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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. Congregational Church, Woodside
822 Congregational Church, Woodside. This is the oldest church in Woodside and had its origin in the early 19th Century, when the people of the district had no place of worship nearer than Oldmachar Cathedral. A subscription list was issued in November 1818, and within a month enough money had been raised to permit building operations to begin. A small thatch-roofed building was erected on the site of the present Congregational Church and although there is no record of the opening services, they must have taken place near the end of 1819. the building was known as the Cotton Chapel. New Bridge of Don, Aberdeen
831 A James Valentine postcard image looking east towards the Bridge of Don in Aberdeen with the river mouth beyond.
The photograph used on this postcard likely dates from the early 20th century. The lone building at the left end of the bridge would be the Donview Hotel.
The buildings on the far left, down the path from the hotel, are likely those of Don Mills, which processed corn and barley. Aberdeen City Council's Historic Environment Record states that the mill was originally built as a distillery in 1798. Culter War Memorial
994 A photograph showing the unveiling of a new panel at Culter War Memorial on Sunday 19th June 1949.
The article 'Tribute to War Dead of Culter' from the Press & Journal of 20th June 1949, page 6, describes the ceremony as follows:
"A panel containing the names of 29 men from the parish who lost their lives in the recent war was unveiled at Culter War Memorial yesterday.
"Relatives of the fallen and representatives of the Boys' Brigade, Girl Guides, Brownies, and the Territorial Army were grouped round the memorial as Mrs Tough, Hillside Road, Culter, who lost two sons in the war, unveiled the tablet.
"The panel was dedicated by the Rev. J. R. Dey, Kelman Memorial Church, who, along with the Rev. T. W. Howie, St Peter's Church, conducted the service"
Culter War Memorial is a tapering, crenelated tower located on a hillock to the west of the village. It is accessed by a footpath that leaves North Deeside Road not far beyond the bridge over the Culter Burn.
Correspondent Brian Coutts has been in touch to inform us that one of the representatives of the Brownies present at the ceremony was Elizabeth McNab.
The abovementioned sons of Mrs Jane Tough of Hillside Road were Driver Frank Tough, Royal Corps of Signals, formerly an employee of Culter Paper Mills, who was killed by enemy action in the Middle East on 24th September 1942, aged 24, and Private Ernest "Ernie" Tough, 2nd Gordons, who died on 5th October 1943, aged 26, while a prisoner-of-war in Thailand. (Source: Press & Journal, 26th September 1946, page 3.)
The former, Frank Tough, is buried at Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial in Egypt and Ernest is buried Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Myanmar. (Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.) George Street Electric Tram Service
1069 A photograph of the inaugural procession on 23rd December 1899 for the electrification of the Woodside tram route, the first in Aberdeen to be modernised.
This copy of the image has been labelled as the "Opening of George Street Electric Car Service - 1899." The trams would have travelled from Aberdeen city centre to Woodside along St. Nicholas Street and George Street.
Lord Provost John Fleming is at the helm, with Tramways Convener Alexander Wilkie standing next to him, and Councillor Alexander Glass has his foot on the platform.
Next to Fleming and Wilkie, and above Glass, appears to be Alexander Lyon, provost between 1905-1908. Baillie James Taggart, also later to be provost, is the right-most figure in the back row on the roof of the car. Two to the left of Taggart may be James Walker, provost between 1903-1905.
James Alexander Bell, City Electrical Engineer for Aberdeen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is the bowler hatted figure on the stairs above Lord Provost Fleming.
This inauguration is detailed in an article titled 'Electric tramways in Aberdeen: Opening of Woodside section' in the Aberdeen Journal of 25th December 1899, page 7. It details the celebratory tram trip shown here and a luncheon in the Town and County Hall that followed.
Another, clearer version of this image can be found on this website (image reference: A43_14). Bucksburn School
1137 A photograph showing Bucksburn School.
There have been many different schools in the area but we believe this image shows the old school located on the north side of the Inverurie Road just after Church Lane.
These building are understood to have been demolished in the latter half of the 20th century. Trinity Lane
1208 Trinity Lane, Aberdeen, c.1975, from Exchange Street.
The Trinity place-name comes from the area once being the site of a Trinitarian Friary.
The building to the right in this photograph was once known as Trinity Chapel, or Trinity Parish Church. It was opened for public worship on Sunday 27th April, 1794.
