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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. Marischal College quadrangle
347 Marischal College quadrangle showing the buildings designed by Archibald Simpson and the Peterhead granite obelisk designed by James Giles and Alexander Ellis in 1860 to celebrate the life of Sir James McGrigor, graduate of Marischal College who later became Director General of the Army Medical Department. The obelisk was relocated to Duthie Park in 1906. Watson Street Lodge
733 A photograph of the Watson Street Lodge in Victoria Park.
The figures standing in the doorway are most likely to be Robert Walker (1848-1930), the Keeper of Victoria Park, and his family; his second wife Christina Walker and daughters Elizabeth and Ann. Judging by the 1891 census and Robert's eventual obituary, the family also had at least five sons.
Walker was previously married to Isabella Robertson. She died on 24th November 1877. This photograph likely dates from the later 19th century.
Robert Walker was originally from Perth and was himself a son of a gardener. He came to Aberdeen as a nurseryman and in around 1871 was chosen out of 450 candidates to be the city's first keeper of parks.
He oversaw the creation of Victoria Park, Aberdeen's first public park, before going on to lay out Westburn Park, Stewart Park, Union Terrace Gardens and the Promenade. Walker was also an early advocate and pioneer of the planting of street trees.
For a number of years Aberdeen had two superintendents of parks, Walker and a Mr Peter Harper at Duthie Park. When Harper retired in 1914 Walker was appointed general superintendent.
Post Office directories indicate that Walker and his family lived at the Watson Street Lodge, also known as the Victoria Park Lodge, from its construction in around 1872 to his retirement in 1919. His residence at the lodge was part of the job. On retirement Walker moved to the relatively nearby 111 Westburn Drive.
He was succeeded as general superintendent of parks by William B. Clark, who resided at the West Lodge of Duthie Park. A man called Robert Duncan replaced Walker as the keeper of Victoria and Westburn Park.
Over the years Aberdeen has had substantial success and renown as an attractive, green city. A considerable portion of the credit for this success must reside with the pioneering and dedicated work of Robert Walker. Shepherd's Court gateway, Guestrow
1519 Shepherd's Court gateway, Guestrow. This arch was initially removed to Union Terrace Gardens circa 1931 and then re-positioned in front of Provost Skene's House around 1970.
(Many thanks for additional information provided by Gary Ether, Aberdeen)
The sign that can be partially seen on the extreme left is likely for Hay & Lyall, a company of carvers and gilders that were based at 19 Guestrow for some time.
The company was run by John Hay (Jnr.) and his brother in law, Robert Watson Lyall. The Hay family played a long and varied role in the Aberdeen art trade, including providing frames for many local artists.
John Hay's obituary from the Aberdeen Weekly Journal, 21st October 1896 p. 5, gives particular praise to his decorative carvings on the ceilings of the Town House and the Mitchell Hall in Marischal College.
He was also a one time partner of pioneering photographer George Washington Wilson, who took this photograph.
(Thanks to Ed Fowler for additional information) Family portrait
1622 A studio set photographic portrait of what is likely a family.
The uniforms suggest some may be members of the Royal Army Medical Corps. The photograph was likely taken around the time of the World War I. Royal Medical Corps Portrait I
2146 This portrait of a soldier in The Royal Army Medical Corps dates from around World War I. The badge of the corps can be seen on the soldier's cap.
Unfortunately, there are no identifying marks on the front or back of the postcard so it is highly difficult to establish the photographer who took the picture or discover the subject's name.
Only the head and shoulders of the subject feature, in contrast to the more common full length studio portraits of the time. The plain nature of the image, the lack of props and backdrop, accentuates the beatific quality of the sitter and the poignancy of his wartime fate. Royal Medical Corps Portrait II
2147 This is another World War I era portrait of a soldier. The badge on his cap and the two-bar chevron on his arm indicate that he was a corporal in The Royal Army Medical Corps. The swagger stick held in his left hand is a symbol of his authority as an officer. Victoria Road
2251 Victoria Road was one of the first streets in the development of New Torry in the late 19th century. As the population of Aberdeen rapidly increased and advances were made in fishing technology there was a need for more housing in Torry.
