aged 48 on 13th January 1914. A death notice, brief obituary and tribute from the Rev. W. Cowan can be found in the local newspapers of the time.
An article about the release of the album of views can be found in the Aberdeen Daily Journal of 1st June 1903 on page 5. Copies of the book can be consulted in the Local Studies collection at Aberdeen Central Library.
The description that accompanies this image of the bridge reads as follows:
"Cults Bridge was erected in 1837, so that parishioners on the north side of the river might have better means of access to the Church of Banchory-Devenick than the then 'parish boat' afforded. The donor was Rev. Dr. Morison, the minister of the parish. But the growth of Cults has been such that the parish has been re-arranged, and the village has now its own churches." (page 7). Lower Justice Mill
1258 Lower Justice Mill, Union Glen. Justice Mills of one kind or another are first mentioned in the 1300s, and were the site of a famous battle. In their final form, an Upper Justice Mill occupied a site subsequently partially covered by the Odeon Cinema, while the Lower Mill stood in Union Glen, at the bottom of the steep slope with its mill dam above and behind it (see water wheel centre left). The left hand part of the building and the wheel were removed when the cinema was built, the dam was drained and a thoroughfare created into Union Glen, but the central and right hand parts survived, albeit derelict, into the 1960s. Aberdeen Central Library, Local Studies c.1905
1401 Known as the vestibule to the Reference Department, this room (formerly a store and binders department) was transformed to accommodate the foundations of what would become the Local Studies Collection.
The large bookcase in the photograph was 24 feet long and held Council Minutes, Aberdeen Directories and Spalding Club publications. George Milne Fraser, City Librarian
1404 George Milne Fraser was City Librarian from 1899-1938. A journalist by profession with a substantial knowledge of the North East, his finest memorial is the Local Studies Collection we have today. Aberdeen Central Library, Basement Mezzanine 1976
1421 As part of a modernisation programme during the mid 1970s, a new mezzanine floor was created linking the galleries shown here to provide 800 square feet of extra space.
Image copyright of Aberdeen Journals. The Wellington Suspension Bridge
1510 Aberdeen from Torry, showing the Wellington Suspension Bridge.
In 1799 a turnpike road was established between Aberdeen and Stonehaven and the Menzies of Pitfodels and the inheritors of the church at Nigg created the Wellington Suspension Bridge to capitalise on the opportunities offered by the new road.
The engineering of the bridge was carried out by Captain Samuel Brown and the architectural features designed by John Smith.
The bridge, which replaced the Craiglug Ferry, opened to pedestrians in November 1830 and full traffic six months later.
It required refurbishment in 1930 and then had to close to vehicles in 1984. In 2002 it was completely closed but after restoration it re-opened for pedestrians in 2008.
It is now a category A listed structure John Knox Church
1825 An illustration looking south down Mounthooly and across to the Gallowgate, which can be seen rising in the distance. The flank of the old John Knox Church, built 1835 and demolished in 1910, looms over the nearby houses.
Comparing the large scale Ordnance Survey maps from 1869 and 1902 we can see that these houses made way during the intervening years for a drying green located between Mounthooly and the church's graveyard. This suggests this illustration is the oldest of the three, showing broadly the same vista, that can be viewed on the Silver City Vault.
Comparing these illustrations with others in our collection suggests all three may be sketches by Andrew Gibb Jr.
The chimney far off on the Gallowgate is likely that of the Spring Garden Iron Foundry. St. Machar's Cathedral
1841 St. Machar's Cathedral, Old Aberdeen, showing a field with cows in the foreground. This image looks south east towards the church and may have been taken from the field west of Kettock's Mills and south of Balgownie Lodge.
The photograph likely dates from early 20th century and Aberdeen City Libraries hold a glass lantern slide version in our George Kemp collection. St. Fittick's Well
1853 A photograph from 1906 of St. Fittick's Well, located in the Bay of Nigg.
An account of the well is given by Thomas W. Ogilvie (1861-1908) in The Book of Saint Fittick, a history of Torry, written and presented as a Bazaar Book to Saint Fittick's Church, Torry, in December 1901.
Ogilvie worked as a doctor in Torry for seven years and was prominent in the public life of the district. An account of his life is given in the introduction to a posthumously published collection of his verse, Poems (1911).
Ogilvie suggests use the well dates to pagan times and gives an account of its storied healing powers and the tradition of offering gifts in the hope of good health and fortune. He suggests St Fittick, the patron saint of Torry, became the object of these benefactions after the arrival of Christianity.
He details the tradition of visiting the area and leaving gifts on the first Sunday of May. Ogilvie writes:
"Town Council and Kirk Session struggled by laws and punishments to stop those Sunday wanderings and to efface those vestiges of old superstitions, but the customs of centuries die hard, and to-day young and old, to whom the name St. Fittick is a meaningless term and the repute of his well quite unknown, ramble on Sundays and week-days to the bay once called by his name, and they find the old power still lingers, for the beauty of the Bay, the fresh sea-breeze, and the pure draught from the old spring still bless and heal."
The well is understood to have been washed away by coastal erosion in the early 20th century. Its location, latterly its site, is recorded in old large scale Ordnance Survey maps. Cherryvale Bridge
1865 Cherryvale Bridge over the Denburn.
Correspondent Ed Fowler has suggested that the area near Cherryvale Bridge is associated with the artist George Jamesone. The bridge was a quarter of a mile west of his celebrated Four Neukit Garden of c.1635 (near Garden Nook Close and the Well of Spa). The garden was was created from the former c.1601 Playe Field (Outdoor Theatre) grounds and clearly recorded on Parson Gordon's Map of 1661. Westburn Park and House in 1910
2122 Westburn House was designed in 1839 by the architect, Archibald Simpson, for David Chalmers of the printing family who published the Aberdeen Journal newspaper.
It is a single storey building, with a 2-storey centre gable at the north and a portico of Doric pillars on the west side. It is constructed of brick with a stucco finish.
The 25-acre estate was bought by Aberdeen Town Council in 1900. The lands, which had in early times been used for sheep grazing, were now converted into a public park. The vegetable garden became a recreation ground; the stables and carriage sheds now stored tools; the walled flower garden and orchard were laid out as a bowling green. A pond was created from the burn which runs through the grounds.
The house was first used as refreshment rooms and the veranda, with its wrought iron columns, was added to allow people to enjoy their teas and coffees in the open air. Since then, it has had many uses including a clinic and meeting place for playgroups. Its future is currently under discussion by the City Council.
Westburn Park opened to the public in around May 1901. See Aberdeen Journal 11th May 1901, page 4, and articles thereabouts, for details. There does not appear to have been an official opening ceremony. Westburn Park
2123 A postcard of Westburn Park, looking north east. Westburn House can be seen in the centre of the image and the drinking fountain can be seen to the left past the fenced tennis greens. The Aberdeen Town Council bought the 25-acre Westburn estate in 1900 and created the public park. Westburn Park
2125 Westburn Park in Aberdeen. Note the unfenced tennis courts to the north of the pond and Westburn House to the left side of the image. Aberdeen Town Council created the public park after acquiring the 25-acre estate in 1900. |