For a number of years, the chapel was an important centre of religious life and activity. The Disruption of 1843 significantly diminished the congregation. The building was subsequently sold by the Presbytery and became the Alhambra Music Hall.
See Gammie's Churches of Aberdeen (1909) for more information on the history of this congregation and building.
A large part of the exterior still stands and the building currently houses Wagley's public house. In this photograph Alex. McKay, electrical appliance showroom, is in occupation. Newspaper notices indicate that the business moved here, from 41 The Green, in 1966.
The building in the centre of the image is best known, as shown here, as a banana warehouse for Knowles & Sons, fruiterers and later as a restaurant and art gallery. It was originally built as a church for Aberdeen's Catholic Apostolic congregation.
MUSA was a restaurant and art space, with a focus on music, throughout the first two decades of the 21st century. It closed down in October 2018.
8th March 2019 saw the opening of a new bar in the building called The Hop & Anchor, specialising in craft beer. It is owned by a company called the Draft House and this is their first pub outside London. The Draft House is owned by Brewdog, the North East beer company. Bannermill from Broad Hill
1487 A photograph looking south west from Broad Hill towards the Bannermill (or Banner Mill) cotton works.
The road in the foreground is that which would become Links Road. This continued along the north side of the factory and had a junction with Constitution Street at the north east corner of the works. The land shown in front of Bannermill is Queen's Links.
The location of Bannermill is now occupied by a large square shaped complex of mostly early 21st century flats (completed 2004), with parking in its middle, and a main entrance, on Bannermill Place, accessed from Constitution Street.
The factory was established in 1827 by Thomas Bannerman and closed down in 1904, then under the management of Messers Robinson, Crum & Co. Limited.
The premises were used as stores and for various types of works during the 20th century.
In 1999 the 5.8 acres site was put on the market by the then owners, the North Eastern Farmers (NEF) co-operative, with a price of around £5million. NEF left the site in February 1999 to move to a new headquarters at Rosehall, Turriff. (See P&J, 11 November 1999, p. 7)
Aberdeen City Council subsequently produced a planning brief for developers calling for a housing or mixed housing and hotel development on the site.
Wimpey House submitted a plan for 349 luxury flats and this proposal was given the go-ahead. Construction primarily took place during 2002 and 2003, with the first residents moving-in in October 2002. The Town House
1516 A photograph showing the Town House on Union Street decorated for a special occasion. The crests adoring the centre of the facade read "Long Live The King", which suggests the building is decorated for a Royal visit in the early 20th century. Newpark
1521 A photograph of the gateway and avenue of Newpark. Located between Sheddocksley and Kingswells, this property was once known as Cuttlehill.
In Historical Walks and Names (1927) local historian G. M. Fraser writes:
"You descend Brimmond Hill at the south-west corner, and passing between the properties of Fairley and Cloghill, you presently pass the farm of Gillahill (properly Gallowhill), on your left, and strike the western end of the "Lang Stracht," near the property of Newpark. This is a comparatively recent name for Cuttlehill, the property that once formed part of Sheddocksley, and was bought in 1777 by Robert Dyce of Aberdeen, father of the well-known physician, Dr. William Dyce, of Cuttlehill, whose town house for many years was No. 48 Marischal Street. In this country residence of Cuttlehill, the old entrance gate and avenue of which are still in existence, was born on 19th September, 1806, William Dyce, afterwards William Dyce, R.A., a gifted artist, who took a leading part in decorating the House of Lords, and better still, who, having been sent by the government to report on the Art schools of the Continent in the middle of the last century, was the means of re-organising the art education system of Great Britain. It is singular that this accomplished man, although he is commemorated on a monumental brass in Streatham Parish Church, where he latterly stayed, is as yet unremembered by any mark on his father's house in Aberdeen, where he passed the early part of his life."
Newpark and the gated and avenue, though likely thoroughly modified, can still be seen today.
Other sources suggest that William Dyce, the above mentioned artist, was born at 48 Marischal Street. His birthplace remains something of a mystery. There is no indication of the location in the old parish register record of his baptism at St. Nicholas Kirk. Congregational Church, Woodside
1538 Congregational Church, Woodside. This is the oldest church in Woodside and had its origin in the early 19th Century, when the people of the district had no place of worship nearer than Oldmachar Cathedral. A subscription list was issued in November 1818, and within a month enough money had been raised to permit building operations to begin. A small thatch-roofed building was erected on the site of the present Congregational Church and although there is no record of the opening services, they must have taken place near the end of 1819. the building was known as the Cotton Chapel. Free Gardener
1659 Photographic portrait of a man wearing the sash and medallion of the Order of Free Gardeners.
The Free Gardeners were a friendly society founded in Scotland in the mid-17th century.
