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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. Aberdeen Sea Beach
51 The Promenade at Aberdeen Sea Beach, c. 1950 with the Beach Shelter and Beach Bathing Station in the background. Schoolhill
95 Schoolhill, Aberdeen. The building on the left is Aberdeen Art Gallery. The archway leads to Robert Gordon's College and the building at the far right was Gray's School of Art, which took its name from John Gray, an engineer who paid for the building. It was built in 1884 on the site of the Old Grammar School, hence the name Schoolhill. Wallace Tower, Netherkirkgate
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.
Correspondent 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. Villa Franca
109 Villa Franca, built by Mr. Peacock, dancing master, who died in 1806. The name has been transferred to No. 156 Hamilton Place, which partly stands on the site of the former house, a little east of Morningfield. Wallace Tower, Netherkirkgate
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. 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. Bon Accord Crescent
135 Isometrical view of Bon Accord Crescent - This perspective drawing shows the gently curving terrace of 19 identical two-storey houses, with basement and attic, designed by Archibald Simpson in the 1820s for the Corporation of Tailors. In 1823, the "Aberdeen Journal" carried an advertisement for building areas to feu. The houses were to be laid out on what had previously been garden ground and the advert boasts "No situation, immediately in the vicinity of Aberdeen, possesses so completely the advantages of free air and fine exposure". The properties overlook the hollow once occupied by the Howe Burn and the area has now been converted into landscaped parkland as part of a conservation area. Houses 3-17 have a curved frontage, while numbers 1 and 2, and 18 and 19 have straight frontages. However, even by the 1950s, most of the houses were being, and still are, used as offices. Old Deeside Road
147 Local historian A.G. Duthie has been in touch to identify this image as the most easterly point of the Old Deeside Road.
The photograph is taken from the position of the modern day junction of Great Southern Road and Holburn Street. The house in the background is still visible today.
In his book The Old Deeside Road, G.M. Fraser writes, "The commencement of the old road at Hardgate is still, fortunately, to be seen, near Fonthill Road, at the group of ruinous houses connected with what was long known as Palmer's Brewery. The 'lie' of the old houses at the back of the brewery shows the run of the old road, two of the small, dilapidated buildings being clearly the eastmost houses of the old road just where it touched the Hardgate." (p. 19)
This scene was photographed for Aberdeen Public Library on 6th July 1917 by Mr. James Ritchie. 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. Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen
292 Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen with its alterations as proposed 1787 by Mr. Smeaton.
The Firhill Well, Old Aberdeen
329 The Firhill Well stood at the bend of a lane leading from what now is Sunnybank Road to what now is Bedford Road. It takes its name from being located near a fir-clad hill. It is not known who built the well but it was in existance as early as 1799. This photograph was taken in 1890. Henderson's Dairy and Grocery Store
443 Mr and Mrs Henderson, and others, outside their grocery shop at 21 Chattan Place. Mrs Henderson's maiden name was Prentice.
This photograph was taken by Kidd & Stridgen, a photographers based at 9 New Market Gallery.
21 Chattan place was Kenny's Chip Shop in the 1980s and later a Chinese takeaway restaurant.
A copy of this image was kindly lent to the Aberdeen City Libraries for reproduction by William Donald of Udny Green. Mrs Henderson was the sister of his mother-in-law. Schoolhill, Aberdeen
497 Schoolhill, Aberdeen. The building on the left is Aberdeen Art Gallery. The archway leads to Robert Gordon's College and the building at the far right is Gray's School of Art (1884), which takes its name from John Gray, an engineer who paid for the building. It was built on the site of the Old Grammar School, hence the name Schoolhill. Bede House, Old Aberdeen
656 An engraving of Bede House at 18, 19 and 21 Don Street, Old Aberdeen. This three storey townhouse, with an attic, is dated 1676. It was built as the residence of Baillie William Logan.
For a short time after 1787 it housed eight Bedesmen - poor, single men, aged over 60 - hence its name. It was restored in 1965 and is now private accommodation.
In the engraving Bede House is 19 and 21 Don Street, whereas in 2019 it is numbered 20 and 22. This latter numbering is also on Ordnance Survey maps from the 1950s. Castle Street
673 A view of the buildings at Castle Street prior to their demolition for the construction of the new Town House (1867-1874) designed by Peddie and Kinnear.
The entrance to Broad Street is visible in the left foreground. The entrance further on is to Huxter's Row, which turned west and ran behind these building to exit on Broad Street. The Lemon Tree Hotel and the Bon-Accord Hotel were located on this lane. The former soon moved to 7-9 St. Nicholas Street.
Past the fortified facade of the Tolbooth, and its prominent spire, can be seen the entrance to Lodge Walk and Archibald Simpson's North of Scotland Bank premises, opened in 1842.
