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Interior of King's College Chapel
139 Interior of King's College Chapel, University of Aberdeen, Old Aberdeen, c.1900. King's College was founded by Bishop William Elphinstone under a Papal Bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on 10th February 1495. Marischal College was founded as an independent university in 1593 and the two became the University of Aberdeen in the Fusion of 1860. Work began on the College in 1500 and it took 6 years to complete the Chapel. This photograph shows the interior looking west, showing Bishop Stewart's pulpit on the right, through the nave and choir to the choir stalls and rood screen, with the antechapel behind it. Non-residents entered through the west door and occupied the antechapel, while students entered from the College Library via a special staircase within the rood screen. The central gallery of the screen is still used to house the organ. The 52 choir stalls, commissioned by Elphinstone, are "a unique survival as well as the finest of their king in Scotland". The finely panelled Renaissance pulpit of William Stewart (Bishop 1532-1545) bears his coat of arms and was originally in use in St. Machar's Cathedral. The timber ceiling was constructed soon after 1506 and was probably designed by John Fendour. It consists of a diagonal arrangement of ribs and widely spreading foliage sprigs radiating from centre bosses. The choir stalls and ceiling both show a strong Flemish influence. The Chapel is still in use today for University services and is a popular marriage venue for graduates. 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. Queens Cross Free Church
369 Queens Cross Free Church, Aberdeen. This photograph taken by G.W. Wilson whose house was almost adjacent. In 1877, the Free Church discussed the possibility of a church to cater for those who lived in the increasingly popular west end of the city. They secured a triangular site at the junction of Albyn Place and Carden Place at Queens Cross. Competitive designs were sought and John Bridgeford Pirie, of Pirie and Clyne, architects, were successful with his French Gothic design in granite. The steeple is 150 feet high and the grand entrance doorway is flanked by massive pillars leading into the nave where there was space for around 800 worshipers. There is a circular window in the east end, stained glass windows having been gifted by members of the congregation. The building was opened for worship on 17th April 1881, and the popularity of its first Minister, the Rev Dr George Adam Smith brought large audiences to the church. Smith was later to become Principal of Aberdeen University. The church became the only one of the city's free churches to have instrumental music when it acquired an organ built by Henry Willis. Queens Cross became Church of Scotland in 1929 when the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church merged. Various extensions have taken place, including a new hall and vestry in 1939, and the building was extensively restored in 1980. Seaton's view of Castle Street
670 This view was drawn by Robert Seaton in 1806. On the left is the Tolbooth and adjoining it is the Mason Lodge and New Inn. The property was sold in 1839 to the proprietors of the North of Scotland Bank and the bank offices were erected on the site in 1840-2. In the late 1990s, the bank closed and became a pub, called Archibald Simpson's, after the original architect. The prominent building on the right side was the Aberdeen Bank, later to become the Bank of Scotland building. The tall man in the centre was John Ewen, jeweller, the man on the right with the drum was Watty Leith, Town Drummer, and on the left is John Milne, the Town Hangman, talking to the fishwives, claiming his free fish as perks of his trade. Seaton's view of Castle Street
746 This view was drawn by Robert Seaton in 1806. On the left is the Tolbooth and adjoining it is the Mason Lodge and New Inn. The property was sold in 1839 to the proprietors of the North of Scotland Bank and the bank offices were erected on the site in 1840-2. In the late 1990s, the bank closed and became a pub, called Archibald Simpson's, after the original architect. The prominent building on the right side was the Aberdeen Bank, later to become the Bank of Scotland building. The tall man in the centre was John Ewen, jeweller, the man on the right with the drum was Watty Leith, Town Drummer, and on the left is John Milne, the Town Hangman, talking to the fishwives, claiming his free fish as perks of his trade. Wellington Lodge
811 A photograph showing Wellington Lodge on the corner of Justice Mill Lane and Holburn Street.
The top of Holburn Street, towards Holburn Junction, was previously known as South Street and later as Wellington Place. In the background of this image, on the far left, can be seen the John Smith designed Water House on Union Street.
