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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. Powis Gateway, Old Aberdeen
165 Powis Gateway, Old Aberdeen. These curious towers stand at the gate leading to Powis Lodge, almost opposite King's College, Old Aberdeen. They were constructed by John Leslie of Powis, who succeeded his father, Hugh Leslie of Powis, the builder of Powis House (1802).
John Leslie succeeded his father in 1812, and the towers were finished in 1834. The crescent on the top of one of the towers is the crest of the Frasers, the predecessors of the Leslies in the property of Powis.
As indicated in the bottom right, this etching of the gateway is by Aberdeen artist Henry Jackson Simpson (1893-1963), known professionally as Jackson Simpson. He was a prolific and successful local artist who specialised in etchings and watercolours of architecture, land and seascapes and wildlife.
Simpson died at his home at 58 Craigton Road, aged 70, on 28th March 1963. His obituary, which gives an account of his life, featured in the next day's Press & Journal.
He was a native of Aberdeen, the son of William Jackson, an art dealer in Diamond Street. He trained as a lithographer and joined his father in business. He served in WWI with the Northumberland Fusiliers and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery.
In 1935 he took over the family business following the death of his father. He was well travelled around Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire and this is reflected in his art. University related subjects such as Marischal College, King's College and, here, the Powis Gateway, were among his most well known works.
A keen sportsperson, and prominent freemason, he also set-up the Craigton Club and was highly involved with the Northern Arts Club.
An article titled 'The charming story of Jackson Simpson: Scotland's celebrated etcher' featured on the Press & Journal website, in partnership with the McEwan Gallery near Ballater, on 8th June 2022. The feature was produced to highlight an exhibition of Simpson's work at the aforementioned gallery. Bishop's Loch
173 Bishop's Loch lies to the north of Aberdeen, just within the city boundary. A charter from the 12th century refers to the lands of Goul or Goval, where the Bishop of Aberdeen had his palace or residence on an island in Loch Goul, now called Bishop's Loch, where at one time the site was visible. The approach to the palace was by a drawbridge. At this time, the Bishops were engaged in developing the Chanonry in Old Aberdeen. Over time, the lands outside the Chanonry were sold off. This photograph shows a much larger expanse of water than now exists. The water level has been lowered and certain areas are silted up and there is lush growth of various wetland plants. Nearby, there is new housing and a sand gravel quarry. Many discussions took place about the possible creation of a nature reserve to encompass this loch and two other nearby lochs - Lochs Corby and Lily - and they were listed as Sites of Special Scientific Interest in October 1983. Victoria Park
241 In 1871 Aberdeen Town Council decided to convert nearly 14 acres of Glennie's Parks, which had been used for cattle grazing, into a public recreation ground - Aberdeen's first public park.
Aberdeen's lack of a public park up to this point had become a contentious issue. For example, newspaper reports indicate that those opposed to the Municipality Extension Act of 1871 (which extended the boundary of the city, brought the functions of the Police Commissioners under the Council and incorporated the gasworks) repeatedly suggested that the expense involved in the new bill would be better used in the creation of a much wanted public park.
It is not unreasonable to suppose that this debate, and criticism of the Council, hastened the creation of Victoria Park. While work likely begun in 1871, it was not until March 1873 that the Improvements Committee of the Council recommended that the new park should be called "Victoria Park". At the same time, they also outlined a series of 13 rules and regulations for agreement by the full Council. There does not appear to have been an official opening for the new amenity.
Glennie's Park was not the only site considered for Aberdeen's first public park. Interest in such an undertaking was increasing at the same time as work was underway to divert the River Dee and improve the harbour. The new ground created in this latter project, encompassing the old, more northerly course of the river and the Inches, was a much proposed location for a park. Following the creation of Victoria Park this newly leveled ground was instead given over for buildings related to the expanding fishing industry.
A nurseryman called Robert Walker (1848-1930), originally from Perth, was chosen out of 450 candidates to be the city's first public park keeper and appointed to Victoria Park. He was likely largely responsible for the park's initial layout and appearance. His Press & Journal obituary (21/04/1930, p.6) suggests that prior to his appointment the site was "little better than a waste space".
Walker subsequently laid out Westburn Park, Stewart Park, Union Terrace Gardens and the Promenade. He also advocated and pioneered the planting of street trees. He served the Corporation for 46 years, retiring in 1919, and must be considered one of the unsung heroes of Aberdeen history.
