Quick Search
|
Search Results
You searched for: More Like: 'Aberdeen Harbour plans by John Smeaton'
39 items
items as
Upper Dock
52 A photograph showing many large sailing ships in the Upper Dock of Aberdeen Harbour. This image looks north west towards the junction of Market and Guild Street from Regent Road (near the start of Blaikie's Quay).
The prominent granite building in the background was at the corner of this junction at 62-68 Market Street. It was a warehouse and offices with shops on the ground floor. The site was redeveloped for the office blocks that can be seen today in around the early 1980s. This block may have been demolished at that time.
Prior to the late 19th century continuing development of Market Street and the creation of Provost Jamieson's Quay, the south side of the Upper Dock was the site of various ship building yards, with timber yards behind.
The ship shown in front of the building is the City of Aberdeen. It was built in 1862 by John Duthie, Sons & Co. for the China trade. It was altered to barque rigging in 1877 and this be the period of this photograph. The ship has an entry on the Aberdeen Built Ships website here. Crimonmogate House
107 Crimonmogate House, Union Street, prior to its demolition in 1963/64. It stood just west of the Music Hall at the corner of Huntly Street. It was designed by John Smith in 1810 as a town house for Patrick Milne of Crimonmogate, Lonmay, near Fraserburgh. By 1840, it had passed to Sir Charles Bannerman and the original arched entrances to the garden behind were replaced by the wings seen in this photo. From 1874, it was the home of the Royal Northern Club until it moved to other premises in 1955. Plans were submitted in 1959 for its demolition, along with the YMCA next door, to make way for a supermarket. Massey's supermarket was opened in 1965. It was a branch of Somerfield, around 2007, and later Sainburys and the Co-op. Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen
292 Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen with its alterations as proposed 1787 by Mr. Smeaton.
New Quay
350 New Quay, Aberdeen Harbour. This photograph shows the navigation channel leading from Aberdeen Harbour into the North Sea, with the North Pier in the far distance on the left. The New Quay later became part of Pocra Quay.
The Pier was built by John Smeaton in 1781 and extended on several occasions to provide better access to the harbour. At the corner of the photograph is the customs Watch House, part of which has now been converted into a seafood restaurant.
The brick obilisk in the centre is a ventilation shaft for a sewer which emptied into the channel. A newer sewer outfall has rendered it redundant.
It is popularly known as Scarty's Monument. 'Scarty' was the nickname of William Smith, one of two harbour pilots in the mid-19th century. His duty was to keep watch from the North Pier during rough weather.
Nicknames were often used in the fishing community to distinguish between people of the same surname. Maitland's Quay
608 A photograph looking north from Maitland's Quay, off Sinclair Road, into the River Dee Dock, also known as the Torry Dock.
Supply boats are moored in the dock and mud silos are visible on the left of the image, next to the site of John Lewis & Sons' shipyard.
Beyond the dock, across the River Dee, oil tanks can be seen on Point Law and the shipyard of Hall Russell can be seen in the far distance.
This image was likely taken in the 1980s. Maitland's Quay
613 A photograph looking north east from Maitland's Quay, off Sinclair Road, into the River Dee Dock, also known as the Torry Dock.
Supply boats are moored in the dock and mud silos are visible on the left of the image, next to the site of John Lewis & Sons' shipyard.
Beyond the dock, across the River Dee, oil tanks can be seen on Point Law.
This image was likely taken in the 1980s. Central School (Aberdeen Academy)
1458 In 1901, Aberdeen School Board planned to build a new central higher grade school and plans were drawn up by John A. O. Allan for a building on the corner of Schoolhill and Belmont Street. The new school was opened in November 1905. It planned to cater for pupils aged 12 - 15 years coming from all the town's elementary schools, with over 1,000 on the roll initially. In 1954, the school changed name to become Aberdeen Academy, and its intake comprised those pupils who successfully passed their 11+ exams in Primary 7. The school closed in 1969 and the pupils moved to the newly built Hazlehead Academy. The building became a Resources centre for the Department of Education and then in the late 1990s became a shopping centre named "The Academy". Home from the Herring Harvest
1800 An image entitled Home from the Herring Harvest. It shows the paddle steam tugboat John McConnachie (built 1879) towing a large number of scaffie fishing vessels into Aberdeen Harbour. The south breakwater can be seen in the background.