The Torry Land Association controversially bought the land that had previously been occupied by Torry Farm and began work on what would become the main street in Torry.
The first houses, Nos 104 and 110, were built by Calder Duncan and David Alexander around 1883. These villas have since however been replaced with the type of granite tenements that dominate the area.
In this image the No.43 electric tram is clearly seen on its way from Guild Street to St. Fittick's Road. Torry was one of the last places in Aberdeen to get a tram line, the route being opened in 1903. Tram rosettes are still visible on the frontage of many of Torry's tenements today. The rosettes are where overhead power lines for the trams were fixed into the walls. The last tram to Torry ran in a blizzard in February 1931.
In addition to gas lamps, Victoria Road was home to many notable residents over the years. These include Dr Laura Sandison who ran a clinic on the street. She was a pioneering woman doctor, politician and a mentor to Mary Esslemont. Sandison was known to residents of Torry and beyond for always riding her bicycle and in her Press and Journal obituary in 1929 she was described as "the best loved woman in Aberdeen." Victoria Road
2252 Victoria Road was one of the first streets in the development of New Torry in the late 19th century. As the population of Aberdeen rapidly increased and advances were made in fishing technology there was a need for more housing in Torry.
The Torry Land Association controversially bought the land that had previously been occupied by Torry Farm and began work on what would become the main street in Torry.
This view taken from the junction with Menzies Road shows the Victoria Bar on the corner. This is reputed to be the old site of the Torry Farm duck-pond.
The first houses, Nos 104 and 110, were built by Calder Duncan and David Alexander around 1883. These villas have since however been replaced with the type of granite tenements that dominate the area.
In this image the No.43 electric tram is clearly seen on its way to Guild Street from St. Fitticks Road. Torry was one of the last places in Aberdeen to get a tram line, the route being opened in 1903. Tram rosettes are still visible on the frontage of many of Torry's tenements today. The rosettes are where overhead power lines for the trams were fixed into the walls. The last tram to Torry ran in a blizzard in February 1931. One of the road's historic gas lamps can also be seen on the near right.
Victoria Road was home to many notable residents over the years. These include Dr Laura Sandison who ran a clinic on the street. She was a pioneering female doctor, politician and a mentor to Mary Esslemont. Sandison was known to residents of Torry and beyond for always riding her bicycle and in her Press and Journal obituary in 1929 she was described as "the best loved woman in Aberdeen." Stop 6: Annie Inglis MBE (1922-2010), Aberdeen Arts Centre, Catherine Hollingsworth (1904-1999) and Isabella Fyvie Mayo (1843-1914), 31 King Street
2305 Aberdeen's first lady of the theatre Annie Inglis MBE dedicated her life to drama in Aberdeen, founding Aberdeen Arts Centre and inspiring generations to take to the stage. Born Annie Nicol in 1922, Annie studied English at Glasgow University before taking up a career in teaching. She joined the Monklands Rep in the 1940s, perfecting her directing skills which she would use to great effect in Aberdeen where she founded the Attic Theatre Group, an amateur group, which enjoyed an enviable reputation for performance. Over the years Annie founded Aberdeen's Arts Carnival, Texaco Theatre School, and Giz Giz Theatre Project for Youth. When the Arts Centre was threatened by closure in 1998 Annie ran a hugely successful campaign to save it involving many famous theatre actors who had trod the boards there.
Born in 1904 in Brechin and known by local folk as the 'speakin'wifie' Catherine Hollingworth started her teaching career in 1927 and might have remained a drama teacher but for the road traffic accident in 1933 which led her to use her learning to address the injury to her own speech. This ignited a lifelong interest in speech therapy at a time when there were very few speech therapists. While another pioneer of the profession Lional Logue (as dramatised in The King's Speech) was supporting King George VI in London, Catherine was appointed as the first superintendent of Speech & Drama and Speech Therapy in Aberdeen. In 1942 she founded the Children's Theatre, which went on to develop an international reputation. She had the theory that if you allowed children to play only to children, with no adults in the audience, their creativity and imagination would be much greater.
