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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. Holburn Junction
32 Holburn Junction, looking towards Albyn Place (right) and Holburn Street (left), with Holburn Central Church in its original form (left), Babbie Law's sweet shop (centre) and the UF Christ's College (right). Babbie Law's corner was redeveloped in the late 19th century. 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. 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. 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
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. 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. 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. Aberdeen Grammar School
105 Aberdeen Grammar School, Skene Street, c.1860. This view shows the school which was built by Aberdeen Town Council in Skene Street and opened in October 1863 to replace the old school in Schoolhill. In later years, a statue of Lord Byron was placed in front of the school to commemorate the fact that he attended the old Grammar School in the 1790s. The walls in the foreground indicate where the Denburn used to flow before it was covered over. In July 1986, much of the central area of the school, including the library, was severely damaged by fire and some valuable material was lost. Rebuilding was completed by 1992. 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
134 Rosemount Viaduct, showing the William Wallace statue, the South Church and the Central Library, c.1900 prior to the building of His Majesty's Theatre. 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. 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. Mitchell's Hospital, Old Aberdeen
171 Mitchell's Hospital is situated in the Chanonry not far from St. Machar's Cathedral in Old Aberdeen. It was founded and endowed in 1801 by David Mitchell, a native of Old Aberdeen. It was set up for the purpose of lodging, clothing and maintaining five widows and five unmarried daughters of Old Aberdeen merchants. The women who lived there dressed in deep blue, and those who were able to earn some money from spinning or knitting were expected to give half to the hospital. The building is of one storey in the shape of a letter 'H' with a central refectory for breakfast. Depending on the cost of beef, dinner was boiled beef and greens two or three times a week, otherwise they had fish or eggs. The building has now been reconstructed into four separate dwellings. Old Town House, Old Aberdeen
172 The Old Town House, High Street, Old Aberdeen, prior to the construction of St. Machar Drive. This Georgian Town House was built in 1788, by George Jaffrey, architect. Solid and symmetrical, it stands three storeys high under a piended slate roof with a central pediment and clock turret topped by a cupola. Over the entrance door is a freestone panel displaying the burgh coat-of-arms, dated 1721, wtih the Latin motto "Concordia res parvae crescunt" - By harmony small things increase. Well of Spa
175 In 1615 Dr. William Barclay wrote a treatise extolling the virtues of the Well of Spa and commending the use of its waters to invalids. Then George Jamesone, the artist, while suffering from calculus of the bladder found relief from the mineral qualities of the well. At the beginning of the 20th century, the well was removed and re-erected inside the wall of the old Royal Infirmary at Woolmanhill and water was introduced into it from another source. Later it was moved to a nearby site behind Aberdeen Central Library, beside the Denburn Car Park. 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. St. Nicholas Church and Churchyard
185 St. Nicholas Church and Churchyard, from Union Streeet. The caption reads, "East and West Parish Churches, Aberdeen". The colonnade was designed by John Smith the City Architect in 1829. 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. 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. Aberdeen Central Library, Rosemount Viaduct
276 Aberdeen Central Library, Rosemount Viaduct decorated seen from Skene Terrace. |