Steam tugboats were greatly useful for the safe and orderly navigation of the harbour by sailing ships. They were also employed in rescue and salvage operations and for the launching of boats. Town and harbour of Aberdeen
1803 An illustrated view of the town and harbour of Aberdeen, from Balnagask in the south, showing sailing ships on the River Dee.
This illustration looks like a variation on John Slezer's 'New Aberdene from the Block house' from Theatrum Scotiae of 1693. New Aberdene from the Block house
1807 John Slezer's illustration showing the town and harbour of Aberdeen from Balnagask in the south.
The view featured in Slezer's Theatrum Scotiae, originally published in 1693.
A blockhouse is a small isolated fort consisting of a single building. The one from the title is shown across the water in the centre of the image. Hay's Views of Aberdeen
1810 A view of Aberdeen and the River Dee from the south west by lithographer John Hay and from 1840.
The view shows salmon fishing in the river and linen bleaching activities on the Torry side.
The spires of the South Parish Church, on Belmont Street, St. Nicholas Kirk and the Tolbooth can be seen on the skyline. The Castle Hill Barracks is also clearly visible. Arrival of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
1996 The arrival at Aberdeen Harbour in September 1848 of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The original of this painting by the artist Peter Cleland is now in the possession of Aberdeen City Council. The Royal Family had traveled from London on the Royal Yacht - a wooden paddle steamer called 'Victoria and Albert', with the intention of berthing at Aberdeen and then proceeding by coach to Balmoral. The City's careful arrangements were thrown into disarray when the vessel made such good time under Captain John Cargill that she arrived on Thursday 7th September 1848 - a full day ahead of her expected arrival on the 8th. By good fortune the Harbour Engineer happened to be supervising another vessel when he recognised the Royal Yacht arriving. So that he could arrange its safe mooring and send messages to the Lord Provost George Thompson, bells in the city were set ringing and crowds rushed to the harbour to see the Queen and prince Albert. The Harbour, Aberdeen
2266 An Adelphi Series postcard showing Aberdeen Harbour in the early 20th century.
This photograph features in the book Coastal Passenger Liners of the British Isles (2011) by Nick Robins. It is captioned as follows:
"City of Aberdeen (1873) leaving her home port behind the tug John McConnachie (1879). The North company's St Sunniva (1887) is alongside centre left."
The Scottish Built Ships website indicates that the City of Aberdeen was an iron screw streamer built in 1873 by Cunliffe & Dunlop of Port Glasgow. The ship's first owner was the Aberdeen Steam Navigation Co. and it was used to transport passengers and cargo.
The ship was sold to a Greek firm of shipowners and renamed the Salamis in 1906. Its sale and overhaul was reported in the Aberdeen Daily Journal of 15th October 1906, page 4. Treasure 31: Hays' Isometrical View of Aberdeen 1850
2586 In September 1850 an advert appeared in the local papers of Aberdeen for "Hays' Isometrical View of Aberdeen, giving a Distinct and Correct View of the Whole City and Environs". We hold copy of the plan from 1850 in our Local Studies collection.
The plan was available to purchase for 3s. 6d. and measured 34 inches by 19 inches. Carvers and gilders, J. & J. Hays, had premises at 2 Market Street where they also sold prints and optical instruments. At the bottom left of the image we see the words George Wilson, Delt. (abbreviation of delineator, i.e. the artist). George Wilson was to find fame a few years later as George Washington Wilson when he became one of Scotland's premier photographers.
George Washington Wilson
George Washington Wilson was born in 1823 at Waulkmill of Carnousie in Banffshire and left school at 12 years of age to be an apprentice carpenter. He practised his artistic skills by drawing portraits of friends and neighbours and, after training at art schools in Edinburgh and London, he returned to Aberdeen to become an art teacher and portrait painter.