Another woman of culture associated with 31 King Street was Isabella Fyvie Mayo a prolific poet and novelist who wrote under the pen name Edward Garret. Although she was to spend most of her life living in Aberdeen, Isabella was born in London in 1843. She was also a pioneering translator for Tolstoy and became not only his friend but was also friends with Mahatma Gandhi. She became an ethical anarchist, pacifist, anti-imperialist, anti-racist and suffragette campaigner. In 1894 she was elected a member of the Aberdeen School Board, the first woman elected to any public board in Aberdeen and it is in this building that the Aberdeen School Board convened. Stop 11: Early Health Services at Aberdeen General Dispensary, Vaccine and Lying-in Institution, 1823
2310 We have to use our imagination a little as the street known affectionately by locals as the 'Gushie' no longer exists other than Provost Skene's House which has the address of 45 Guestrow. In 1823 The General Dispensary, Vaccine and Lying-In Hospital opened in Guestrow, a street that ran parallel to Broad Street from where approximately the Illicit Still is today to where it joined Upperkirkgate.
The General Dispensary, Vaccine and Lying-in Hospital gave free medical advice and treatment to all that required it. These early health services were provided for poorer families often living in the East End of Aberdeen who couldn't afford to pay for medicine, vaccines or to see a doctor. Although a team of doctors were employed at the Institution, young medical students from across the road here at Marischal College also undertook some of their training at the Institution.
The Lying-In part of the Hospital was for women who, once they had had their babies, would 'lie in' for a few weeks as they had such poor living conditions at home. In 1880 it was recorded that 3327 cases were dealt with in that one year alone. It wasn't until 1892 that midwives were employed, recognizing the need for specialist nursing care for pregnant women. This greatly improved the nursing care provided and understanding of the specific needs of mothers and babies.
A famous daughter of Aberdeen who has shaped midwifery throughout the world is Maggie Myles (1892-1988) who wrote her groundbreaking book Textbook for Midwives 'With Modern Concepts of Obstetrics and Neo-natal Care' in 1953, the year before she retired. Maggie produced a further nine editions, each kept up-to-date with the latest developments and best practice. The book has been translated into many languages and is recognized as the leading international textbook for midwives. The book is now in its 15th edition. Born in 1892 in Aberdeen the daughter of a housepainter and former domestic servant Maggie Myles life story is truly remarkable. Migrating to Canada soon after leaving school Maggie would rise to become the director of midwifery education in Philadelphia and Detroit before returning to Scotland in 1939 to be Midwifery Tutor at Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion in Edinburgh.
Memories:
Heather's memories of Billie Maver and the General Dispensary
Nora recounts her memories of Maggie Myles
Edith shares her memories of Maggie Myles Aberdeen Women's Alliance: Memories of Maggie Myles 1
2359 Nora recounts her memories of Maggie Myles, pioneering midwife. Aberdeen Maternity Hospital
2409 A photograph of the new Aberdeen Maternity Hospital buildings at Foresterhill. The Aberdeen Maternity Hospital joined the Joint Hospital Scheme late after encouragement from the Medical Officer of Health, other concerned bodies and public opinion. The hospital's site at Foresterhill was gifted by the University of Aberdeen's Medical School and the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Building of the new maternity hospital began in 1934 after being delayed by a lack of funds. It was opened in 1937 with 32 beds at a cost of £52,000. An extra 8 beds were added in 1939 by means of internal reconstruction and in 1941 an antenatal annexe, built by the Town Council and joined to the Maternity Hospital by a corridor, opened with 28 beds.
For more details on the Aberdeen Maternity Hospital please see 'History of the Aberdeen Joint Hospital Scheme and Site' by N. J. Logie and 'The History of Midwifery in Aberdeen' by G. P. Milne, both in Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society: A Bicentennial History 1789-1989 (1989).
