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Desswood Place
29 Desswood Place was laid out in 1888 by the City of Aberdeen Land Association in what was then a relatively rural area in the west end of Aberdeen but it was rapidly being filled with large granite houses for the more prosperous citizens. It was named after Alexander Davidson of Desswood who was Chairman of the Land Association for many years. Desswood was his country property near Kincardine O'Neil on Deeside. Woolmanhill looking towards Schoolhill
148 Photograph of Woolmanhill taken 1907, looking towards Schoolhill. This image is thought to show the house where Joseph Robertson (1810-1866), the journalist and historian, was born.
For more information on Robertson see the entry about him in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (available online with an active library membership) and an obituary for him can be found in the Aberdeen Journal of 19th December 1866, page 6.
Roberston was mostly likely born at 73 Woolmanhill. He and his family certainly appear to have lived at this address for some time. Robertson is listed at this number in the Aberdeen Directory 1833-34 (D. Chalmers & Co.), page 116. Additionally, a death notice for Robertson's mother, Christian Leslie, features in the Aberdeen Journal of 23rd March 1859, page 5, which gives her address as 73 Woolmanhill.
Exactly which of the shown buildings is Robertson's birthplace, or no. 73, is somewhat unclear. A Press & Journal article on "Historic Woolmanhill" from 6th June 1925, page 5, states "it was in the line of houses that separate Blackfriars Street from Woolmanhill that there was born in 1810 Joseph Robertson, who became the most noted antiquary of his day, the most accomplished that Aberdeen has produced." This would suggest that Robertson's birthplace is one of the buildings on the left.
This image featured in the Evening Express' 'Flashback' feature from 12th January 1985, page 12. The accompany information states "Joseph Robertson, an eminent historian and one time editor of the 'Aberdeen Observer' was born at 37 Woolmanhill - the tall building in the foreground of our picture - in 1810." This slightly vague description could refer to the building on the right of the image or perhaps to the first tall building on the left side of the road. The latter would accord better with other references. Additionally, the buildings on the right were known as Black's Buildings.
The above reference to "37 Woolmanhill" may initially suggest a confusion of 73 Woolmanhill, but the former is not without precedent. In Historical Aberdeen (1905), within an informative chapter on Woolmanhill, G. M. Fraser writes the following on page 149:
"Then hardly less remarkable, either in historical knowledge, or general scholarship, was Dr. Joseph Robertson, whose name appears so frequently in these pages, born in the unpretending house, still standing, No. 37 Woolmanhill. It is strange that in Aberdeen there is no public memorial of this distinguished man."
If 37 Woolmanhill is the correct address, 1950s Ordnance Survey mapping, which includes building numbers, suggests the relevant house may be the one in the centre of this image, of those on left, in the middle distance, just after the building marked as a tea warehouse. Aberdeen Savings Bank, Union Terrace
178 Aberdeen Savings Bank, Union Terrace, 1894. Aberdeen Savings Bank was established in May 1815 "for receiving such small sums as may be saved from the earnings of tradesmen, mechanics, labourers, servants etc". As the bank became more successful, they moved from premises in the Guestrow to a new building in Exchange Street. By the 1890s, the directors decided that a new site was necessary, especially as the population in the city was moving westwards. This illustration, by the architect William Kelly in 1894, shows the building that was to be constructed at the junction of Union Terrace and Diamond Street at a cost of £11,000. The design is of Renaissance style, with the central entrance leading to an inner porch lined with red and grey granite, then a short flight of steps led to the main telling office. This office had a deeply panelled ceiling and dome partially filled with painted and decorated glass. Coats of Arms of the City and Lord Provosts were also displayed. The counter and desks were made of mahogany and oak with wrought iron and wrought copper grills. In the 1960s, a large extension was built on an adjacent site and, in 1983, the bank became part of the Trustees Savings Bank in Scotland and in 1999 became part of Lloyds TSB. Union Street looking West
191 Union Street looking West with the pillars of the Assembly Rooms on the right. This building, more commonly referred to as the Music Hall, was designed by Archibald Simpson in 1820, while the actual Music Hall within, was designed by James Matthews in 1858. The spire belongs to Gilcomston South Church. Shuttle Lane prior to slum clearance
193 This 1930s photograph shows the Shuttle Lane slum clearance area situated between East North Street and Frederick Street, before the families were rehoused on new estates.
