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Hardweird
40 The Hardweird. Part of old Gilcomston, it resembled a small "ferm toon" standing between the foot of Jack's Brae and Upper Denburn and it consisted of 18th and early 19th century artisan and labourers' housing - a product of the period when Gilcomston had a flourishing weaving industry. One of Aberdeen's worst slums, it was cleared during the early 1930s and the playground of Gilcomstoun Primary School now occupies part of the site. Honeybrae House
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. Beach Bathing Station
99 The interior of the Beach Bathing Station, where generations of Aberdonians learnt to swim in the fresh water pool. The Bathing Station was designed by City Architect, John Rust, and opened on 13th July 1898. A distinctive red brick chimney dominated the beach skyline. The Bathing Station was eventually filled in and demolished, the door having finally closed to the public on 11th July 1972. Granite yard
146 Local historian A. G. Duthie has been in touch to suggest that this photograph most likely shows a granite yard. Slabs of the rock can be seen by the wooden fence and the men are standing near small sheerleg cranes.
Brian Kennedy has also contact us to identify the location of the image. It is looking north west along the thoroughfare that is identified as Duthie's Brae on early Ordnance Survey maps. The tenements in the background are those on Nellfield Place. The smaller house on the left in the background was known as Home Cottage and was one of the first built on the street that was then called Holburn Place.
Maps indicate the buildings shown on the left were used as malt barns and later as storehouses. Duthie's Brae was just south of where Hardgate met Fonthill Terrace.
This photograph was likely taken by James Ritchie in 1917. There is another image on this website by Ritchie that looks south from a nearby position. Mill of Udny
208 This postcard image, looking west, shows the Mill of Udny, located not far to the south east of Pitmedden, next to the Bronie Burn. This photograph likely dates from the early 20th century.
The large building shown here, which old OS maps indicate was a corn mill, is still there at the time of writing in 2022. As is the bridge over the Bronie Burn, though its walls appear to have been lowered.
The Mill of Udny is located on a small road, running east to west, between Housieside and Udny Green. The original buildings have been added to and it is now the site of the Mill Business Centre. Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie, an Illustrated Architectural Guide (2006) by Ian Shepherd indicates that this conversion took place in 1991.
A waterwheel can be seen on the southern side of the mill in this image. Early 20th century OS maps indicate this was powered by a lade, diverted from the Bronie Burn, that ran through the field to the west. A mill dam was once located to the south west across the field.
This image features in the book Old Udny, Tarves and Methlick (2007) by Donna M. Donald. In accompanying information the author states that in 1800 the mill was one of ten working in the Udny area. Donald also states that the mill was built in the middle of the 18th century, "by a forward-thinking laird", and remained in operation until the 1920s. The Puffing Briggie
532 A scene of change and renovation in the Denburn Valley. The image looks south from Union Bridge over the suburban platforms of the old Aberdeen Joint Railway Station. The old station's large, curved roof can be seen in the background.
The area we are looking at has seen much change since this time. It is now largely covered by the 1960s retail development on the south side of the bridge, the later Trinity Centre, the development of Wapping Street and Denburn Road, and the building of Atholl House. Though many of the buildings of note we can see in this image are still visible today.
The tall buildings on the far right are the rear of those on Bridge Street. The small street in front of them, going up to Guild Street, is the start of College Street. It is now a partially pedestrianised lane that goes under Wapping Street. The building at the top of this street is the classical style suburban ticket office, built 1909 and now home to Tiffany Hair & Beauty.
Going west along Guild Street's two span road bridge we come to the Great North of Scotland Railway Company's headquarters. This was designed by architects Ellis & Wilson and built in 1894. It is now part of the Station Hotel, along with number 78 next door. The building retains many of its original features. The Guild Street entrance to the Trinity Centre now runs along the western side of this building.
The image also shows features that are no longer present. The covered walkway that can be seen on the near right of the image enabled direct access from the station's central platform to the Palace Hotel on Union Street. The hotel was owned by the Great North of Scotland Railway Co. (GNSR). The walkway was vaulted to pass over the tracks at sufficient height.
Consulting The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station, 1867-1992 (c1992), this image probably dates from 1912 when, in additional to commencing the reconstruction of the Joint Station, the GNSR also laid new loading docks and carriage storage siding in the Hadden Mills site (left of image). This was to ensure that the main station buildings were used purely for passenger traffic.
The walkway that linked Windmill Brae and the Green, known affectionately as the Puffing Briggie, can be seen in the centre of the image. It looks like a section on the left has been temporarily demolished as part of the ongoing work.
