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Victoria Dock
36 A postcard image showing Aberdeen Harbour. The photograph appears to be looking north west along Victoria Dock. It might have been taken from the swing bridges at the bottom of York Place.
HMS Clyde is faintly visible in the distance and various fishing boats are moored along the quaysides. 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. Statue of Queen Victoria
72 Statue of Queen Victoria at the junction of Union Street and St. Nicholas Street. The statue of Queen Victoria was sculpted by Alexander Brodie. The statue was inaugurated in 1866. The marble began to show weathering due to the frost and was moved to the vestibule of the Town House in 1888. The plaster model of the statue can still be seen in the Music Hall. Statue of Queen Victoria
73 A photograph showing the statue of Queen Victoria at the junction of Union Street and St. Nicholas Street. The building in the background is the Clydesdale Bank that stands next to M&S today. This fine Italian renaissance style building was originally constructed for the Town and County Bank and opened for business in May 1863.
The statue of Queen Victoria was made from marble and was sculpted by Banff born Alexander Brodie (c.1829 - 1867). The origin of this statue is closely related to another Aberdeen monument, the 1863 memorial statue of Prince Albert by Baron Marochetti, now standing, or rather sitting, in the area in front of the Central Library.
Marochetti's statue was augurated by Queen Victoria herself on 13th October 1863 and this was said to the first time the Queen had appeared at a public demonstration following the death of Albert in 1861. The Marochetti statue was the subject of great local controversy and there were various plans for an alternative, superior, memorial to the late Prince Consort. It was at a related meeting that a chap called Alexander Donald, from the Royal Tradesman of Aberdeen, moved "That a colossal statue in marble, of Her Majesty, be erected at the corner of St. Nicholas Street."
The endeavour was taken on by a variety of prominent citizens and funding was raised by public subscription. Brodie, the selected sculptor, worked on an 11-ton block of Sicilian marble for two years to complete the statue. The finished piece is 8 foot 6 inches in height and, at the request of Queen herself, depicts Victoria in Scottish regal attire. The statue stands on a substantial plinth of pink Peterhead granite.
The statue was unveiled and inaugurated on 20th September 1866 by Albert-Edward Prince of Wales, later to be King Edward VII and the subject of another of Aberdeen's notable statues. During his speech at the ceremony, the Prince said "Gentlemen, it has afforded me the greatest satisfaction to attend here today, by the wish of Her Majesty, and at your invitation, for the purpose of inaugurating a statue of the Queen, my dear mother. Her Majesty has desired me to express to you how much she appreciates the motives which have led the people of Aberdeenshire to give this lasting evidence of their attachment and loyalty to her person, of which she has so many proofs, and whose sympathy in her great sorrow has touched her so deeply."
During his visit, the Prince of Wales also received the Freedom of the City and attended the Royal Horticultural Society's Autumn Show, which was then going on in the Music Hall. An extensive account of the unveiling, the Royal visit and the town's celebrations is given in the Aberdeen Journal of 26th September 1866.
After some time at this location, the statue's marble began to show weathering due to the frost and so it was moved to the vestibule of the Town House in 1888, where it remains to this day. It stands at the foot of the building's splendid main stairway. The plaster model of Brodie's statue has also been on display in the Music Hall for many years.
A new bronze statue of an older Victoria, by sculptor Charles Bell Birch, was erected at the St. Nicholas Street location on 9th November 1893 and "the Queen" became a regular meeting place for generations of Aberdonians. To make way for the extension of Marks & Spencer, the 1893 statue moved to its current site at Queen's Cross on 22nd January 1964. Victoria now stands looking east towards Balmoral. St. Nicholas Street
78 St. Nicholas Street at its junction with Union Street, showing the statue of Queen Victoria (right). The premises of H. Samuel the jewellers is on the left. St. Nicholas Street
87 St. Nicholas Street looking up the Netherkirkgate. The old Frigate Bar is seen in the middle distance with the Wallace Tower to its right. The buildings on the right were demolished in the 1960s to allow Marks and Spencer to extend their store across the Netherkirkgate. The Wallace Tower was relocated to a site near Tillydrone and Seaton Park. Union Street
88 Union Street at the junction with St. Nicholas Street. The marble statue of Queen Victoria at the corner of St. Nicholas Street was removed to the Town House to prevent further erosion of the marble and a bronze statue of the older Queen was erected in the 1890s. Queen's Cross
90 Queen's Cross, Aberdeen, looking west. Rubislaw Church (architect J. Russell Mackenzie) 1875, is on the right. The structure in the centre of the street was part of the tramways system and was later removed to Hazlehead Park. Lochhead Hydropathic
91 Lochhead was a mansion situated near Westburn Park. It was said to be the first hydropathic establishment in Scotland and featured Turkish and Medicated Baths. By the 1890s the building was occupied by the George Washington Wilson optical lantern slide export department. The building was demolished in 1932, and the grounds became part of Westburn Park. Provost Skene's House
98 Provost Skene's House, dating from 1545, also known as Cumberland's Lodging when it was occupied by the Duke of Cumberland during his pursuit of Jacobites in 1746. It belonged to Sir George Skene of Rubislaw, Provost of Aberdeen from 1676 to 1685. In the nineteenth century, it had become the Victoria Lodging House and was only saved from demolition in 1938 by the intervention of the Queen Mother. It is now used as a museum. Provost Skene's House
100 Provost Skene's House c.1880. The building dates from 1545, and is also known as Cumberland's Lodging when it was occupied by the Duke of Cumberland during his pursuit of Jacobites in 1746. It belonged to Sir George Skene of Rubislaw, Provost of Aberdeen from 1676 to 1685. In the nineteenth century, it had become the Victoria Lodging House and was only saved from demolition in 1938 by the intervention of the Queen Mother. It is now used as a museum. Fountainhall House
115 Fountainhall House, now 130 Blenheim Place, an 18th century two-storey house with period gateway and ironwork, commemorates, through its original name of Fountain Haugh, the days when reservoirs and cisterns dotted the area. The old 1706 cistern from Fountainhall is now in Duthie Park. Mitchell Tower, Marischal College
128 The Mitchell Tower, Marischal College, Broad Street, showing the McGrigor Obelisk which was removed to the Duthie Park in 1905. Park Street
140 View of Park Street with an Aberdeen Corporation Bus and the Eastern Star pub visible. The pub occupied the corner of Park Street and East North Street.