Wellington Lodge stood across the road from Holburn Church, roughly where the Glentanar Bar stands today. It can be seen on the large scale Ordnance Survey town plan and map sheets from the 1860s.
The property appears to have belonged to the Whytes of Dalhebity, Cults. For some time Wellington Lodge was the residence of Helen Whyte and she was likely the house's final resident.
Helen Whyte died aged 85 on 31st January 1898 (death notice: Aberdeen Weekly Journal, 09/02/1898, p. 4). Newspaper references suggest she was involved in various charitable activities. She was the daughter of Baillie John Whyte, a merchant, and had a brother also called John Whyte (1845-1904), a prominent citizen and advocate.
Another death notice indicates that Mary Ann Hardie, of 48 Victoria Road, Torry, was employed for 38 years as the servant for Miss Helen Whyte. Hardie died in 1895 (death notice: Aberdeen Journal, 17/08/1895, p. 4).
Newspapers also suggest the villa was the home of Miss Mary Murray Gordon. She would likely have been a relation of James Murray Gordon who was a partner in the same law firm as John Whyte, Helen's aforementioned brother.
Wellington Lodge was probably demolished shortly after the death of Helen Whyte. It made way for the extension of the larger tenement buildings on Holburn Street that can be seen in the background of this photograph.
The Aberdeen Weekly Journal's 'Granite Chips' column of 17th May 1899 (p. 9) states "A very large and handsome block of buildings for Mr Peter Farquharson has been erected in Holburn Street, stretching from the office of the Union Bank of Scotland to Justice Mill Lane." This most likely refers to this development.
David Miller in Archibald Simpson, Architect, His Life and Times 1790-1847 (2006) states that this villa was designed by Simpson for Mrs Yeats of Auquharney (page 174). Kelman Memorial Church, Culter
996 Kelman Memorial Church, Culter - in 1843 at the Disruption, the Rev. Robert Thomson set up a Free Church congregation in Culter. They worshipped at a building at Contlaw, 3 miles from the village. In 1893, the congregation, under the Rev. John Kelman, agreed that a more central site was required. The foundation stone was laid on 28 April 1894 and the church, designed by John Rust, was opened on 16 February 1895. This snowy scene shows the Norman style of architecture of the church, which was constructed of granite from Rubislaw Quarry, Aberdeen. After the reunion of the Free Church with the Church of Scotland in October 1929, the decision was taken to rename this church the Kelman Memorial Church in remembrance of Rev. Dr. Kelman, who had died only a few months earlier. This left 2 Church of Scotland churches in Culter but, in March 1999, St. Peter's and Kelman Memorial were amalgamated to form Peterculter Parish Church, with this building chosen to continue for the future. St. Peter's may become a heritage museum. Broadford Works
1449 An illustration of Broadford Works, Aberdeen showing the textile factory in its Victorian heyday.
Broadford Works has a long and varied history. The first mill was built on the site in 1808 for Scott Brown and Company of Angus. It is the oldest iron-framed mill in Scotland.
John Maberly MP bought the site from a bankrupt Scott Brown in 1811. He partnered London banker John Baker Richards in 1825 and, bought out in turn by John Temple Leader in 1831, was declared bankrupt the next year.
The site, between Ann Street, Maberly Street and Hutcheon Street, was for many years the base of textile firm Richards & Company. See the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives team's catalogue entry for their Richards plc records for more information about the company and site. Portrait of sporting young man in white flannels standing in front of a bathing machine.
1648 Correspondent Ed Fowler has been in touch with the following information concerning this image:
"Bathing Machines were temporary changing rooms that were wheeled down to the beach strand. They allowed sea swimmers a ready facility of changing into bathing costumes or out of wet costumes after swimming in the sea.
The facility was spartan - just 2 bench seats - wet and dry sides perhaps and a small round vanity mirror at head level.
They were soon outmoded and removed from the beach and stored behind the Banner Mill for 1940's children, such as the writer, to explore and vandalise.