These houses were typical of the cramped, overcrowded tenements to be found in most Scottish cities. Large families would be crammed into 1 or 2 rooms. There might have been a shared toilet on the landings or more commonly outside in the back yard.
Infectious diseases such as diptheria and scarlet fever could be spread rapidly with such close contact of families, and infant mortality was high. There was often no drying green so many tenements had iron washing poles which could be slid out of windows when needed. Each family would have their allocated day to use the wash house.
Washing clothes was a laborious affair as the mother, maybe with the assistance of an older daughter, would stoke and light the boiler, and trek back and forth with water from an outside tap. Washing would be done by hand and if the weather was bad, then it would have to be hung inside in the kitchen to dry in the heat of the coal fire.
However, it seemed that community spirit was warm and close neighbours helped each other in times of crisis. This was a bond that would be broken when families were rehoused in the modern housing estates. Logie Coldstone church
206 This photograph was originally titled "Newkirk from the Bridge, Dinnet" and shows Thomas Dawson's General Merchant shop in the background.
The actual church is somewhat north of Dinnet however - being in Logie Coldstone. The stone arch bridge has long been replaced with a much wider and more level surface protected by metal railings. Deeside Hydropathic
209 Deeside Hydropathic at Murtle, five miles to the west of Aberdeen City Centre, was built for the Rev Dr Alexander Stewart in 1899. He had founded a similar establishment in 1874 at Heathcot, Kincardinshire, and the growth of business there led to the selection of this new site close to Murtle Station on the Deeside Railway. It was also seen as a convenient centre for visiting the Deeside area. The extensive grounds included a croquet lawn, bowling green and tennis courts, while the Deeside Golf Club was only a mile away. The building itself had 92 bedrooms, there were Turkish, Russian, vapour, electric and spray baths. Since hydropathy was a medical treatment consisting of the external and internal application of water, the proximity of an artesian well supplying abundant pure water was also a feature. After the first World War, the building was sold and converted into Tor-Na-Dee Sanatorium in August 1918, specialising in the treatment of tuberculosis. More recently it has been used as a convalescent hospital, but it is now being re-developed for housing. Dr Stewart was born in 1835 in Coupar, Angus and studied at Glasgow University and did the medical course at Aberdeen University. At his death in 1909, he was Minister of John Street Congregational Church in Aberdeen, having been ordained there in 1864. 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. 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. Shakkin' Briggie, Cults
277 Morison's Bridge, more commonly known as the 'Shakkin' Briggie' was built by John Smith. The Reverend George Morison (1757-1845) who was the minister of the Banchory Devenick Church had the bridge built so that his parishioners on the Cults side of the river could worship in his church on the south side of the river. The bridge is now derelict. Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen
292 Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen with its alterations as proposed 1787 by Mr. Smeaton.
Demolition of Torry Brickworks chimney
310 A photograph of the demolition of the largest of the chimney stalks at the Torry brick and tile works that took place on Saturday 12th September 1903.
The photograph illustrates the method employed to fall the 175 foot structure, by the overseer Peter Tawse, as described in the Press & Journal:
"The preliminary work of cutting a gap in the chimney near the base was early accomplished by three of the skilled tunnellers employed by Mr Tawse at the Girdleness outfall sewer. As the gap widened, stout wooden props were put in to support the structure. The gap was carried to more than half the circumference of the chimney, and the sight of the weighty pile supported on one side by only a half-dozen wooden props was certainty sufficient to make one nervous. The gang was under the charge of a Lancashire foreman, and they worked away, pipe in mouth, quite unconcernedly.
"The gap having been completed, a charge of dynamite was inserted at the bottom of the props, and a time fuse attached to each.
"Excitement reached a high pitch among the spectators when the signal was given to fire the fuses, and the crowd began to edge further away when the smoke was seen curling round the props, and as the workmen bolted to get beyond the danger zone. First one charge and then the other exploded with a sharp report, but it was not until the props at the extreme ends of the half circles were blown to splinters, that the chimney showed any sign of moving. It then came down, as a spectator remarked, - 'Jist like a rum'le o' bricks.' It slid rather than fell straight down at first, but the top portion toppled over in a south-easternly direction, exactly on the line expected by the contractor. It was all over in a couple of seconds, and certainly it was a sensational sight - so quick, so clear, so safe."