This photograph, taken around 1900, shows one of the main paths leading to a large granite fountain, which was designed by J.B. Pirie. It is built of 14 different types of granite and was presented by the granite polishers and master builders of the city.
Since the park is almost in the city centre, it is an oasis of peace with its mature trees and, in spring, there are masses of flowering bulbs scattered through the grass. Diversion of the River Dee
323 A photograph in Aberdeen Harbour looking east from the Inches (near the later site of Commercial Road).
The image looks across the old course of the River Dee including its spillwater channel towards Old Torry and Balnagask in the distance.
The civil engineering works shown in this photograph are thought to be part of the river diversion, creation of Albert Basin and the associated reclamation of land.
The diversion of the River Dee took place roughly between 1868 and 1873. St. Mary's Chapel, St. Nicholas Church
366 A photograph of St. Mary's Chapel at St. Nicholas Church in around 1898.
Historic Environment Scotland's listed building information suggests this lower church was built in 1438. It was part of the 15th century expansion of St. Nicholas and located to the east of the then existing building. The main church was subsequently expanded eastwards over it.
Work was completed on the crypt in around 1507 and it was dedicated to the Virgin as Our Lady of Pity, from which derives the various names it has been known over the years; Pity Vault, the Cell of Our Lady of Pity, and St. Mary's Chapel.
The space has served many purposes since its creation and seen a number of renovations. It has been a general storehouse for sundry municipal items, including the gibbet, a plumber's shop, a public soup kitchen, a meeting place of the presbytery of Aberdeen, and a regular church.
More can be read about the chapel in Old Landmarks of Aberdeen (1885) by G. Gordon Burr and Alex. M. Munro, The Story of St. Mary's Chapel: The Ancient "Lower Church" or Crypt of St. Nicholas (1935) by The Rev. J. G. Grant Fleming and in the history section of the St. Nicholas Church website. Waterloo Station
641 This photograph shows the corner at the end of Regent Quay in the late 19th century. The building in the centre of the image, with pediment, is the offices of the Great North of Scotland Railway Company and to its left is the entrance to the Waterloo Railway Station.
The railway station was opened by the company on 1st April 1856. It was built to supersede an existing station at Kittybrewster. Waterloo was once the station for all railway passengers and goods going between the city and the north.
Trains coming and going from the south stopped at a nearby, but unconnected station on Guild Street. It had opened two years earlier in 1854 and was operated by rival railway company, the Scottish North-Eastern. Passengers with connecting trains would need to dash along Trinity and Regent Quay or wait for a bus. Connections were not guaranteed.
It took Parliament to settle the differences between the companies. This saw the construction of the Joint Station, opened in November 1867, and the creation of the Denburn Valley Railway. Both Waterloo and Guild Street subsequently became stations for the transport of goods only.
The buildings shown in this photograph were altered and eventually demolished in the 20th century. Remnants of the station can still be seen today in a small yard and the railway line following the old canal path and joining the main tracks heading north at Kittybrewster.
On the right of this image can also be seen an building, likely a goods shed, of the Aberdeen, Newcastle & Hull Steam Company. This passenger ship service was founded in 1865 and had offices at 43 Marischal Street.
The building to the left of Waterloo Station, far left here, was the site of an establishment called Berry's Hotel and served as various pubs until the late 1960s. It looks like it was closed or being refurbished at the time of this photograph.
To the left of this image would be Commerce Street and Regent Quay. Waterloo Quay would begin to its right. Watson Street Lodge
733 A photograph of the Watson Street Lodge in Victoria Park.
The figures standing in the doorway are most likely to be Robert Walker (1848-1930), the Keeper of Victoria Park, and his family; his second wife Christina Walker and daughters Elizabeth and Ann. Judging by the 1891 census and Robert's eventual obituary, the family also had at least five sons.
Walker was previously married to Isabella Robertson. She died on 24th November 1877. This photograph likely dates from the later 19th century.
Robert Walker was originally from Perth and was himself a son of a gardener. He came to Aberdeen as a nurseryman and in around 1871 was chosen out of 450 candidates to be the city's first keeper of parks.