The well-built gentleman in this photograph was likely a self-appointed lifeguard of the era and maybe Scotland's champion swimmer and diver - Aberdeen's Mr Willie 'Moosie' Sutherland.
He was famed for his rescue successes at Aberdeen Beach, Walkers Dam and the River Dee and was an active member of the Dee Swimming Club and Bon Accord Club since 1865.
'Moosie' saved well over 100 Lives and was given a recognition of Rescue service award by Lord Provost Leslie in 1871 at the age of 27 years.
He died aged 42 on the 20th September 1886 his last competitive race was the first ever Dee to Don Estuaries swim in the same year." John Knox Church
1823 An illustration looking south along Mounthooly, with John Knox Church in the centre, from near the bridge opposite Canal Street. The bridge was initially over the Aberdeenshire Canal and later the Great North of Scotland railway.
This drawing shows the old John Knox Church. It was built as an extension church in the parish of Greyfriars. Building commenced in 1833 and finished in 1835.
Demolition of the old church and construction of its replacement began in 1910. A larger building was needed to accommodate an expanding congregation. Alexander Gammie, in his Churches of Aberdeen (1909), credits the increase in attendance to the popularity of Rev. George A. Johnston, who served as the church's minister from 27th September 1905 to 1909.
At the rear of the original church there was a boys and girls school that can be seen on the Ordnance Survey map from 1869 (Aberdeenshire LXXV.11). The 1902 OS map suggests this school was replaced by the congregation's church hall, finished in October 1885. The 1926 map indicates the hall was in turn demolished during construction of the new church.
Summarizing the progress of the church up to 1909, Gammie writes:
"The congregation of John Knox is composed almost entirely of the working classes, and the church is situated in what is practically an east-end district. Yet it has not been lacking in the enterprise and ability to undertake and complete important schemes solely by its own efforts. The erection of a church hall, the introduction of a pipe organ, and the erection of a handsome new oak pulpit are instances of what it has accomplished in this respect."
The soon to be undertaken construction of the new church building would perhaps remain the greatest accomplishment in the congregation's history. In 1997 John Knox Church united with Greyfriars Church on Broad Street, ceasing to be a seperate congregation. The 1910 church building was later converted for residential use.
The kirk session records of the church are held by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives. Principal John Marshall Lang
1908 A portrait of Principal John Marshall Lang (1834 - 1909). Lang was Church of Scotland minister and principal of Aberdeen University. He was appointed to the latter role on 31st March 1900. Lang died on 2nd May 1909 at the Chanonry Lodge, Old Aberdeen and is buried in the south transept of St Machar's Cathedral. The Longacre
1941 Longacre, off Broad Street, in 1884. The street was demolished for the extensions to Marischal College.
This drawing served as the frontispiece image of the following publication: Centenary of the Consecration of the Right Reverend Samuel Seabury, D.D., first Bishop of Connecticut., Authorised Report of Proceedings in Scotland and Elsewhere, 1884 (John Avery & Co., 1885).
To the far left of the image can be seen the old St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Gammie's Churches of Aberdeen (1909), tells us that this was opened for service on 13th September 1795.
It was built on the site of Bishop John Skinner's house, the upper two floors of which had served as the congregation's meeting place. On 14th November 1784 this was the scene of the consecration of Dr. Samuel Seabury as the first Bishop of Connecticut.
The chapel was bought by the Wesley Methodists in 1818 and served as Aberdeen's centre of Methodist activity until 1873. Prior to demolition it is thought to have been used as a warehouse and this would account for the crane like tool protruding from the window in this image. A Night-Watchman, 1857
2004 A portrait of an Aberdeen man dressed in uniform. He has a lantern hanging from his jacket and may be leaning on a large cudgel.
This image is used in the book The Diced Cap: The Story of Aberdeen City Police (1972). It features on a plate, opposite page 32, and is captioned as "Watchman 1857".
On page 45, The Diced Cap quotes a report on the state of Aberdeen's law enforcement from 1859 by Scotland's first H. M. Inspector of Constabulary, Colonel John Kinloch of Logie, Kirriemuir.