This image comes from the hospital's annual report for 1939. Aberdeen Local Studies hold these reports from 1912 to 1947. The Sick Children's Hospital
2423 Aberdeen's first hospital for children was opened in Castle Terrace in September 1877. The only parts of the old hospital open to the sun and air were the iron balconies at the rear of the building. The hospital moved to Foresterhill in 1929 as an early part of the Joint Hospital Scheme. The building in Castle Terrace was put up for sale and eventually bought in 1938 by Alexander 'Cocky' Hunter.
Correspondent Ed Fowler informs us that the hospital building incorporated the original house at 6 Castle Terrace of Naval Surgeon Dr Patrick Blackie. Dr Blackie used his house for his surgeries and to provided medical services to the local community. The original house is in the central block to the right of the main entrance and shows a break of continuity to the Main Architectural Facade. Queen's Cinema
2814 Queen's Cinema at 120 Union Street advertising showings of Fiddler on the Roof (1971). Lizars, the Great American Panthouse and The Medical Supply Association Limited can also be seen. OTHER FACTS
2895 1. Bonnie Prince Charlie was half Polish. His mother was Maria Klementyna Sobieska.
2. Marie Curie was from Poland. She discovered the two elements - radium and polonium. These elements are used in treatment for Cancer. Curie is the ambassador for the 'Marie Curie Foundation' which provides aid for cancer patients.
3. A memorial for Jan Karski can be found in the Aberdeen University. Jan was a famous WW2 resistance hero.
4. Frederic Chopin (famous music composer) visited Scotland in 1849 and his short holiday in Edinburgh is marked by a plaque on the wall of a house in Warriston Crescent
5. Polish war veteran graves and memorials can be found all over Scotland
6. There was a Polish Medical School in Edinburgh University in February 1941; which trained soldiers to become doctors
7. Queen Mary's House in St. Andrews is made from timber from Gdansk
The image on the left is a portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet, oil on canvas, 1738 (NPG 5517) © National Portrait Gallery, London. It is used here with their Creative Commons image licence (CC BY-NC-ND). The image is available to view on the National Portrait Gallery website here. Aberdeen Theatres: Tuberculosis exhibition
3375 Throughout its history the Music Hall in Aberdeen has been used for all manner purposes beyond the performing arts and film screenings.
In March 1912 an exhibition on the infectious disease tuberculosis was held in the Music Hall on Union Street. This striking poster, with the headline "War on consumption", advertised the six-day event and the accompanying series of lectures.
The exhibition was organised by the Town Council of Aberdeen and the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption. The majority of the exhibition was brought to the city by the latter party with local additions from the Aberdeen Public Health Department, the pathological and public health laboratories of the University of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Mothers' and Babies' Club.
The exhibition arrived in Aberdeen on the 16 March from Dundee where it had been visited by 30,000 people. It had also toured Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Hull.
At the close of the "six day crusade against tuberculosis", Lord Provost Maitland described the exhibition and lecture series as "Magnificent" and local paper The Aberdeen Journal stated that the success of the event, "judged by popularity, is beyond all doubt." In total 39,960 attended over the six days, placing Aberdeen behind only Hull which was open for an extra day.
Approximately 20,000 health pamphlets were disseminated around the city, including 15,000 catalogues freely distributed by the Public Health Committee. A copy of this catalogue, which includes an instructive article from Aberdeen's Medical Officer of Health, Matthew Hay, is kept in the collection of Aberdeen Local Studies. Aberdeen Theatres: Walford Bodie
3392 A profile photographic portrait of Aberdeen born magician and entertainer, Walford Bodie (1869-1939).
In the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, at the height of music hall variety, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. was one of the most famous and highly paid entertainers in Britain.
He remains an enigmatic and charismatic figure in the history of the North East. Born Samuel Murphy Bodie at 33 George Street on 11th June 1869, he was the son of a journeyman baker called William Bodie and his wife Margaret and received his education at Robert Gordon's College.