Newspaper reports indicate that the Order was considerably active in Aberdeenshire until at least the mid-20th century.
An article in the Press and Journal of 2nd May 1949, page 6, records the address to the North of Scotland district delegation in Aberdeen of the retiring Worthy District Master Charles I. Crighton.
Crighton reports a drop in local membership of the Order, both among the adult and juvenile branches, largely crediting this to the introduction of the National Health Service. The district adult membership stood at 5124, a drop of 110, and a juvenile membership had decreased by 206.
This photograph of an unknown Free Gardener likely dates from the early 20th century. Unknown cricket team
1660 A portrait of an unknown cricket team, likely in the early 20th century.
The photograph may show a Aberdeenshire Cricket team at their Mannofield ground. Commerce Street School class portrait
1710 The name of the individuals and the class shown here are unknown. The board held by the child in the centre looks like it says Commerce Street at the top. The rest is more difficult to read. The line below may read "Senior I", suggesting that the children shown here might be around 11 to 12 in age.
Records for Commerce Street School are held by the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives (under reference ED/AT5/1).
The online catalogue entry for these records indicates that Commerce Street was the first new school completed by Aberdeen School Board and was opened on 13 March 1876. The school closed on 30 June 1925 and the pupils were transferred to Hanover Street School. Thereafter the Commerce Street School buildings were used as the infant department of Hanover Street School.
The photograph likely dates from sometime in the early 20th century. Brae Farm
1790 This photograph was taken in 1951 by James Kellas and looks east showing, on the left, the rear of Brae Farm, located on Morningside Road, and part of 142 Morningside Avenue on the right.
There was originally a Brae Farm to the north west of this location that can be seen the Ordnance Survey map published in 1869 (Aberdeen Sheet LXXV.14). Just to the north of the old farm on the map is a single Aberdeen Water Works reservoir.
An article from The Leopard magazine by Diane Morgan (October/November 1985) explains that in 1885 an Aberdeen Corporation Water Act was passed to empower the Town Council to take eight million gallons daily from the River Dee and to build a second reservoir at Mannofield. This was to keep up with the city's rapid population increase.
To carry out the expansion, the council acquired the land adjoining the initial reservoir including the first Brae Farmhouse and its steadings. They then became known as Reservoir Cottage and Reservoir House and served as the home of the inspector of the water works. A relatively early inspector was called William Clark. On 28th February 1898 he died at the cottage aged 64. He was buried in the John Knox Churchyard (Aberdeen Weekly Journal, 02/03/1898, p.4).
Clark was likely succeeded as waterworks inspector by James Forsyth. The Forsyth family lived at the cottage well into the 20th century. James was married to Margaret (née Jaffray), who died after him on 28th July 1945, aged 85. Their second son, Sapper John Forsyth, died aged 26 at Oldmill Military Hospital on 20th April 1917. He was buried at Springback Cemetery.
The reservoirs continue to play a vital role in supplying water to Aberdeen. The cottage and house however were demolished in the late 20th century and replaced by modern water treatment buildings.
As shown on the 1901 OS map, sometime shortly after the passing of the 1885 act the Brae Farm we can see in this picture was built to the south east, where Morningside Road met Auchinyell Bridge. To the east, Aberdeenshire County Cricket Ground was also built around the same time.
This later Brae Farm was the home to the Kinnaird family for the first half of the 20th century. The heads of the family were Frank Kinnaird and Margaret Amelia Smith.
Their son Lance-Corporal A. G. Kinnaird, of the Royal Scots, was reported as a prisoner of war in Germany in June 1918. Prior to the war he had worked with the Clydesdale Bank (Evening Express, 03/06/1918 p.3).
Frank's eldest daughter, Jessie Sinclair, married James Smith Mathieson at Ruthrieston U.F. Church on 7th September 1927 (Evening Express, 08/09/1927, p.6).
A younger daughter, Edith Kinnaird, married a man from Portsmouth called Andrew Livingstone in July 1936. The marriage took place in Ruthrieston West Church and the reception was at the Caledonian Hotel (Press & Journal, 06/06/1936 p.8).
Daughters Amelia Elizabeth and Margaret Kinnaird both left Brae Farm in the 1920s (1924 and 1920, respectively) to reunite with fiancés who had travelled ahead to Canada.