The highly critical report includes the following passage: "The Constables are divided in the old fashioned way into 'Day Constables' and 'Night-Watchmen'; the latter being so far consider an inferior class that they have less pay and are not thought worth of putting into uniform like the Day Constables, being provided only with a great-coat, flat bonnet, and a big stick!" (The Diced Cap, page 47)
The figure shown in this image very much fits Kinloch's description of Aberdeen's Night-Watchmen. John Ross of Clochan and Arnage
2033 A portrait of Provost John Ross of Arnage (1665 - 1714). He served as Provost of Aberdeen from 1710-1711. Provost Ross' House on Shiprow, later part of the Aberdeen Maritime Museum, was named after him. Ross died on 15th September 1714 while on business in Amsterdam and is buried in the English Church of that city.
This portrait is said to have been painted in 1685 by Sir John Medina (1659-1710). The painting is at Fyvie Castle and is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. A correspondent informs us that it was donated by the Leith-Ross family, and formerly hung in Leith Hall. Queen's Cross Church
2116 Queens Cross Church in the snow. In 1877 the Free Church discussed the possibility of a church to cater for those who lived in the increasingly popular west end of the city. They secured a triangular site at the Queen's Cross junction of Albyn Place and Carden Place.
Competitive designs were sought and John Bridgeford Pirie, of Pirie and Clyne, architects, were successful with his French Gothic design in granite. The steeple is 150 feet high and the grand entrance doorway is flanked by massive pillars leading into the nave where there was space for around 800 worshipers. There is a circular window in the east end, stained glass windows having been gifted by members of the congregation.
The building was opened for worship on 17th April 1881, and the popularity of its first Minister, the Rev Dr George Adam Smith brought large audiences to the church. He was later to become Principal of Aberdeen University.
The church became the only one of the city's free churches to have instrumental music when it acquired an organ built by Henry Willis. Queens Cross became Church of Scotland in 1929 when the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church merged. Various extensions have taken place, including a new hall and vestry in 1939, and the building was extensively restored in 1980. Treasure 33: The Pedigree of the Cruickshanks of Stracathro
2321 Among the Local Studies collection of family trees is a chart from 1847 entitled Pedigree of the Cruickshanks of Stracathro. The title initially referred to the Cruickshanks of Langley Park but this has been scored out and replaced with Stracathro. A pedigree is a form of genealogical table. Collections of pedigrees were first made in the 15th century and, according to The Oxford Companion, were "a matter of aristocratic pride and of practical necessity for legal purposes". The term pedigree comes from the French 'pied de grue', meaning crane's foot, due to the resemblance of the genealogical lines to the thin legs and feet of the bird.
The pedigree of the Cruickshanks was compiled by E. G. G. Cruickshank, who features in the 10th generation detailed on the table.
The pedigree begins with the earliest ancestor at the top of the document with lines dropping down to succeeding generations. Each generation is given a Roman numeral and individuals within each generation are assigned Arabic numbers. The pedigree begins with "John Cruickshank first in Strathspey m. Mary Cumming of Elgin" and extends down to an incomplete 12th generation. The individuals in the 11th generation were mostly born in the 1870s.
The information listed on a family tree is dependent on the sources available and the purpose for which it was created. The information given on the Cruickshank's pedigree varies but typically includes an individual's date of birth, marriage details and date of death. Additional information is also supplied as is the case with the 7th generation of Cruickshanks - Margaret Helen is described as the daughter of Rev. Gerard of Aberdeen, author of a book whose title is unreadable, and sister to a Colonel Gerald. Details of army service are supplied for some individuals and many of the Cruickshanks were involved in the administration of India or served in the army there.
The tiny handwriting, use of abbreviations and sparse punctuation makes the document challenging to read so familiarity with the subject matter and names of places is useful. A later interpreter of the document has made a number of annotations in pencil. For example, one of the later additions points to an individual and reads "Is this W. Robertson of Auchinroath? Yes!"