The sidings on the extreme left were used for cleaning carriages in the later 20th century. One of our correspondents recounts using the often-unattended carriages, accessible when entering the station from the Green, as an unusually exciting and plush playground during their youth in the late-1940s. Hardweird
718 The Hardweird, so named as having been built on the Hardweird Croft, is now the only street in Aberdeen showing the 'forestairs' that were so common in the older streets of the town. The Hardweird ran from Skene Row to Jack's Brae. Skene Row came off Skene Street, opposite Chapel Street. Part of old Gilcomston, it resembled a small "ferm toon" standing between the foot of Jack's Brae and Upper Denburn and it consisted of 18th and early 19th century artisan and labourers' housing - a product of the period when Gilcomston had a flourishing weaving industry. Some of the houses were demolished in 1908. One of Aberdeen's worst slums, it was cleared during the early 1930s and the playground of Gilcoumston Primary School now occupies part of the site. Honeybrae House
816 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 1830's, 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 1920's, it had fallen into disrepair and the house demolished in November 1928, and the site redeveloped for modern housing. Unloading coal
869 A busy scene at Aberdeen Harbour in the early 1900s.
Coal is being unloaded from the ship by means of a conveyor belt. It was then carefully weighed into sacks and loaded, by means of small triangular hoists, onto the waiting horse drawn cart.
Individual weights can be noted on the ground to the right. Clouds of coal dust can be seen emerging from the hold, no one appears to be particularly concerned about this health hazard.
Coal was still in heavy demand at this time for domestic and commercial consumption. Bydand Motor Transport Co. Ltd
1051 Bydand Motor Transport Co. Ltd. were one of a number of small bus companies which sprang up in the 1920's, and were based at the Western Garage on Great Western Road, Aberdeen. Many service men had learned to drive in the army during the First World War, and vehicle manufacturers were keen to supply new markets. Bydand announced in the 'Aberdeen Press and Journal' on 23rd May 1925 that they were to introduce a 'Deeside Motor Bus Service'. They offered a regular weekday half hourly service of buses between Aberdeen (Wallace Statue) and Bieldside with less frequent late buses and a Sunday service between Mannofield and Bieldside only. Buses were also to run between Aberdeen, Culter and Banchory. The fare from Aberdeen to Bieldside was 4p; Aberdeen to Culter was 8p; Aberdeen to Banchory was 1 shilling and sixpence. Within a few weeks, Bydand were extoling the virtues of their service in an advert headed 'Safety First'. The company made much of the fact that their buses started from His Majesty's Theatre and passed other theatres enroute. It was even possible to reserve a seat on the Banchory Bus when booking seats at His Majesty's Theatre. During the summer months Sunday Mystery Tours were advertised - a 60-70 mile trip for 5 shillings return. The 1930 Road Traffic Act introduced various restrictions and many small companies were taken over by the expanding company of W. Alexander and Sons Ltd. The 13 Bydand buses were transferred on 3rd October 1932. Isaac Benzies' George Street Store
1108 Isaac Benzies. This famous local retailer first started trading from a small shop at 185 George Street in 1894. As business flourished, other outlets were opened in the city. Mr Benzie finally brought his interests together under one roof in these premises on George Street in 1924. In 1955, the store was acquired by the House of Fraser and traded as Arnotts before closing down in 1986. Manual for Readers
1389 Prior to the opening the Librarian had prepared a small "Manual for Readers" giving a brief historical sketch of the Library and a description of the new departments. The manual also contained a number of advertisements including one for the Lending Catalogue. Over 10,000 copies were freely distributed. Cullen House from the south-east.
1724 Cullen House is situated in the small town of Cullen on the Moray coast. It occupies a site where, at one time, stood a monastery and later a fortress. The present building dates from 1602 and is an enormously complicated structure which has had various extensions added over the centuries. It was the ancestral home of the Earls of Seafield but they have not resided there since 1975, when it was decided to put the house and its contents up for auction. During the period 1982-85, the house was converted into separate dwelling houses by architect Kit Martin but, in 1987, the building suffered a serious fire and has subsequently been restored. This view was taken from the south-east by local photographer Seivwright when the house was still occupied by the Earls of Seafield. 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. The Sick Children's Hospital
2243 Correspondent Ed Fowler commented:
"This image [was] taken within the Sick Children's Hospital, Castle Terrace. The early first floor ward, probably to the right of the Entrance where there was a shallow pitched roof, is ready for patients, is immaculately clean, with a shining polished floor evident. A small child sits playing with a teddy bear in the foreground. Several triple bracket gas light mantles can be observed suspended from the roof ceiling on central support and supply rods. The joist arrangement and access hatch evident suggests it was formerly Dr Blackies RN 1st-Floor Room in the past with five-side windows and two end windows. One suspects that this 14-bed hospital ward was not yet ready for the admission of patients as there appears to be quite a few members of staff posing about the still empty beds for ambience."