Frank Kinnaird died on 12th August 1950, aged 84.
At some point during the 1930s-1950s the residential streets we know today, Morningside Avenue, Terrace and Place were constructed between the reservoir and the new farmstead. These streets take their name from Morningside Farm to the east. As can be seen in this photograph, the farm stood into the 1950s. It was eventually demolished when Morningside Avenue was extended to meet Morningside Road. The newer bungalows can be distinguished by their tiled, rather than slated roofs. St. Machar's Cathedral
1841 St. Machar's Cathedral, Old Aberdeen, showing a field with cows in the foreground. This image looks south east towards the church and may have been taken from the field west of Kettock's Mills and south of Balgownie Lodge.
The photograph likely dates from early 20th century and Aberdeen City Libraries hold a glass lantern slide version in our George Kemp collection. St. Fittick's Well
1853 A photograph from 1906 of St. Fittick's Well, located in the Bay of Nigg.
An account of the well is given by Thomas W. Ogilvie (1861-1908) in The Book of Saint Fittick, a history of Torry, written and presented as a Bazaar Book to Saint Fittick's Church, Torry, in December 1901.
Ogilvie worked as a doctor in Torry for seven years and was prominent in the public life of the district. An account of his life is given in the introduction to a posthumously published collection of his verse, Poems (1911).
Ogilvie suggests use the well dates to pagan times and gives an account of its storied healing powers and the tradition of offering gifts in the hope of good health and fortune. He suggests St Fittick, the patron saint of Torry, became the object of these benefactions after the arrival of Christianity.
He details the tradition of visiting the area and leaving gifts on the first Sunday of May. Ogilvie writes:
"Town Council and Kirk Session struggled by laws and punishments to stop those Sunday wanderings and to efface those vestiges of old superstitions, but the customs of centuries die hard, and to-day young and old, to whom the name St. Fittick is a meaningless term and the repute of his well quite unknown, ramble on Sundays and week-days to the bay once called by his name, and they find the old power still lingers, for the beauty of the Bay, the fresh sea-breeze, and the pure draught from the old spring still bless and heal."
The well is understood to have been washed away by coastal erosion in the early 20th century. Its location, latterly its site, is recorded in old large scale Ordnance Survey maps. The beach north of Footdee
1943 This photograph shows Aberdeen beach north of Footdee. The image is dated as from 1906.
Construction of the beach esplanade began in 1898. The rocky dunes show it had not yet reached this point of Aberdeen's beach front.
In the early 20th century the esplanade only went as far south as slightly beyond the Bathing Station, the chimney of which can be seen in the distance.
The structure protruding above the dunes in the centre of the image may be a flagpole at the gun battery then located on Queen's Links. Alexander Ledingham Portrait
2140 This portrait of a woman is also by Alexander Ledingham of Rosemount. The photographer's stamp is present in the bottom right corner. The woman is standing by a chair that can be seen in other Ledingham portraits so this was obviously a recurrent prop. The painted backdrop in this picture suggests the setting of a large estate house.
The subject of the photograph wears a rather serious expression which was the convention in 19th and early 20th century photography. This was a continuation of the tradition of painted portraiture and suggested the stature and respectability of the subject. The great American writer Mark Twain wrote, "A photograph is a most important document, and there is nothing more damning to go down to posterity than a silly, foolish smile caught and fixed forever." Stillness was also required due to the exposure times of early photography. Brux Bridge
2231 A correspondent has got in touch to plausibly suggest that this photograph looks north-east along the River Don south of Kildrummy and Knowehead Farm (OS grid reference: NJ 4794 1521).
The bridge in the foreground of the image is just to the south of the site of Boat of Drumallachie. The latter was a cottage that no longer stands but can be seen on old Ordnance Survey maps
References online suggest the bridge may be known as Brux Bridge, or Bridge of Brux.
The Ordnance Survey 25-inch Aberdeenshire LXI.8 (Towie) map sheet, surveyed in 1867, shows a fording point on the river at the rough location of the bridge. The later 25-inch Aberdeenshire LXI.8, revised to 1900, shows a bridge in place.
If this identification is correct, the farm visible in the distance, towards the right, would be Dukeston. The further away farm, in line with the river here, would be Newton. The hill rising behind Dukeston Farm would be Craigiebeg Hill.