The Aberdeen Pub Companion (1975) states that it was built in 1890 and that James Hill was the first licensee. It was familiarly known as Jimmy Hill's and was a popular local pub. It was demolished around 1960 to make way for the large roundabout at the foot of the Beach Boulevard.
(Many thanks to local historian A. G. Duthie for getting in touch and identifying the pub.) 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. Victoria Dock
182 A 20th century postcard image looking north west along Victoria Dock in Aberdeen Harbour. Various trawlers and steamers are shown. A steam paddle tug is towing a steamer in the foreground. Victoria Dock
212 An Adelphi Series postcard looking north west along Victoria Dock in Aberdeen Harbour. A steam paddle tug is towing a steamship in the foreground. Albert Quay
226 Looking north west along Albert Quay and Albert Basin.
Sailing smacks, traditional fishing boats, are moored along the quayside. This is before the days of steam trawlers. An array of barrels for the transport of fish can also be seen.
The masts of large sailing ships berthed in Victoria Dock can be seen in the distance. Victoria Dock
234 A 20th century photograph showing a busy Victoria Dock, looking north west, in Aberdeen Harbour. The old Winter Gardens, Duthie Park
242 The original Winter Gardens was known as the Palm House. It was designed by the then city architect, John Rust (1844-1919), and erected from 1899. It was constructed from St. Petersburg redwood and cost £1,550 in total. It officially opened on 1st August 1900.
The roof of the Palm House suffered extensive damage during a storm in May 1969 and after 70 years of public use the building had to be demolished and rebuilt. The new Winter Gardens was opened by Lord Provost Robert S. Lennox on 8th April 1970. Victoria Dock
245 A mid-20th century photograph looking north west towards Victoria Dock in Aberdeen Harbour. It was likely taken from the lock off Waterloo Quay at the foot of York Place. Sheer legs, for the lifting of heavy objects, are visible on the quayside. Seaton Park Racecourse, 1928
259 This image shows one of the last races in Seaton Park at a meeting held on Saturday 22nd and Monday 24th September 1928.
Horse racing had taken place in the city regularly in the 19th century when there was a racecourse at the Links. Its popularity had declined but racing was revived in Seaton Park in 1923 when 30,000 people attended.
The 1928 Meeting was not a great success since less than 1000 spectators attended on the Saturday, although 3000 attended on the Monday despite intermittent rain. The entrance fee to the ground was 1/6 (seven and a half pence) and to the Paddock 4 shillings (20p) with licensed bars, refreshments and teas available.
The fields were not large with only 5 runners in the main events. The Bon Accord Handicap, run over 7 furlongs, had prize money of 25 sovereigns. The last race on the Monday was the Consolation Handicap (for beaten horses). Only 3 horses ran, with "Lolita" winning by 6 lengths. The third horse "Peggy Maitland" was so far behind that her owner/jockey had to walk her past the post.
An application made in 1956 to restart horse racing was turned down by the Town Council. Torry Brickworks chimney
309 A photograph showing the largest of the three substantial chimneys stalks that were located at the brick and tile works in Torry, located between Sinclair Road and Victoria Road.
This is one of three photographs on the Silver City Vault taken during the demolition of this Torry landmark on Saturday 12th September 1903. A full account of the demolition can be read in the Aberdeen Daily Journal from 14/09/1903, page 6.
The report tells us that the hexagonal stalk was 175 feet in height, consisted of 155,00 bricks and weighed 500 tons. The demolition was overseen by Mr Peter Tawse, a well known contractor.
Two years previously in 1901, the Seaton Brick and Tile Company had relocated their works from the site in Torry to Balgownie.
Seaton Brick and Tile Company was formed in 1884 after taking over the Northern Patent Brick and Tile Co., which operated a works at Seaton Links. They moved to the Torry works shortly afterwards.
The company continued operation at Balgownie until going into voluntary liquidation on Friday 1st August 1924. This was reported, with a short history of the company, in the next day's Press & Journal (page 6). |