He went on to become a leading showman, hypnotist, ventriloquist, controversial 'bloodless surgeon' and was billed variously as The Electric Wizard, The Modern Miracle Worker of the North, and The Most Remarkable Man on the Earth.
The medical profession questioned his qualifications and right to the title of doctor. He would respond that his qualifications were from the United States, a country at the forefront of medical science, though he once conceded that the M.D. following his name in fact stood for "Merry Devil".
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. Aberdeen Cinemas: Picturedrome / Cinema House
3411 The Cinema House was located at the corner of Union Terrace, Skene Terrace and North Silver Street. The building was designed by Arthur H. L. Mackinnon and originally built in 1897-1898 as a clubhouse for the Aberdeen Union Club. Mackinnon (1870-1937) was a local architect who also designed the Aberdeen Fire Station on King Street and Mile End School.
The building's first recorded use for cinematographic purposes was a New Year Holiday Carnival organised by the pioneering Aberdeen cinematographer and exhibitor William Walker in December 1901. Alongside an early picture show the extravaganza featured the popular fiddler James Scott Skinner and a conjurer called Harry Marvello.
It was a Londoner by the name of Henry N. Philips who came to Aberdeen and in June 1910 converted this building into Aberdeen's second permanent cinema: the Picturedrome. The enterprise was a great success and Philip's formed a company called British Animated Pictures to run the cinema.
The 'Drome's first manager was Harry Fenton. He also appeared on the cinema's stage as a singer. This was a time when cinemas would often show a mixture of films and variety performances. The venue had a pianist called Hal Scott who would accompany performances and provided musical ambience.
The Picturedrome was noted for showing the film productions of Thomas Edison's Edison Studios and for consistently good stage turns.
In 1923 the Picturedrome/Union Club block was sold to the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds. They were one of the 19th century friendly societies in which people would band together prior to the development of more comprehensive welfare provision. The Shepherds continued to run the cinema for a period. A sign for the society can be seen in the top left of this image.
In May 1924 the cinema was taken over by James F. Donald. He was the patriarch of the Donald family that played a prominent role in the history of cinemas and theatres in Aberdeen. Restored and improved, the venue reopened on the 11th August of that year as the Cinema House. Donald initially held the premises on a 20-year lease, but would go on to buy the property outright.
This photograph, taken from in front of the Central Library, dates from around 1934 and shows the cinema advertising Father Brown Detective and The Lemon Drop Kid. Also visible next door at 2 Skene Terrace is a branch of the successful grocer and provision merchants, Wilburn Ltd.
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson] Treasure 3: Aberdeen Public Library Bye-laws, 1906
170 In 1906 the Public Library Committee of Aberdeen City created a series of bye-laws that outlined the management of the library and the behaviour required of all library users. Aberdeen City Libraries have retained a copy of the original document in our Local Studies collection.
The document is informative on the then organisation of the library and also provides an at times comical insight into the attitudes and lifestyle at the beginning of the century.
Bye-law number 38, in the general section, states: "No audible conversation shall be permitted in the Library rooms, nor shall any person be allowed to partake of refreshments, to whistle, smoke, spit, strike matches, or bring a dog therein. Loitering or rambling about the premises is strictly prohibited; and no person shall be permitted to lie on the benches or chairs, to sleep in any room, or to interfere with the arrangements for conducting the Library".
Bye-law number 23 states, in no uncertain terms, that: "On the occurrence of any infectious disease in their homes, Borrowers shall give up any books in their possession to the Sanitary Inspector of the Burgh, and shall be debarred from borrowing until they shall produce to the Librarian a medical certificate of health."
If you would like to read more of the library bye-laws please visit Local Studies in the Central Library. Just do not let us catch you whistling or rambling on the premises! Treasure 12: How to Stamp Out Typhoid booklet
182 This booklet is a reminder of a troubled period in city's past. In 1964 Aberdeen suffered one of the largest outbreaks of Typhoid in recent British history. Over 500 people were admitted to city hospitals for treatment of the infectious disease. The majority of patients were quarantined for at least four weeks before being discharged. The outbreak was traced back to a contaminated tin of corned beef which was imported from Argentina, then chopped up and sold in the William Low grocer on Union Street.