By the late 1840's Wilson was attracted by the work of Fox Talbot in the new art of photography and after initial experiments with a homemade camera, he advertised a business offering photographic portraits before eventually expanding into landscape photography.
A Bird's Eye View of History
Wilson created this panoramic view of the city by making numerous sketches from the roofs of high buildings and then merging them into one comprehensive drawing. We are looking north across the city from the harbour with Union Street running horizontally across the centre and Old Aberdeen in the far distance. We can see how small the city actually was at this time - open fields are visible just to the north of the west end of Union Street.
A key to the most prominent buildings was provided and it is interesting to see which buildings have survived until today, often with additions, and which had yet to be built. Robert Gordon's Hospital (now College), Marischal College, and various churches including the Triple Kirks and St Nicholas East and West are all still standing but the West Prison, Castlehill Barracks and the Poorhouse have been demolished.
Bird's Eye View 1889
In December 1889, the Aberdeen Free Press offered its readers an updated version of the Bird's Eye View as a supplement to their newspaper. Numerous changes to the landscape of the city had taken place since Wilson's view. St. Clement's Parish Church
2669 St. Clement's Parish Church, Footdee, c.1960. The history of St. Clement's dates from about 1498, when a chapel was built there principally for the fisher folk of Futtie.
This particular building was constructed in 1828 to a design by architect John Smith. A fine belfry, together with a boundary wall for the cemetery and area in front of the church complete the layout.
By the end of the 19th century, the district of Footdee was changing, with the population moving to other parts of the city. Today, the church is no longer in use, being surrounded by many oil-related commercial developments. The tall church tower is still however a landmark in the harbour area, as well as to individuals sailing into port. S.S. Intaba
2702 A postcard showing the launch of the steamship Intaba on 6th September 1910. The ship was constructed by Hall, Russell & Company at their York Street yards for John T. Rennie, Son and Company of Aberdeen and London. The launch was watched by a crowd of thousands.
The Intaba was the largest vessel built in Aberdeen at the time. It was 387 feet in length and weighted 4,832 tons. It was designed to transport passengers and cargo, initially between London and the province of Natal in the Union of South Africa. It could accommodate 70 first class passengers and 60 in second class. The ship's name means mountain in Zulu.
The Intaba and passenger liners like it were fundamental to continuing the British colonisation of southern Africa following the Second Boer War (1899-1902). In May 1910 the British Government had unified its existing and newly acquired regional colonies into the Union of South Africa.
The Intaba went on to have a long and varied career, including working trade and pilgrimage routes. It sailed for 43 years, under various names and owners, and in many different parts of the world, before its eventual demolition in Belgium in 1953.
The Aberdeen Built Ships website (link here) gives considerable detail on the ship's history and states that it was renamed twice; as the Waitomo in 1916 and the Englestan in 1927.
Correspondent Ed Fowler notes that the new ship is being maneuvered primarily by two steam paddle tugs, one on either side, and that a smaller screw steamer tug is also in attendance. He suggests one of the paddle tugs may by the Fairweather. It was built by Richard Stobbs, North Sheilds, in 1871 and was stranded in the entrance to Aberdeen Harbour in 1912. Fidler's Well
2737 A photograph showing a horse drinking from Fidler's Well in Guild Street. The image is taken from the Evening Express of 13th September 1929. It was accompanied by an article detailing the visit to Aberdeen of the grandson of the well's benefactor, Alexander Fidler. The grandson, who lived in Chicago, had visited the public library and learnt much about his ancestor and the well from G. M. Fraser and then visited the Evening Express office.
The article contains information on Dr William Guild, to whom the well is dedicated, Alexander Fidler and his brother John, who ran a well known pie-shop on Shiprow.
The wording on the well's granite basin reads "Dedicated to Dr William Guild. Died 1657. Lammas, A. F."
The inscription on the cast iron fountain is as follows:
"Fountainhall, 1st August 1857.
Water springs for man and beast,
At your service I am here;
Although six thousand years of age,
I am caller, clean, and clear.
Erected for the inhabitants of The World
by
Alexander Fidler."