It was closed when Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at Foresterhill was opened in 1936. 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. Mr James Vessie
2629 A portrait of James Vessie from East Neuk Chronicles by William Skene (1905). The author describes Vessie as a one of the pioneers of cheap literature in Aberdeen, who, for about sixty years, traded as a new and second-hand bookseller.
He was born around 1813 in Forres and there he learnt the business of bookbinding and selling. He came to Aberdeen as a young man in the 1830s and set up business in this line. He also had a small circulating library.
For many years his business was located in the Gallowgate, then Upperkirkgate, Queen Street, and latterly George Street. He died in February 1895 at the age of 83 in the house of his daughter, Mrs Wilson. Union Terrace Gardens
2672 A stereostopic card by Underwood & Underwood showing Union Terrace Gardens. The information accompanying this attractive image appears to confuse the Free South Church (St Mark's) with the library:
"That imposing granite building with the great dome and the pillared porch is the Free Library, one of the best in Scotland. Close by the Library is the Free South Church."
Underwood & Underwood were an international company, founded in Kansas, that produced a vast number of views every year. It is therefore understandable if they included occasional small errors.
The image is prior to the construction of His Majesty's Theatre in 1906. Woolmanhill Royal Infirmary can be seen in the background. Hamilton Place, Looking West
2732 A postcard of Hamilton Place likely dating from the early 20th century. The view looks west from the juntion with Westfield Road. The house on the left foreground appears to be 8 Hamilton Place. A small part of 3 Hamilton Place can be seen across the road.
Correspondent Urlan Wannop, a former resident at 41 Hamilton Place, shared his memories about this place:
"My family lived in Hamilton Place between 1935 and 1948. The trees have since been removed, but on warm summer evenings we played ball games in the street before cars became prevalent. The trees stood in for stumps for games of cricket. In wartime, snow clearance for the very few motor cars and steam powered coal delivery wagons meant walls of snow at the pavement edge. I still have weights cast from lead left when all garden railings were removed in an abortive attempt to build tanks and ships for the war effort. (...)
[The] photograph precedes the wartime removal of railings. For historical record, the photograph was possibly taken in the 1920's, judging by the motor car in the background, the presence of the railings and the trees being less fully grown than in the days when they stood in as wickets for street games of cricket.
No sign of the knife grinders, bicycles of visiting French onion sellers nor of the street singer that progressed down Hamilton Place. All disappeared except from my memory.
The wartime Lord Provost, Tommy Mitchell - of Mitchell and Muil, the bakers - lived in a house at the near left; my Headmaster at the Grammar School, JJ Robertson, lived in one at the near right. Like me, he would walk to school down Craigie Loanings". ROBERT GORDON'S REMUNERATIVE RELATIONS WITH DANZIG
2874 In 17th century Poland, business was at its peak. At the time the country had the same population as Russia. The port town of Danzig - now known as Gdansk - was a worldwide trading centre to which many people migrated in order to make their riches.
It may be a shock to you, but in 1570 the number of Scottish immigrants in Poland was estimated to be 30,000. This is an immense number of immigrants when compared to the relatively small population of Scotland in the 16th century. One of these migrants was Robert Gordon (1668-1731), later to be the founder of Gordon's Hospital; which is now known as Robert Gordon's College and the Robert Gordon University.
Robert Gordon was a merchant trader during his time in Poland and he was successful from early on in his career. With a fortune of £10,000 amassed in Poland he invested in the rebuilding of Marischal College, lent money to estate owners and funded Robert Gordon's School for Boys.
In his Founder's Day oration of 1935, former Gordonian, Sir Alexander Roger, described presenting to the Polish government a photograph of the letter Robert Gordon wrote in 1700 from Warsaw to the people of Aberdeen, describing his plans to set-up up his hospital, and the reaction from the recipients:
"My Polish audience were more than ordinarily interested to learn what the writer of that letter, with a fortune strenuously acquired from Poland two hundred years ago, had been enabled to found a college in Scotland which today offered inestimable benefit balanced and liberal education to a thousands boys." Aberdeen Press and Journal, 27th April 1935
The image to the left is a reproduction of a painted portrait of Robert Gordon taken from The History of Robert Gordon's Hospital Aberdeen 1729 - 1881 (1896) by Robert Anderson. Old Gateway, Marischal College
3127 A photograph showing the gateway on Broad Street that once lead through to Marischal College and Greyfriars Church. It was demolished to make way for the new frontage of the College opened in 1906. On the right can be seen a small part of the College Gate Clothing House.
The following description is given on the back of this undated printed image:
"The City of Aberdeen has risen rapidly within the last decade or two in population and in importance as a commercial centre, and those conducting its business have from time to time found it necessary to adapt themselves and their premises to the altered circumstances. There is no business in connection with the Drapery Trade which has developed more than that conducted by the Proprietor of Greyfriars Warehouse. The business was commenced in 1867, in a small shop with one window on the east side of Broad Street, in front of Marischal College. Two years later a double shop adjoining was added, and, in 1878, the premises known as Greyfriars Buildings were opened, with several new departments.