P&J, 14/09/1903, page 6. Aberdeen Fire Brigade
352 Aberdeen Fire Brigade 1875. By the end of the 19th century the brigade was run on a part time basis. Firemen were paid a retaining fee but continued in their normal jobs being called out to fires either by the ringing of the Town House bell in daytime, or being woken by the Town Nightwatchman / Policeman. Assistance with major fires was often sought from soldiers stationed in the Castlehill Barracks and from men from the Royal Naval Training Ship Clyde. Prior to 1885, when the city acquired its first steam fire engine (horsedrawn) fires were fought with a manual fire engine. It required water to be pumped by hand by about 24 men - 12 on each side. The men in the photograph appear to be posed in front of such a machine. It can also be noted that they did not have a full uniform, being only provided with a helmet and belt until 1887. It was not until 1896 that the Fire Brigade was put on a more professional footing when William Inkster was appointed as the City's Firemaster and firemen became fulltime. 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. Mary's Chapel, St. Nicholas Church
366 A photograph of St. Mary's Chapel at St. Nicholas Church in around 1898.
Historic Environment Scotland's listed building information suggests this lower church was built in 1438. It was part of the 15th century expansion of St. Nicholas and located to the east of the then existing building. The main church was subsequently expanded eastwards over it.
Work was completed on the crypt in around 1507 and it was dedicated to the Virgin as Our Lady of Pity, from which derives the various names it has been known over the years; Pity Vault, the Cell of Our Lady of Pity, and St. Mary's Chapel.
The space has served many purposes since its creation and seen a number of renovations. It has been a general storehouse for sundry municipal items, including the gibbet, a plumber's shop, a public soup kitchen, a meeting place of the presbytery of Aberdeen, and a regular church.
More can be read about the chapel in Old Landmarks of Aberdeen (1885) by G. Gordon Burr and Alex. M. Munro, The Story of St. Mary's Chapel: The Ancient "Lower Church" or Crypt of St. Nicholas (1935) by The Rev. J. G. Grant Fleming and in the history section of the St. Nicholas Church website. The Green
424 The Green. The house occupied by John Buchan, baker, at the foot of the Back Wynd stairs leading up to Union Street was demolished in 1914. In the late seventeenth century the house was owned by George Aedie. Although Boots the Chemist have since relocated elsewhere, the stairs which replaced these are still often referred to as the Boots Stairs because there was an entrance to their premises on the left.
The golden teapot sign that belonged to John Adam's tea and coffee shop disappeared when the shop closed.
Correspondent Ed Fowler investigated the 1904 Post Office directory for Aberdeen to discover more information about the businesses visible in the image. John Adam's premises, with its golden teapot at 64 The Green, can be see on the far right. The tea merchant lived in Hammerfield House, 349 Great Western Road.
The next two entrances to the left, 66 and 68, are for the tenements above the shops. To the left of them at 70 The Green is a drapers called P. & C. Adams. The business also had premises at 47 George Street. The No2. Woodside Tram, 1900
430 The No2. Woodside Tram. Anderson Road, Aberdeen 1900.
A group of Aberdeen businessmen formed the Aberdeen District Tramways Company in 1871 and proposed a number of tram routes to run within Aberdeen. This was the beginning of the use of horse drawn trams within the city and a regular tram service started to run from St. Nicholas Street to Woodside.
The Aberdeen Corporation purchased the District Tramways in 1898 and started to electrify the tram routes and the first route to be electrified was the Woodside line in December 1899. The trams were a popular and convenient mode of travel and the tramways competed with the railways by providing a similar suburban service.
By the 1950's plans were afoot to replace all of the trams with buses as Aberdeen Transport Committee decided that a modern fleet of buses could provide quicker and more regular services at cheaper running costs. The last tram to Woodside ran in 1955.
Leaving Aberdeen Harbour
502 A Leith registered fifie leaving Aberdeen Harbour. The white building seen behind the sails is the Round House, the Harbour Master's office, on the New Quay at Fittie.