Thankfully the outbreak was successfully contained and there were no fatalities. The all clear was given on 17th June 1964, 28 days after the first notification. Public health announcements played a significant part in the city's approach to tackling the outbreak. Dr Ian A. G. MacQueen, Aberdeen's Medical Officer of Health, became a well-known figure with regular appearances in print and on television and radio on the importance of good hygiene.
The How to Stamp out Typhoid booklet was the initiative of Aberdeen businessman R. A. Williamson. He was director of a wholesale firm that supplied small grocers in the north east and received many enquiries from his clients on how best to combat the outbreak. Williamson asked Macqueen who was unable to provide guidelines so, in collaboration with the health and welfare department, they created this 11 page health information booklet. It had a print run of 45,000 copies, was supported by Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and illustrated by the Evening Express. The illustrations feature the paper's character Wee Alickie, a die-hard supporter of Aberdeen Football Club.
In the introduction MacQueen wrote:
"The Stopping of the typhoid outbreak is principally a matter of good personal hygiene by everyone, and particularly of good personal hygiene by all food handlers.
"In an effort to assist every section of the community in our area a short question and answer brochure has been hurriedly compiled, together with a Hygiene Check List, which should prove most useful to all establishments.
"Members of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, food wholesalers, bacteriologists, health education officers and journalists have collaborated to rush this through. This brochure is therefore backed by their combined knowledge and experience. Please read it, study it and try to follow the advice that it gives."
The outbreak adversely affected Aberdeen's reputation in the UK and around the world. This in turn had an economic impact for the city, particularly on tourism. After the all clear was given the Queen came to the city to demonstrate that Aberdeen was a safe place to visit and that life had returned to normal.
Treasure 27: City of Aberdeen Meteorological Records
200 The state of our weather is a regular topic of conversation whether it's a lovely sunny day or a dark, dreich day. November brought the first snow of the season to Aberdeen in 2015 so we have taken this opportunity to look at historical weather records in our collections and see if our winters used to be warmer, colder, snowier, or wetter than today's!
This table of weather statistics for December 1925 is contained in a large volume of titled 'City of Aberdeen Meteorological Records'. The records were obtained from Aberdeen University Observatory, King's College by the Medical Officer of Health (MOH), Dr Matthew Hay, for publication in his Monthly and Yearly Reports on the Health of the City.
Although this volume covers the period from January 1900 until the Monthly Records were discontinued in September 1931, Dr Hay also included meteorological data in his earlier reports and the later MOH annual reports also contained summaries of the data.
The University Observatory was created around 1868 on the upper storeys of the Cromwell Tower. The Meteorological Observer was William Boswell until 1902. He was succeeded by George Aubourne Clarke the following year. Their equipment included a telescope, thermometer screen and an anemometer. The Observatory was one of the Government's Meteorological Office weather stations and was taken over by the Air Ministry in 1921 but closed down in 1947.
The data in each table includes temperature, relative humidity, rainfall (snow or hail is indicated by the letters S or H), hours of sunshine, and wind direction and velocity.
This table from December 1925 shows that there was some snow in the first and third week but both Christmas Day and Hogmanay were the two sunniest days of the month with between 3 and 4 hours of sunshine each.
Today we are used to regular weather forecasts broadcast and printed in the media. The official body responsible for weather forecasting in Britain is the Met Office. Their website at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ provides not only current forecasts and explanations of weather phenomena but also historical information on Britain's weather.