"Ultimately these were found to be insufficient for the rapidly increasing business, when three blocks of buildings were secured on the west side of Broad Street, fronting Marischal College. These were partly rebuilt and arranged so as to admit of the introduction of new departments, such as Furniture, Carpets, Bedding and General Upholstery, and during the past year an entirely new block has been erected." Fingal's Cave on Staffa
3332 This photograph was taken by George Washington Wilson.
Wilson made arrangements with a local man, Sandy Macdonald, for a rowing boat with four oarsmen to take them to Staffa. George Walker described the problems experienced by Wilson when small clouds racing across the sky caused variations in the light levels thus affecting the exposure times needed for his glass plates.
However, Wilson's skill was such that only one plate of two dozen images was under-exposed. Walker notes "so much were Wilson's views in demand at this time that he could have sold each of these negatives for £10, (about £800 today), thus making £230 (nearly £20,000 today) as his day's work but by selling the views taken from these he must have turned out much more than this large sum". Aberdeen Cinemas: Casino
3410 An Aberdeen Journals Archive photograph of the Casino cinema in around 1963.
The Casino cinema was opened on Wales Street on 7th February 1916 by John Peter Kilgour, a dealer in various waste materials. It had close competition with Bert Gate's Star Picture Palace just around the corner on Park Street. Michael Thomson in The Silver Screen in the Silver City describes the Casino as the second of Aberdeen's purpose-built picture halls. It and the "Starrie" served the population of the city's east end for many years.
The Casino was built on the site of Kilgour's factory yards. The architects for the project were George Sutherland and Clement George. The building's "Spanish villa" design is described by Thomson as unique for Aberdeen and highly unusual throughout Scotland. One distinctive feature was the low square tower at the Park Street side of the building that was topped by a red-tiled concave pyramidal roof. Thomson writes that features of the building combined to "bring a welcome splash of colour and gaiety to an otherwise drab corner of the city."
Following the death of John Peter Kilgour in 1920, the running of the Casino and his waste business was taken over by his son, Ormande L. Kilgour.
In the silent era the venue was a stronghold of cine-variety, showing all manner of performances in-between film screenings. In February 1936 the cinema celebrated its 20th birthday and a cake was cut by Kilgour and one the Casino's oldest patrons, a Mrs Stewart.
In November 1939 Bert Gates and Aberdeen Picture Palaces bought a controlling interest share in the Casino. The Beach Boulevard, which opened on 25th May 1959, ran directly outside the cinema and gave the Casino a prominent location. In March of that year the cinema was given a thorough renovation.
Despite its new prominent location and recent renovation, the Casino closed down as a cinema on Saturday 3rd October 1959. A spokesperson for the Donald Cinemas Group stated in the Evening Express at the time that the closure was due to the housing in the area being pulled down and people moving to new estates. Michael Thomson suggests that the proximity of the relatively new first-run Regal in Shiprow might also have drawn away the hoped-for holiday crowds from the Casino.
In 1961 the empty Casino was sold to local bookmakers James Rennie and Arthur Forbes to be used as a bingo hall. This was at the height of bingo's popularity and the Casino proved too small. The bingo operation was moved to the Kingsway Cinema which had showed its final film, Warlord of Crete on 3rd February 1962.
The area around the Casino was earmarked for redevelopment by Aberdeen Town Council. The cinema building was compulsorily purchased and, after spending some time as a store, was demolished at the same time as the Star in 1971. The site is now occupied by a residential development.
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson]
Image © Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Cullerlie Stone circle
4220 A photograph looking north west from Cullerlie Stone Circle at sunset. A house on the road towards Garlogie can be seen in the background.
The stone circle is located approximately 11 miles west of Aberdeen. Not far south from the Loch of Skene.
Aberdeenshire Council's leaflet The Stone Circle Trail (2022) describes Cullerlie as follows:
"Restored Stone Circle, comprising circa 10 m in diameter. Within the stone circle, 8 small kerb cairns were added which when excavated contained burnt bone, charcoal, flint tools and pottery. The central cairn is the largest, at 3.4 m in diameter, and is the only one to have a double kerb. This stone circle is seen as a later development of the Recumbent Stone Circle tradition."
Historic Environment Scotland's website suggests the stone circle may be around 4,000 years old. It describes Cullerlie as "an unusual site, with few parallels. However it may be best regarded as a rare survival of what once may have been a type of monument common in the lowlands of north-east Scotland."
This photograph likely dates from the 1970s or 80s. It comes from a collection of slides donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by Aberdeen City Council's publicity department |