He oversaw the creation of Victoria Park, Aberdeen's first public park, before going on to lay out Westburn Park, Stewart Park, Union Terrace Gardens and the Promenade. Walker was also an early advocate and pioneer of the planting of street trees.
For a number of years Aberdeen had two superintendents of parks, Walker and a Mr Peter Harper at Duthie Park. When Harper retired in 1914 Walker was appointed general superintendent.
Post Office directories indicate that Walker and his family lived at the Watson Street Lodge, also known as the Victoria Park Lodge, from its construction in around 1872 to his retirement in 1919. His residence at the lodge was part of the job. On retirement Walker moved to the relatively nearby 111 Westburn Drive.
He was succeeded as general superintendent of parks by William B. Clark, who resided at the West Lodge of Duthie Park. A man called Robert Duncan replaced Walker as the keeper of Victoria and Westburn Park.
Over the years Aberdeen has had substantial success and renown as an attractive, green city. A considerable portion of the credit for this success must reside with the pioneering and dedicated work of Robert Walker. Provost William Chalmers
2028 A Portrait of William Chalmers (1654 - 29th March 1770). He served as Provost of Aberdeen from 1738-1739 and 1746-1747. He was a merchant by trade and as involved in the creation of the Infirmary, in 1738, and the Poor Hospital. Free Churches and Denburn
2263 This photo, taken from Union Bridge, shows the Denburn Valley being used as a bleaching green, prior to the creation of Union Terrace Gardens. The photo also predates the Denburn railway constructed in 1865 and the Belmont Street Congregational Church. The absence of Rosemount Viaduct means that Woolmanhill Hospital is visible in the distance.
The photo was probably taken in the early 1860s. It is almost certainly the work of noted Aberdeen photographer George Washington Wilson. The image is one of two that made up a stereo picture when viewed using a special device. This type of stereoscopy was an early method of creating the illusion of depth in an image by presenting each eye with a slightly different image. Wilson created a series of such views and they were sold by "A. Brown & Co., 77 Union Street".
This image was very kindly shared with Aberdeen Local Studies by Michael Eriksson from Södertälje, Sweden. We are always pleased to receive new images of Aberdeen and hear from our users. If you would like to share images with the general public or just get in touch, we can be reached at localstudies@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Stop 4: Health Services for Women and Children - Agnes Thomson (1880-1952) Clementina Esslemont OBE (1864-1958) Fenella Paton (1901-1945) and Mary Esslemont (1891-1984)
2303 The first sick children's hospital on site of former Naval Surgeon's Dr Blaikie surgery on 6-8 Castle Terrace in 1877 extended to take in Castle Brae Chapel. An unsung heroine that worked on this site is Dr Agnes Thomson (nee Baxter) a graduate from Aberdeen University who served as an anaesthetist at the Sick Children's and Maternity Hospitals during the First World War. Agnes Thomson was instrumental in founding the Aberdeen Mother and Baby Home and volunteered her services to the Mother and Child Welfare Association, which was established to address the shockingly high death rate of babies and toddlers in the east end of Aberdeen.
Throughout her life, Clementina Esslemont OBE was a champion of liberal ideas and good causes and well known for her no-nonsense approach to social service provision. One of her principal achievements was the foundation of the Aberdeen Mother and Child Welfare Association in 1909, which played an important role in social service and public health provision in the City of Aberdeen until the creation of the Public Health Department in 1949. She was also involved in the establishment of a model block of tenements on the Spital, Aberdeen, in the formation of Aberdeen Lads' Club, St Katherine's Club, and the nursery school movement.
Dr Mary Esslemont, one of Clementina Esslemont's daughters, worked as a Gynaecologist at the hospital. Mary did much to improve the care and wellbeing for mothers and babies with her determination and hard work. As well as being the Gynaecologist she also ran prenatal and family planning clinics. Mary was an advocate of women's rights, health education and family planning. She was the first female president of the Student University Council and the first woman to be president of Aberdeen Liberal Association in 1954. Awarded the CBE in 1955, Aberdeen City Council bestowed the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen in 1981.
Aberdeen has also led the way in family planning with a remarkable woman at the forefront of fertility control. Pioneer Fenella Paton opened Aberdeen's first family planning clinic in 1926 at Gerrard street. The clinic, the first of its kind in Scotland, moved to new premises in Castle Street in 1948. But prior to these clinics and innovations in family planning there were large families and mothers that needed to go out to work and at our next stop an initiative was put in place to help these working women.