Check this link to see how many times there has been snow at Christmas in Aberdeen between 1942 and 2007. Aberdeen experienced 15 White Christmases as snow fell on 25 December. The likelihood of snow falling - and lying - in December has decreased in recent years due to the effects of Climate Change. Nowadays, Britain is much more likely to experience snow between January and March. Treasure 42: Marischal College Ground floor Architectural Plan by Archibald Simpson
211 The highly-respected architect Archibald Simpson (1790 - 1847) designed many of our city's well-known landmarks and, along with architect John Smith (1781-1852), is widely regarded as transforming Aberdeen into the Granite City in the 19th Century.
At Aberdeen City Libraries, we hold a collection of Archibald Simpson's architectural plans. Many of the originals were destroyed by a fire in his house in 1826 but the copies we hold demonstrate his initial thoughts and first sketches of some of Aberdeen's most famous buildings.
An architectural plan is usually a drawing or a sketch used by an architect to develop a design idea. The document also includes a scale and precise measurements.
Marischal College, as it stands today, was designed by Simpson in the 19th Century and this image shows a floor plan he drew when working on the project in the 1820s.
The plan depicts the ground floor which occupied three sides of a courtyard opening towards Broad Street. The building proposed by Archibald Simpson formed a U-shaped quadrangle with symmetrical rooms. The exterior granite façade, the second largest granite faced construction in the world and enclosing the quadrangle, was built by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie between 1893 and 1905 which is why it is not represented on the plan. Originally, the entrance to the courtyard was by Guild's College gateway.
Tiny lines were drawn to represent the walls between each room and the often curving stairways can be clearly seen. The rooms dedicated to classes of divinity, mathematics, moral philosophy or Greek and Latin were constructed like semi-circular amphitheatres. To the top of the plan, we can see classrooms connected by the science department, including the Anatomical Museum and Dissecting Rooms.
The building contained sixteen classrooms in addition to lodgings for porters and sacrists, the museum, the chemical laboratory and rooms for the professors. Other sources from the period suggest that the public hall, the museum and the library were spacious and magnificent rooms.
The small entrance via an archway, called 'Vestibule' on the plan, is represented at the courtyard side of the building. It is surrounded by two octagonal towers. A grand staircase, contained in the tower, rose to a height of nearly 100 feet.
The architect added the measurements for each room. As suggested by the scale, the unit of measurement is the foot. More information is given by the city librarian G. M Fraser in his 1918 study into Aberdeen's architecture:
"A centre building, 150 feet long, 50 feet wide, 60 feet high. 450,000 cubic feet at 6d: £11,250 Two side buildings, each 80 feet by 40, and 40 feet high. 128,000 cubic feet at 6d: 6,400 Medical class-rooms at end of garden: 1,500 Allowance for porticoes: 2,000 ______ £21,500" [From G. M. Fraser. Archibald Simpson, Architect and his times. A study in the making of Aberdeen. Published in the Aberdeen Weekly Journal between April and October 1918] Architectural plans are a fascinating insight into days gone by. Although at first glance appearing fairly basic, on closer inspection the plan allows us to view one of the Granite City's best loved landmarks through the eyes of the students learning in amphitheatre-style lecture rooms, anatomical museums and dissecting rooms in 19th Century Aberdeen. Guest treasure: Aberdeen Royal Lunatic Asylum Lunacy Forms
271 This month's Guest Treasure was kindly selected by NHS Grampian Archives who hold fascinating and varied collections of historical health records from across the North East of Scotland.
Aberdeen Royal Lunatic Asylum has changed a lot since it opened in 1800, as has the way in which patients were admitted. Following the passing of the Lunacy (Scotland) Act in 1857, people who were being admitted had to have been assessed by two different doctors who would set out why that person's symptoms merited admission to the Asylum. These were recorded on Medical Certificates - or 'Lunacy Forms' as they are called in these volumes.
The forms give background information on the patient - their name, age, address, next of kin and so on, before recording the two doctor's statements. Supporting case notes also survive, which give further information on the individual patients, but there are also surviving annual reports which can be found in Aberdeen Central Library. These detail the changes which happened in the hospital each year, give statistics on the number of patients admitted, and provide information on how well the hospital was being run.
View the Lunacy forms in greater detail on our touchscreens. |