5

Glenburnie Distillery stood near to the Denburn, about 100 yards east of the dam in Rubislaw Den, and was reached from Spademill Road. It was in operation until 1857 when the buildings were taken over by Mr G. W. Wilson for photographic printing until 1875. They were later demolished to make way for the construction of Forest Road. This photograph dates from the 1860s.

19

Busy scene in Broad Street in 1833, showing buildings on the left hand side which were demolished for the extension and frontage of Marischal College. The archway at the left led through to the original buildings of Marischal College and the original Greyfriars Church. The Water House, surmounted with a pediment and clock, was erected in 1766 as a reservoir for the town's water supply. The clock and its bell were transferred to the City Hospital in 1899. Byron lived with his mother in the tenement block next to the turreted building. On the west side of the street, the tall building in the distance was the first office of the North of Scotland Bank.

22

Stoneyton, old Skene Road, approximately 300 yards west of Albert Street. Demolished 1875-76 to build part of Carden Place. The houses depicted in the above picture are listed in the Post Office Directory of 1873/74. The thatched building on the left was used as a blacksmiths shop and the other buildings were inhabited mostly by Rubislaw Quarry workers. They were demolished to make room for the erection of modern villas about 1879.

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.

34

Engraving of Northfield Mission Church and School, Gilcomston. Drawing by Andrew Gibb. Popularly known as 'Laing's Kirkie', Northfield Mission Kirk was opened in Leadside Road on 10 November 1850. The building was designed and funded mainly by Alexander Laing, coachbuilder, as part of the Free Church Mission in the Northfield area of Gilcomston. At that time the area had a bad reputation and poor housing conditions. In 1863, Mr Laing handed over the chapel to the charge of the Free East Church, and the school was transferred to the School Board. Although the new Rutherford Church opened in 1870, the Mission Kirk continued its work.

35

Engraving of Christ's College, Alford Place. Designed by Thomas Mackenzie 1850. It was a building to train ministers for the Free Church. Now occupied by "The College" bar (2007).

37

Rubislaw Quarry, c.1882. Granite was first taken from a 60ft hill on the site in 1875. Rubislaw Quarry was reputed to be the largest man-made hole in Europe. It came to the end of its active life in 1970 and is now filled with water.

46

Collison's Aisle, St Nicholas Church. Aberdeen. 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.

56

Aberdeen from Rubislaw Quarries

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.

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.

84

Union Street looking towards Holburn Junction. This section of the street was originally known as Union Place. The spire is that of Gilcomston South Church. Note the railings round the basements of the houses.

89

Union Terrace Gardens looking towards the Union Bridge. The spires of St Nicholas Congregational Church are on the left. The gardens were laid out in 1891-3. The chimney belonged to Hadden's textile factory in the Green.

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.

96

Honeybrae House. This house stood in the middle of a market garden near Morningfield Hospital about one-and-a-half miles west of Aberdeen City Centre. The lands were part of the old royal hunting forest of Stocket, given to the town of Aberdeen by Robert the Bruce. In the 17th century, it came into the ownership of the Skenes of Rubislaw and, in 1875, it was owned by Aberdeen Land Association. This two-storeyed house is most famous for its connection with the poet Lord Byron. In 1798, as a boy of about 10, he was taken there to spend a summer holiday while he was a pupil at Aberdeen Grammar School. At that time, it was probably a fairly new house, standing in its own grounds in a rural situation. He stayed there with his mother and their maid, Isabella Mitchell, before going to visit his old nurse, Agnes Gray. His room was on the first floor. By the 1830s, it was the home of a Captain John Boyd and later of market gardeners. Above the main door, there was a window whose thirteen small designed panes led it to be called 'the thirteen' window. By the 1920s, it had fallen into disrepair and the house was demolished in November 1928. The site was redeveloped for modern housing.

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.

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.

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. Silver City Vault user 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.

104

Rubislaw House, 50 Queen's Road, Aberdeen. It was designed by J.B. Pirie and built in 1886 for the builder, John Morgan.

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.

123

This photograph by George Washington Wilson, looking towards Union Bridge, shows the old red-tiled roofed houses in the Windmill Brae area in the 1850s. Most of these were swept away with the construction of the railway and the building of Bridge Street around 1865-1867. The house at the left, on the corner of Union Terrace, was owned by Harry Lumsden of Belhelvie and later by the Northern Club. Its site became part of that occupied by the Northern Assurance Company offices. The spire of the Triple Kirks and the tower of the South Parish Church are visible in the background.

127

Granite facade of Marischal College, Broad Street, with Greyfriars Church at the right.

131

Marischal College, Broad Street, as it was between 1740 and 1840, when it was demolished for re-development. It had been designed by William Adam, architect, of Edinburgh. This drawing is by James Skene of Rubislaw, c.1820.

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.