Memories:
Norma Michie speaking about Mary Esslemont
Audrey's memories of the Family Planning Clinic
Denise's memory of the Family Planning Clinic
Heather's memories of Ina Lawrence and the Children's Hospital
Alma Duncan's memories of Cocky Hunters Stop 8: Mrs Legge, President Aberdeen Female Radical Association at 41 Queen Street, (meetings held 1839-1841)
2307 Mrs Isabella Wilson Legge, was the wife of James Legge, stonemason, who was the first chairman of Aberdeen Charter Union, the organisation of the Aberdeen Chartists. Mrs Legge set up the Aberdeen Female Radical Association as she wanted votes for all adults - not just men but women too. She presided over 18 young women. They held their meetings at the Temperance Hotel at 41 Queen Street and said in a statement issued by the Female Chartists of Aberdeen (12th November 1841) "while we are compelled to share the misery of our fathers, our husbands, our brothers, and our lovers, we are determined to have a share in their struggles to be free, and to cheer them in their onward march for liberty." Duthie Park
2476 A photograph from an Adelphi Series postcard showing a southern portion of Duthie Park.
The image looks east across the park's old Lower Lake towards Arthurseat House.
This lake was expanded, and made more rectangular, in the 1920s. This was undertaken to provide improved facilities for the sailing of model yachts and for skating and curling in winter. From the time of the park's creation, this earlier lake contained two spray fountains at either end. The more easterly of these is shown here.
Arthurseat House dates from before the creation of the park, when the land was owned by Arthur Dingwall Fordyce. The house remained, primarily as a museum, until it was demolished in 1934.
For a detailed account of the park, its history and creation, see the article 'Miss Duthie's Gift: History and Description of the Park' in the Aberdeen Journal of 26th September 1883 (published the day before the park's official opening) and the park's entry in Historic Environment Scotland's Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes - reference number GDL00166.
Also shown in this picture is the park's main rockery, described in the Aberdeen Journal article as follows:
"A most picturesque rockery has been built upon the brow of the rising ground to the west of Arthurseat House, and immediately above the pond we have just been describing. It is very extensive, being upwards of 100 feet in length and 66 feet broad at the widest part, and is composed of different kinds of peculiar stones, broken into all manner of fantastic fragments, which are set-up on end in groups and cone-like eminences. A footway winds through it from end to end; and as the spaces between the stones are occupied by Alpine plants and flowers of various kinds, the whole as viewed from the low ground in front presents a most charming appearance."
Taylor Well
2607 A postcard of the Taylor Well in Woodside's Stewart Park. The photograph features two young women, one with a bicycle. There is also a man standing atop the well.
The ornate granite fountain installed in 1906. It is in memory of Jean Taylor who, in 1891, bequeathed £500 for the creation of a playpark in Woodside. The fountain was based on a cast held in the Art Gallery's collection and was sculpted by Arthur Taylor of Jute Street.
See the Aberdeen Daily Journal, 10th May 1906, page 7, for an account of its origin and completion. James Alexander Bell
2871 A portrait of James Alexander Bell, the City Electrical Engineer for Aberdeen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bell directed the electrification of the trams and was key in the creation of the Dee Village power station. He reported on the necessity of constructing the new generating station and tram depot to the Gas and Electric Lighting Committee convened by Councillor George Kemp in December 1899. 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. Aberdeen Cinemas: Picture House / Gaumont
3406 An Aberdeen Journals Archive photograph showing the exterior of the Gaumont Cinema at 181 Union Street in October 1972. Promotion for Doomwatch, the British science-fiction film, Cabaret, starring Liza Minelli and The Concert for Bangladesh can all be seen.
This image dates from when the Rank Organisation, the cinema's owners, applied to Aberdeen City Council for permission to demolish the venue and redevelop the site for shops and office space.
As detailed in Michael Thomson's book Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) the Rank Organisation had a special department that considered cinema sites they owned that could be profitably redeveloped by the company. Aberdeen was experiencing a pre-oil property boom and the early 1970s saw the closure and redevelopment of a number of cinemas.
The final night of the Gaumont was Saturday 6th October 1973. The last film to be shown as The Lovers with Paula Wilcox and Richard Beckinsale. This photograph was used in the preview of the cinema's final night in the Evening Express of the day before.