The fifie was a fast wind-powered sailing boat favoured for herring fishing on much of Scotland's east coast from the 1850s until well into the 20th century. Its main features were the vertical stem (front) and stern (back) and the wide beam (width) making them stable in the water.
Fifies had two masts, a main dipping lugsail and a mizzen sail. Fifie's were increasingly decked following the recommendations of Captain Washington's 1849 report into the Moray Firth fishing disaster.
See SCRAN's webpage on Scottish sail powered fishing boats for more information on the subject.
The Tidal Harbour is in the background, beyond the landing stage of Pocra Quay's Lower Basin. Torry
610 Looking west along Sinclair Road from where it meets Greyhope Road. The more easternly of the two leading lights is on the right.
Above the wall on the left of the image is the location of Campbell's Bar. It closed down on 28th August 2016. Public houses had operated on the site, under various names, since the 1860s. It was noted for its excellent views of the harbour mouth.
This photograph likely dates from the 1980s. Torry
614 An 1980s photograph looking west towards Torry Harbour, Sinclair Road and the River Dee channel from a grassy area off Greyhope Road.
Campbell's Bar and the more easternly leading light can be seen. Lemon Tree Hotel, Huxter Row
679 Lemon Tree Hotel, Huxter Row, off Castle Street, which was demolished to make way for the Town House in the 1870s. The title was transferred to a house in St. Nicholas Street and more recently to the Lemon Tree arts venue in West North Street.
Huxter Row was a narrow street running from Broad Street, parallel with Union Street, to the old Town House and then joining Union Street at right angles. The street derived its name because of the booths of hucksters - small traders. Shiprow
682 This is a view of the Shiprow in the early 1900's with the imposing tower of the Town House in the background.
Prior to the building of Union Street in 1880, the Shiprow was one of the most important streets in the city, since it led from the harbour into the Castlegate area - the heart of Aberdeen. It is first mentioned in documents in 1281.
Over the years it became more rundown and, although it had many historic connections, nearly all of it was demolished in the 1950s and 60s. The right hand side is now occupied by a multi-storey car park. Dyer's Hall Lane
685 A photograph looking north-west across Dyer's Hall Lane in 1904.
This lane and row of cottages were situated south of Union Street near the Hardgate at what was soon to become Willowbank Road.
Some of these cottages were thought to date to before 1789. Though some would be more recent than that. The lane's name derives from when the old Dyers' Association met there.
The houses were roofed with red pantiles which were replaced with asbestos when the roofs began to leak. They had outside stairs to the upper floors and water taps outside the door.
The Town Council felt that it would be too costly to preserve the cottages despite their historic interest. They were among the few remaining examples of 18th century houses in the city.
They were demolished in 1956 to make way for extensions to the Station Garage.
The tall chimney in the background likely belonged to the nearby North of Scotland Distillery (formerly known as the Bon-Accord Distillery).
Dyer's Hall Lane was replaced by Willowbank Road in around 1906. This was the first part of a new thoroughfare, incorporating Springbank Terrace, that would connect Holburn Street to Wellington Road (later South College Street).
An article detailing the improvement scheme can be found in the Aberdeen Daily Journal of 21st March 1906 on page 4. Upper Denburn
729 Upper Denburn, looking east, prior to its demolition.
Brick gable tenements can be seen on the left already stripped of their roofs.
The viewpoint is looking from the Dyers Court area eastwards towards Marischal College Tower and the retaining wall of the Royal Infirmary (with its dome on the skyline). This lead to Spa Street and Woolmanhill beyond.
The houses and tenements on the right are more sparse and primarily traders yards.
Garden Nook Close led off the left past a timber yard to the Well of Spa. The Well O' Spa Pub was on the extreme left corner.
Note the partial visible trade sign on the ridge of the distant roof - most likely James Stephen & Son. They were carvers, gilders/ornamental plasterers, mirror & picture frame makers, artists' colourmen and fine art dealers and operated at 48-50 Woolmanhill from around 1890-1933. Gordon's Hospital Spire rises beyond these premises.
(Many thanks to Ed Fowler for the above description). |