The signs in the shop windows likely give notice of imminent closure. A sign for Alexander Badenoch, an outfitter, can be seen at 12 Union Street. Further down, at what is likely Chapman and Co., tailors and clothiers, "Great bargains" are advertised.
In addition to the gas lamps and pollards, there is array of traffic on the cobbled street. Two night watchmen stand talking on the left. A Gordon Highlander, presumably coming from the nearby Castlehill Barracks, is outside Badenoch's shop. Two fishwives carry leaden creels to market. A large dog sleeps outside Chapman and Co. and various horse drawn vehicles are shown. March Lane
677 March Lane, 1923. This view of a narrow lane in the Rosemount area of Aberdeen shows a number of small houses with tiled roofs. The rather rundown nature of the lane hides the fact that it stood on the boundary of the City of Aberdeen. At the end of the lane there was a dressed granite stone with the letters CR incised on it. These stood for City Royalty and up to the 19th century, the Town Councillors would inspect these boundaries or marches to check that such landmarks had not been removed. A series of such stones marked what was known as the Inner Marches and another series with the letters ABD marked the Outer Marches which bounded the Freedom Lands, including the lands granted to the City by Robert the Bruce in 1319. 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. Porthill Factory, Gallowgate
683 This image, dating from 1905, shows the Gallowgate looking south, with Seamount Place on the left. The name Gallowgate, means the road to the gallows where public executions took place. The building at the left corner of the photograph was known as the Porthill Factory, erected in the 1750's and used by Milne, Cruden and Co. for the manufacture of linen thread. At the time of this photo, it was occupied by William Kitson and Co. Stoneware Merchants. Porthill was so named because of one of the city's gates or ports stood there until 1769. At the corner of Seamount Place were the premises of William Allan, grocer, later trading as Allan's Public Supply Stores. The three brass balls signifying a pawnbroker can also be seen projecting from the building. Futher down on the left were the New Porthill School and the Gallowgate Free Church. These buildings were swept away during street widening and slum clearance and the hill was flattened out. 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. Exchequer Row
687 This view shows the narrow congested Exchequer Row, around 1900. It is a photograph of a watercolour painting by Alexander J. Murray that is in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums (AAGM).
The Balmoral style tower of the Salvation Army Citadel, opened in 1896, is seen in the distance with the Market Cross surrounded by an ongoing market.
Exchequer Row (first mentioned in 1350) was a short street connecting the Shiprow to the Castlegate, and on its right side, were a number of courts leading into an area crammed with insanitary dwellings which were later demolished.
It was popularly supposed that the name Exchequer Row derived from the Aberdeen Mint which stood in the area. However, it comes from the name of the Royal Customs House - the Skakkarium, dating back to the 14th century. Rubislaw Terrace, Aberdeen
709 Rubislaw Terrace, Aberdeen in around 1880. This photograph by George Washington Wilson shows the granite splendour of this terrace, which was planned by the architects Thomas Mackenzie and James Matthews, jointly with James Giles, artist.
The houses were to be erected on the property of James Skene of Rubislaw, on the north side of Albyn Place. The Aberdeen Journal of 31st March 1852 describes the plans as thus: "The style of architecture possesses in a high degree the rare merit of combining what is new, at least in Aberdeen, with what is, in point of taste exceedingly beautiful".
The houses have crowstepped gables and plain windows alternating with bow windows which have a balustrade, and had 11-15 rooms.
In 1854, James Matthews actually lived there, and later occupants included a paper manufacturer, a ship owner, and a number of advocates.
Today, many of the houses have been converted into offices for legal firms. Granite balustrades and a garden area separate the terrace from Albyn Terrace. Bridewell Prison, Rose Street
793 The Bridewell prison stood on an area of ground between Rose Street and what was formerly called Henry Street. It opened to guests in 1809. The origin of the popular name is derived from a well between Fleet Street and the Thames, dedicated to St. Bride or Bridget. The Corporation of London gained possession of it and a large part of it was turned into a notorious prison. The Bridewell was closed when Caiginches was opened in 1891. Belmont Street
798 This photograph shows the old corner of Belmont Street and Gaelic Lane.
The building on the far left is the Gaelic Free Church. It was opened for worship on 30th August 1795 and in time gave its name to the lane. It was used for the services of Aberdeen's Gaelic congregation until 1882.
The congregation moved and the building was sold to Messers G. and W. Fraser, printers, who owned adjoining premises. They replaced the old church frontage with the more business like façade that can be seen in this photograph.
See the entry for St. Columba United Free Church in Alexander Gammie's Churches of Aberdeen (1909) for more details.
A sign for George Cowie, a hairdressers, is prominently visible at number 4 around the corner on Belmont Street. |