The majority of the cinema was demolished not long after. The façade of the upper floors was retained as it was listed as of architectural and historic interest. The site laid empty for some time due to the financial recession of 1974-75 and subsequent uncertainty over its occupancy. In 1976 the site was redeveloped as a Job Centre and shops.
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson]
Image © Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Aberdeen Cinemas: Regent / Odeon
3417 The Regent was opened as the second, companion cinema of Jack Poole, after his transformation of the Palace on Bridge Place that had opened in 1931. The Justice Mills location was selected and the cinema was constructed on the eastern end of the historic Upper Mill. A cinema was able to utilise the sloping nature of the site in the way few other projects could.
Michael Thomson in Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) states that work progressed on the new cinema at an excellent rate with virtually all material and labour coming from local sources. The sparkling Rubislaw granite frontage was the work of masons Edgar Gauld of Gilcomston Terrace. Wood for the joinery work came from Sweden and Finland.
The Regent was Aberdeen's first all-new cinema since the Torry Picture House a decade before. It was also the first cinema designed by Thomas Scott Sutherland, who had previously been a designer of, and dealer in, houses, notably the granite bungalows of the Broomhill estate.
The impressive new cinema opened on Saturday 27th February 1932, to an audience mostly of guests, with the main feature being a melodrama called Over the Hill. Reporting on the opening, the Evening Express wrote the following:
"Even though Aberdeen has many magnificent edifices, there is nothing quite so distinctive as the modern design of the front of the new Regent. Fine use has been made of straight lines and curves placed in sharp contrast, and the face that looks through the entrance to Justice Mill Lane on Holburn Street has an imposing dignity about it and yet an elusive gaiety in its composition. It is built of grey granite decorated with bands of red terracotta, and a polished black granite base."
The frontage was floodlit by night and outlined by Aberdeen's neon display. Above the gantry was the large, neon "Regent" sign which made the cinema a beacon at night. The Regent and the Palace were then advertised as "Aberdeen's Super Two".
The Regent's manager John K. Stafford Poole, son of Jack Poole, was aged only 21 when the Regent opened and his innovative promotion and displays became a signature of the cinema. The younger Poole regularly invited the Gordon Highlanders to screenings and in return they would afterwards march, pipes a-skirl, through the cinema and along Union Street back to their barracks.
The Regent proved hugely popular and was soon out-performing the Palace. The success of Poole's Regent prompted Aberdeen Picture Palaces to undertake the creation of their own super-cinema, the Capitol, which would open in 1933. The same year also saw the release of King Kong and the publicity stunt of a human dressed as an ape rampaging on the frontage of the Regent.
On 16th July 1936 it was announced that another southern company called County Cinemas had acquired all the Poole picture houses, those in Devonport, Derby and Plymouth, as well as the Palace and Regent in Aberdeen. In 1939 County Cinemas merged with the larger Odeon chain. In July 1940 the "Regent" sign came down to be replaced with one that read "Odeon". As part of this powerful national circuit, the cinema could rival any in Aberdeen for showing major features.
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson] Pitmedden Garden
4207 A photograph showing three boys admiring the fountain at Pitmedden Garden.
Pitmedden Garden is a Natural Trust for Scotland property. Their website describes it as a "re-created Scottish Renaissance walled garden with vibrant floral designs and Museum of Farming Life."
Concerning its history, the website states "the Great Garden dates back to 1675 when it was originally laid out by Sir Alexander Seton." [...] "In the 1950s Pitmedden was gifted to the Trust who re-created the garden based on 17th-century plans after it was ploughed up to grow vegetables during the Second World War and used as a kitchen garden for over 100 years."
This fountain is detailed in an entry on Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website (CANMORE ID: 338622). Quoting a guide pamphlet by Dr James Richardson, designer of the garden restoration, it states "In the re-creation of the Great Garden of Pitmedden, the National Trust for Scotland not only has established once again the site of the original fountain but it has erected a further fountain as a focal point in the centre of the Great garden. The sculptured stones that compose this second fountain have an interesting history as seven of them formed, at one time, part of the Cross Fountain of Linlithgow designed and executed by Robert Milne, King's Master Mason, to commemorate King Charles II's Restoration. These detached fragments were given by the Ministry of Works. Three fragments of the original Pitmedden construction have also been worked into the composition of the fountain."