In addition to a listing of descendants the pedigree is annotated with a number of original notes and a description of a coat of arms. The latin motto of Cavendo tutus translates as 'Safe through caution'. One note, quoting "an old paper", describes from where the family came prior to being in Strathspey. A note on the other side of the chart states that "distinguished Officer and Author the late Colonel Stewart of Garth" links the family to the Royal Family of Stewart and suggests the name of Cruickshank derives from "some deformity in the first cadet of the house."
Attached to the document is a letter dated 23 October 1927 from a Jim Bulloch to City Librarian G. M. Fraser. Bulloch explains that he got the pedigree from a Mr. Mackintosh of Elgin, thinks it is quite rare and that the library might like it for its collection. It has stayed in the Local Studies collection to this day.
The Gazetteer for Scotland website states that in 1775 Patrick Cruickshank, listed at No. 11 of the 7th generation, bought the estate of Stracathro in Angus. The property was subsequently inherited by his brother Alexander Cruickshank (1764 - 1846). Alexander hired the Aberdeen architect Archibald Simpson to build Stracathro House between 1824 and 1827. The Palladian Scottish country house still exists today.
University College London's Legacies of British Slave-ownership website indicates that Patrick and Alexander, and two other Cruickshank brothers, owned plantations on the Caribbean island of St Vincent that used slave labour. See Alexander Cruickshank's entry in the database here: 'Alexander Cruikshank of Stracathro', Legacies of British Slave-ownership database, http://wwwdepts-live.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/8590 [accessed 9th June 2020]. In 1833 when Britain abolished the ownership of slaves the government granted £20 million in compensation to former slave-owners. Alexander Cruickshank made three claims for compensation, two of which were successful.
In 1874, Stracathro House and estate were sold to Sir James Bannerman, Lord Provost of Glasgow, and father of Prime Minister Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. The country house was later used as a World War II hospital and owned by Tay Health Board before being sold to private owners in 2003. John McWilliam
2611 This photograph shows the premises of John McWilliam, grocer, wine and spirit merchant at 199 Midstocket Road. This image is thought to date from around the mid-1920s. Three members of staff stand by the door and a cart is by the roadside. Bottles are displayed in the windows.
A copy of this photograph was kindly donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by our friends at Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society. Town House Extension Foundation Stone
2757 The foundation stone of the Aberdeen Town House extension on Broad Street.
As stated on the stone, it was laid by Lord Provost Robert S. Lennox on 17th November 1975.
The city architects responsible for the extension were I. A. Ferguson and T. C. Watson. It was built by Taylor Woodrow Construction (Scotland) Ltd.
The stone also makes reference to a casket buried five metres below the foundations to commemorate the dissolution of the Corporation of the City of Aberdeen as part of local government reform.
The casket ceremony was held on 15th May 1975 shortly after the last meeting of the Aberdeen Town Council which was being replaced by the City of Aberdeen District Council.
The casket ceremony was the final act of John Smith as lord provost. The official switch over of councils was marked by the "Bon-Accord" bell of the West Church of St Nicholas tolling from 11:50pm to midnight on 15th May. Earlier in the day saw a fireworks display at the Queens Links, pipe bands and a special lunch and church service for members and officials of the corporation. See local newspaper coverage from the time for more details on the occasion.
Around 80 people, including councillors, family and Taylor Woodrow employees watched Lord Provost John Smith place 29 items of interest into the copper clad box. Smith joked, "About the year 3048, an unsuspecting archaeological digger may come upon this box and he will no doubt remark on my genius."
Among the buried items were copies of the Press & Journal and the Evening Express, local books, records and cassettes of Scottish music, local government data, sets of coins of the realm and postage stamps, local stones, a phial of North Sea oil and plans for the Town House extension.
The casket was placed on a crane hook by Aberdeen Town House project manager Tom Nisbet and guided into the ground by foreman Andrew Benzies.
The ceremony was reported in local newspapers and the July 1975 issue of the construction company's magazine, Taywood News. 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. John Knox United Free Church group portrait
2905 A group portrait believed to show some of the congregation and officials of John Knox United Free Church on Gerrard Street.