In this image the well is shown at its 2nd location, outside the Goods Station and opposite what was the Balmoral Temperance Hotel & Restaurant. Town House Extension Foundation Stone
2757 The foundation stone of the Aberdeen Town House extension on Broad Street.
As stated on the stone, it was laid by Lord Provost Robert S. Lennox on 17th November 1975.
The city architects responsible for the extension were I. A. Ferguson and T. C. Watson. It was built by Taylor Woodrow Construction (Scotland) Ltd.
The stone also makes reference to a casket buried five metres below the foundations to commemorate the dissolution of the Corporation of the City of Aberdeen as part of local government reform.
The casket ceremony was held on 15th May 1975 shortly after the last meeting of the Aberdeen Town Council which was being replaced by the City of Aberdeen District Council.
The casket ceremony was the final act of John Smith as lord provost. The official switch over of councils was marked by the "Bon-Accord" bell of the West Church of St Nicholas tolling from 11:50pm to midnight on 15th May. Earlier in the day saw a fireworks display at the Queens Links, pipe bands and a special lunch and church service for members and officials of the corporation. See local newspaper coverage from the time for more details on the occasion.
Around 80 people, including councillors, family and Taylor Woodrow employees watched Lord Provost John Smith place 29 items of interest into the copper clad box. Smith joked, "About the year 3048, an unsuspecting archaeological digger may come upon this box and he will no doubt remark on my genius."
Among the buried items were copies of the Press & Journal and the Evening Express, local books, records and cassettes of Scottish music, local government data, sets of coins of the realm and postage stamps, local stones, a phial of North Sea oil and plans for the Town House extension.
The casket was placed on a crane hook by Aberdeen Town House project manager Tom Nisbet and guided into the ground by foreman Andrew Benzies.
The ceremony was reported in local newspapers and the July 1975 issue of the construction company's magazine, Taywood News. Royal Visit
3039 Lord Provost John Smith greeting Elizabeth II as she disembarked from HMY Britannia. John Farquharson Smith (born 7th May 1930) served as Aberdeen's provost from 1971 to 1975.
This photograph comes from a collection of slides donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by Aberdeen City Council's publicity department. Well of Spa
3108 A photograph of the Well of Spa in around 1969 at its second location, on Spa Street, in the western periphery wall of Woolmanhill Infirmary. This site is still identifiable today by the curving recess in the low wall and the now leveled out supporting wall, both shown in this image.
A digital copy of this image was kindly given to Aberdeen Local Studies by our colleagues in the Masterplanning, Design and Conservation Team.
It was the then Department of Planning and Building Control that oversaw the restoration and relocation of the structure to its current site outside Denburn Car Park in 1976/77. The plans were drawn up by Aberdeen City Council planner John Soutar. In reference to the well's Woolmanhill location he was quoted in the newspaper saying "The Victorians were great for shifting things and they weren't fussy where they put them."
The stone structure, which was built in around 1635, was previously located on the western side of Spa Street, in front of Garden-Nook Close. This location can be viewed on the 1867 Ordnance Survey town plan of Aberdeen (sheet LXXV.11.12) and in other photographs on this site.
The 1970s restoration and relocation of the well was advocated by councillor Frank Magee. The project, estimated to cost £4,500, was met with opposition and it was only given the go-ahead after considerable debate.
The restoration of the well was carried out by a masonry firm, based in Birnie, called Moray Stonecutters. It was temporarily transported to Elgin for the work. An additional £4,500 was spent in the creation of a new garden surrounding the well by a Job Creation team. It was called the Four Neukit Garden in reference to the old amenity gifted to Aberdeen, along with the original stone structure, by the portrait painter George Jamesone.
Coverage of work on the well can be read in local newspapers from the time. The finishing touches on the well's final relocation were reported in the Evening Express of Saturday, 22nd October 1977, page 16. Commercial Road
3514 Image looking east along the floor of the graving dock on Commercial Road. This dry dock is shown in the Aberdeenshire LXXV.11 Ordnance Survey 25-inch map published 1902.