This photograph likely dates from around the early 20th century. The bridge shown here differs somewhat from the one that can be seen today in 2022. The bridge has likely been replaced or altered in the intervening years. Milk from the Kirkhill Dairy
2236 Milk being delivered by two milk boys on Victoria Road, Torry. The milk came from the Kirkhill Dairy, Balnagask. The photograph shows a horse drawn cart.
Ian Smith has kindly been in touch to inform us that the man behind the cart is his grandfather, Albert Corbett. He ran Kirkhill Farm for much of his life.
The golden anniversary of Albert and Georgina Corbett (née Todd) was reported in the Press & Journal of 9th September 1970, page 18. The article explains that the couple had left South Kirkhill Farm, where Albert had farmed for 47 years, the previous year, moving to 28 Leggart Terrace.
They met when Georgia, an Aberdonian, moved to Fraserburgh. Albert worked on his family's nearby farm, called Watermill, and delivered milk to Georgina's landlady.
After marriage, and before moving to Balnagask, the couple lived in Strichen and ran a diary there. The article concludes stating, both aged 71, Albert and his wife had two daughters, named Mrs Irene Smith and Mrs Ethel Douglas, and three sons, Bert, James and Alistair. They also had nine grandchildren.
A family notice from the 10th January 1978 issue of the same newspaper states that Albert B. D. Corbett had died after a short illness, aged 79, the day before. A service was held for him on the 12th of that month at the Aberdeen Crematorium, Hazlehead (West Chapel).
Ian also checked with family members and informs us that the boy on the right in this photograph is Andy Cowe, who later moved to Seattle, USA, and on the left is Jocky Milne.
The Ordnance Survey, 25 inch to the mile, map of Balnagask published in 1899 indicates that there was once three houses called Kirkhill in the area; North, South and East.
South Kirkhill was located on the south side of Balnagask Road, a bit to the east of Balnagask House and Mains. East Kirkhill was not far to the east, on the other side of St. Fittick's Road and North Kirkhill was up towards Greyhope Road.
Later maps tell us that the original South Kirkhill was demolished by the early 20th century and by the 1950s East Kirkhill had taken its name. None of the residences remain today, the area of North Kirkhill is now part of Balnagask Golf Club and St. Fittick's Community Garden is now roughly where East (later South) Kirkhill once stood. North Kirkhill used to be the home of the greenkeeper of the golf course.
The use of the name Kirkhill likely refers to the nearby old St. Fittick's Church and the hilly terrain of Balnagask and Torry. 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 7: The Reference Library
2276 The Reference Department opened in the new Central Library on 29 August 1892. This photograph from the Library Archive shows a very busy Reference Department in the early to mid 20th century. The bookcases and fittings were of wainscot and mahogany and were described as having "a very handsome appearance". The floor was laid with noiseless cork carpeting and indiarubber matting to ensure "an air of quiet, so essential to the enjoyment of reading". An additional 80 chairs had been provided as part of the improvements in 1905, including 30 for the exclusive use of ladies. Books could be accessed directly off the shelves and the whole department was much brighter and attractive.
The Reference Department, still on the 2nd floor of the Central Library, is now known as the Information Centre. Come and visit anytime to see how the place has changed and to see the Treasures from our Collections exhibition which is running until July 2017. Aberdeen Harbour
2428 An early 20th century postcard showing Regent Quay and the Aberdeen Harbour Board Office. A Great North of Scotland wagon is also visible.
The prominent location of the new 4-storey Harbour Offices overlooked the Upper and Victoria Docks and the nearby Regent Bridge.
The building was designed by A. Marshall Mackenzie of the Matthews & Mackenzie architectural firm. It was built between 1883 and 1885. In addition to the Harbour Offices the building included warehouses for wholesale merchant, Messrs C. & A. Johnstone.
See the Aberdeen Journal of 19th November 1884, page 5, for an extensive description of the building as it neared completion.
The construction of the Italian renaissance style building followed the introduction of steam trawling to Aberdeen in around 1882 and the subsequent harbour boom. The building replaced an earlier Harbour Board office, which newspaper articles indicate was near the foot of Marischal Street.
One outstanding feature of the new building is the attractive clock tower. At the time of construction it was described as the only tower in the city with a granite dome. The expense and final form of the tower was a subject of great debate.
The Aberdeen Harbour Trust Port, modern successor to the Harbour Board, occupies the building to this day.
The buildings to the left of the Harbour Offices were demolished in the second half of the 20th century during an extension to Virginia Street. |