This church was formed after the Disruption of 1843 when Rev. John Stephen, the then minister of John Knox Parish Church, located nearby at Mounthooly, left the established Church to join the Free Church of Scotland. The first John Knox U. F. Church on Gerrard Street was opened for worship by Stephen on 31st March 1844. The later church on the same site was opened in January 1900, during the ministry of Rev. Robert Macleod. It is in this later building that this photograph is believed to have been taken. Likely during the late 1920s or 1930s.
This print was kindly donated to Aberdeen Local Studies by David Parkinson. His grandfather, David Charles Kelly Parkinson, is the tall, left most chap in the back row. Aberdeen Theatres: Professor Anderson at the Royal Lyceum Theatre
3390 A programme/advertisement for performances of John Henry Anderson (1814-1874) at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, London in November 1855.
Anderson, better known as "The Great Wizard of the North", was born at Craigmyle in Kincardine and became a prominent 19th century magician.
This large programme (50 x 26 cm) details the various acts in the performance and those involved. Most of the performers are given exotic pseudonyms like Hermes Trismagistus, the Wizard of Greece. The Wizard of Scotland, however, is simply called Michael Scott.
The other side of the programme features a reprinted article about Anderson from The Times of 4th September 1855 and one on 'Spiritualism in London' from The Hartford Times of 10th August. 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. Daniel Macandrew
4182 A photographic portrait of Aberdeen builder and architect Daniel Macandrew (1827-1899). This image is sourced from In Memoriam: An Obituary of Aberdeen and Vicinity for the Year 1899 with Biographical Notes and Portraits of Prominent Citizens (William Cay & Sons). The book, one of a series published annually between 1890 and 1912, reproduces his obituary from the Aberdeen Free Press newspaper.
Macandrew was born in Fortrose, Ross and Cromarty. His family moved to Drumoak, Deeside, when he was young. He served as an apprentice architect and joiner in the offices of William Henderson and Baille Watson. He then started business on his own account. He lived and worked for a period in New Zealand, before returning to Aberdeen. At the time of his death, Macandrew lived at Vinery Lodge, Cults.
Amongst his works, he was contracted to build Peterhead Prison and various works for the University of Aberdeen, including the library at King's College and the Anatomy Rooms at Marischal College. He designed the Free John Knox Church, Gerard Street, the Free Church in Culsalmond, plus the Aberdeen Hydropathic Establishment, later the Bath Hotel.
Extensive information about Macandrew can be found in his entry on the Dictionary of Scotland Architects 1660-1980 website and in his newspaper obituaries. Glenmuick Parish Church
4223 A photograph looking south from Bridge Street in Ballater towards the front elevation of Glenmuick Parish Church. A small part of Ballater's war memorial can be seen seen on the left.
Glenmuick Parish Church was built in 1873-74 to a design by Aberdeen architect John Russell Mackenzie (1833-1889). Describing its historical importance on their listed buildings portal, Historic Environment Scotland state the following:
"Francis Farquharson, and later his brother William, planned Ballater in the late 18th century, following the discovery that the Pannanich Wells across the River Dee were deemed to have miraculous healing qualities. This led to a steady stream of visitors and Ballater was planned as a village that could house them. The village was based on a rectilinear plan with the church at its centre. This early church was a simple building with a wooden steeple and was built to accommodate the people of the three surrounding parishes - Glengairn, Tullich and Glenmuick. It was consecrated in 1800.
"With Queen Victoria's interest in Balmoral in the 1850s and the arrival of the railway to the town in 1866, Ballater grew more prosperous and the older church was thought not be sufficiently in keeping with the new more prosperous town and the present church was built."
The war memorial in the bottom left, designed by Sir John J. Burnett, commemorates soldiers who died in World War I and II. It was unveiled on 23rd July 1922 (Press & Journal, 24th July 1922).
This image likely dates from the 1970s or 80s. It is a part of a collection of slides donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by Aberdeen City Council's Publicity department. |