The photograph depicts multiple steamships set up for maintenance. The third boat along is the Maggie Gault (INS 126). The Aberdeen Built Ships website states that the boat was built by John Duthie of Torry for James and William Gault, Lossiemouth. It was a steam herring drifter that launched in April 1910. Matthews' Quay
3532 A photograph taken from Matthew's Quay looking east into the Tidal Harbour and beyond.
The image depicts multiple docked fishing vessels with registrations from Kirkcaldy, Methil, Banff, Inverness and Aberdeen.
The last ship in the first row is the fishing liner Sickle (BF1787) which was built by George Innes & Son in 1894 in their Three Creeks yard in Portknockie. It was later broken up in 1919.
Seen in the second row of ships is the Favourite (INS163) owned by W. Cormack. This is an Inverness registered steam drifter which operated from 1907 until it was scrapped in 1937.
The last ship seen in the second row is the fishing drifter Diligence (BF172) built by John Duthie, Sons & Co. in Aberdeen in 1906. Its first owner was George Falconer in Banff which explains the BF designation. After coming into the ownership of Thomas and Andrew Adam in Kirkcaldy it was re-registered with the designation KY164 in 1913. The Diligence was later broken up in 1936.
To the right can seen the steam liner White Rose (A149). A Buckie Advertiser article from 23rd November 1899 mentions it being built for a client in Aberdeen and being towed to the city by its sister ship the Caledonia. It was renamed the Silverna on 8th July 1922. On 14th February 1929 it was sold for breaking up. It was the first steam powered fishing vessel built in the Buckie district.
In front of the White Rose can be seen the Unity (INS450) which was launched from Buckpool in 1896 and belonged to J. Ralph and W. McPherson.
The presence of the Diligence with the designation BF rather than KY suggests that this photograph was taken before 1913 while the presence of the Favourite (INS163) suggests the photograph was taken after 1907. Matthews' Quay
3533 Photograph taken from Matthew's Quay looking east into the Tidal Harbour and beyond.
The photo depicts multiple docked fishing vessels with registrations from Kirkcaldy, Methil, Banff, Inverness and Aberdeen.
The last ship in the first row is the fishing liner Sickle (BF1787) which was built by George Innes & Son in 1894 in their Three Creeks yard in Portknockie. It was later broken up in 1919.
Seen in the second row of ships is the Favourite (INS163) owned by W. Cormack. This is an Inverness registered steam drifter which operated from 1907 until it was scrapped in 1937.
The last ship seen in the second row is the fishing drifter Diligence (BF172) built by John Duthie, Sons & Co. in Aberdeen in 1906. Its first owner was George Falconer in Banff which explains the BF designation. After coming into the ownership of Thomas and Andrew Adam in Kirkcaldy it was re-registered with the designation KY164 in 1913. The Diligence was later broken up in 1936.
To the right you can see the steam liner White Rose (A149). An 23rd November article from the Buckie Advertiser mentions it being built for a client in Aberdeen. It was towed to Aberdeen by its sister ship the Caledonia. It was later renamed to Silverna on 8th July 1922. On 14th February 1929 it was sold for breaking up. It was the first steam powered fishing vessel built in the Buckie district.
In front of the White Rose can be seen the Unity (INS450) which was launched from Buckpool in 1896 and belonged to J. Ralph and W. McPherson.
The presence of the Diligence with the designation BF rather than KY suggests that this photograph was taken before 1913 while the presence of the Favourite (INS163) tells us that the photograph was taken after 1907. Pocra Quay
3568 This is a photograph taken from the Pocra Quay looking south-east across the harbour.
The hill of Balnagask is visible in the background. The image depicts a line of steam drifters, which were primarily used to catch herring.
A number of ships registered in Banff are visible with drifter Winner (BF1805) in the front. It was built in 1905 by William Geddes for John, James and Peter Reid from Portgordon.
Between 1915-1919, during the World War I it was a part of Admiralty Service under the number 3153. It served as a net vessel, which laid out anti-submarine or anti-torpedo nets.
The ship belonged to the Reid family until it was broken up in 1952 and is known as the last Portgordon drifter.
|