Looking west, a stairway up to Pitmedden's terrace garden and Pitmedden House can be seen in the background.
This image likely dates from the 1970s. It comes from a collection of slides donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by Aberdeen City Council's publicity department. Ferryhill Library
4237 A photograph showing Ferryhill Library in winter with a mobile library parked outside.
The image, which looks to date from the early 1990s, looks north east from the top of Great Southern Road towards Fonthill Road.
In the foreground this photograph shows the traffic island at the top of Great Southern Road.
Following the creation a four road roundabout on this section of Holburn Street in 1989-90 a pedestrian crossing was soon created on this island. 32 Loch Street (Post Office)
4342 A photograph looking south towards the Post Office branch at 32 Loch Street in around 1986 or 1987. Norco House and the Aberdeen Public Soup Kitchen would have been across the road, behind the camera here.
This image is one of a series taken by Aberdeen City Council to record buildings prior to the redevelopment of the area and construction of the Bon Accord shopping centre.
As can be seen below a royal cypher for George VI, this Post Office branch on Loch Street dates from 1939.
Its final day of operation was Monday 13th April 1987. An article covering its closure, to make way for the shopping centre, can be found in the Press & Journal newspaper of that day on page 3.
At its creation this Loch Street branch replaced a Post Office at 242 George Street. Following its closure, the Post Office opened a new branch in the St. Nicholas Centre on Tuesday 15th September 1987 (Press & Journal, 16th September 1987, page 5).
The site shown in the photograph would become the location of part of the Bon Accord Centre's north elevation. Aberdeen Market: before and after demolition 9
4369 The before image shows a construction lifter in place for the creation of a mural by Argentinian-born artist Hyuro. The mural, depicting two people fighting, is on one of the passageways between Aberdeen Market and Union Street. It was created for the 2018 Nuart Festival. Taken on 12/04/2018.
The after image shows the cleared site. Some pieces of masonry remain on the right showing the previous location of the passageway. The late-September sky now occupies much of the image. Taken on 27/09/2023.
This composite image is part of a series by Roddy Millar showing Aberdeen Market and its surrounds before and after it was demolished. West Church of St. Andrew
4402 A photograph, taken on 3rd February 2024, of the West Church of St. Andrews at 333 Union Street, Aberdeen. This church has also been known as the Free West Church and the Langstane Kirk.
The West Church of St. Andrew was built in 1869 by James Matthews (1819-1898), originally as a Free Church. The building is in the Gothic revival style, built of stugged ashlar with a slated roof, it has a vast galleried nave, and is set back from the street to form a small square in front.
The early history of the West United Free Church congregation, including the creation of this church building, is detailed in Alexander Gammie's Churches of Aberdeen (1909), pages 227-230. Gammie states that the church was opened on 14th February 1869 with services by the Rev. Dr. Alexander Dyce Davidson (1807-1872).
The Langstane Kirk congregation was formed in 1973 with the union of the West Church of St. Andrew and St. Nicholas, Union Grove (see Evening Express, 1st November 1983, page 3).
At 2024, the church is occupied by a bar called Soul. The bar's website states that its owner, PB Development Co Ltd., purchased the building from the Church of Scotland in 2001 and the venue was opened in 2005 (website accessed: 6th February 2024). Treasure 109: George Washington Wilson Portraits
330 This month we look at some of George Washington Wilson's work as a portrait photographer and especially the creation of photomontages selected from the large collection of images he had taken of men from the city and surrounding area who were leading figures in business, industry, law, education, and the church.
Wilson, encouraged by his friend George Walker of the firm of A. Brown & Co, booksellers, created his first grouping of Aberdeen Portraits in 1857, with a second collection in the following year. They spent many hours selecting and arranging the images to form an oval of faces where their perceived prominence of each individual is determined by the size and placing of each portrait within the oval. Images of Walker, Wilson and Wilson's brother Robert were included in the first selection.
The venture was a huge success with thousands of prints being sold, and, eventually a further seven groupings were created from the stock of images held. In 1907, a booklet with an alphabetical list of all 897 portraits was produced by G. W. Wilson & Co. when a portfolio of all 9 groups with the list could be purchased for 10 shillings and 6 pence. |