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Allenvale Cemetery from Kincorth
60 An early photograph of Allenvale Cemetery, taking shape in the middle distance, as seen from Kincorth, with Abbotswell Farm in the foreground.
A limited company called the Aberdeen Cemetery Company was established for the purpose of creating this new graveyard. A prospectus inviting public investment was published in the Aberdeen Journal of 29th January 1873. It reads as follows:
"It is well known that in Aberdeen cemetery accommodation is limited and insufficient, and it is generally admitted that its extension is necessary, and cannot much longer be delayed. It is therefore desirable to acquire additional space for that purpose, and to treat it in accordance with modern ideas and practice.
"This company has been formed for the purpose of providing an extensive Cemetery, in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, suitable in all respects for the purposes of internment, and of easy access - but sufficiently removed from town to preserve its suburban character."
The new cemetery opened in late 1874 and, as we know, was a big hit. It was officially known as the Aberdeen Cemetery but quickly became known as Allenvale Cemetery, after the property on which it was built.
Allenvale saw major extensions in 1912 and 1932. A London syndicate purchased control of the graveyard from the Aberdeen Cemetery Company in 1958. Aberdeen Town Council subsequently took control of the cemetery in 1965 following the then owners going into liquidation and worries about Allenvale's future. Allenvale remains a fine example of a planned Victorian cemetery to this day.
Notable residents of Allenvale include John James Rickard MacLeod (1876-1935), co-discoverer of insulin, James Scott Skinner (1843-1927), fiddler and composer, and Mary Esslemont (1891-1984), the influential doctor. Though, of course, many interned at Allenvale would have their own interesting stories to tell.
In this photograph, Duthie Park, later created on the right, has yet to be landscaped. St. Machar Poorhouse, Fonthill House and Devanha House can all be seen in the distance. View of Old Aberdeen
70 Print of Old Aberdeen drawn by John Slezer. General view with the Crown Tower of King's College and the spires of St. Machar's Cathedral in the distance. The small building in the right foreground was the Snow Church - St. Mary ad Nives - which was demolished in the 1600's, although part of the burial ground survives. Old Aberdeen
71 A reproduced engraving showing the skyline of Old Aberdeen. The image looks north from around the lands of Sunnyside Farm.
In the foreground can be seen two agricultural labourers. On the skyline, going left to right, is the circular Powis Hermitage, on a hill, with its small spire, the twin spires of St. Machar Cathedral in the far distance, the tower of the Old Town House at the end of the High Street, which is protruding above the southern elevation of St. Mary's United Free Church.
Moving back along the High Street, the south facing front elevation, with bow windows, of Powis Lodge can be seen above the line of trees. The crown tower of King's College is across the street. The two minarets of the Powis Gateway are just next to it. Further along are the crenelations of Cromwell's Tower.
The tower on the far left of the image may be Dunbar's Tower.
The minaret gateway was finished in 1834 and this image likely dates from around that period. The Cowdray Hall War Memorial
122 The Cowdray Hall, War Memorial and Art Gallery taken from Union Terrace Gardens. The Hall was opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 29th September 1925. Cowdray Hall, 1927
218 Shrine, war memorial, Cowdray Hall, 1927.
The War Memorial and the extension of the Art Gallery, including the Cowdray Hall and Museum, were opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 29th September 1925.
These were erected at a cost of 80,000 pounds, with the cost of the War Memorial being raised by public subscription.
The War Memorial is a cenotaph, in the form of a Memorial Court or Hall of Remembrance and is "consecrated to the memory of those 5000 of the city and district who gave their lives on land and sea 'that we might live'".
The shrine is of white and grey marble in a niche in the north wall of the Memorial Court, directly opposite the entrance. It takes the form of a table on which is placed the Roll of Honour, printed on vellum, within glass.
The table is supported by trusses decorated in Renaissance style. On either side are the Union Jack and White Ensign, representing Army and Navy, and in the centre is a laurel wreath in gilt bronze.
Also in the picture can be seen the circular balcony or gallery, with a graceful balustrade, grey marble coping and ornate mouldings, which encircles the Court and leads to various picture galleries, one of which can be seen through the doorway War memorial at Cowdray Hall
219 War memorial at Cowdray Hall. The War Memorial and the extension of the Art Gallery, including the Cowdray Hall and Museum, were opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 29th September 1925. These were erected at a cost of £80,000, with the cost of the War Memorial being raised by public subscription. The War Memorial is a cenotaph, in the form of a Memorial Court or Hall of Remembrance and is "consecrated to the memory of those 5000 of the city and district who gave their lives on land and sea 'that we might live'". Union Street at its junction with Huntly Street
237 Union Street at its junction with Huntly Street, showing St. Mary's R.C. Cathedral, designed by Alexander Ellis in 1860. The building on the left was designed in 1910 by George Bennett Mitchell for Royal Insurance. Proclamation of King Edward VII, 1901
320 This view was taken in the Castlegate on 26th January 1901 at the proclamation of Edward VII as King in succession to Queen Victoria. Because of her recent death a jubilant celebration was out of the question. However, the Town Council and other public dignitaries assembled to form a procession from the Town House on the left to the Market Cross at the right. A crowd of 100,000 attended with windows and roofs all occupied. Cheers were given as the National Anthem was played by the Band of the First Volunteer Batallion (Gordon Highlanders). The procession then returned to the Town House where the health of the King was pledged and God save the King was sung. Flourmill Brae
354 This image shows at the left hand side, a massive stone coffin which stood for many years at the back of tenements at Flourmill Brae. It was brought to the public's attention in 1926 when the area was subject to the Town Council's slum clearance scheme. The coffin consisted of granite slabs blackened and cracked through time. It was 5 and a half feet long, two feet wide and two feet deep. The sides and ends were held together by iron clamps and the lid was cemented on. The belief was that the coffin contained the remains of Mary Bannerman, one of the Bannermans of Elsick and married to George Leslie, Laird of Findrassie, near Elgin who died in 1692. However when the coffin was eventually opened it was empty apart from black earth. It was suggested that the slabs may have protected her coffin at some time and that the actual coffin and her remains had been removed to one of the city's graveyards.
Correspondent Ed Fowler has researched its location using historic maps and suggests that the stone sarcophagus was likely at the end of Quaker's Court near the Friends Meeting House, to the rear of the tenements looking onto Flourmill Brae. 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. Golden Square
586 A photograph of Golden Square most likely dating from the early 1950s. The image is taken from near the junction with North Silver Street and looks towards the south east.
The music hall can be seen on the far left and the spire of St. Mary's Cathedral towers over the square on the right. The centre of the square, later turned into carparking, appears to be a grassy area. 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). Jubilee bonfire on Brimmond Hill, Bucksburn, 1935
1139 During the 16th century, Brimmond Hill, in the parish of Newhills, was designated the site of a warning beacon, or "fyer bitte", to be lit in the event of a Spanish invasion.
In more recent times, celebratory bonfires on Brimmond have marked important national events. In this photograph, we see the bonfire built in honour of the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary.
An advertisement in the local press intimated that "Lady Orr, Wardenhill, will set alight a thousand loads of wood to blaze sky-high the Loyal Greetings of Bucksburn and all the Parish of Newhills. This is the biggest bonfire in Britain. A wonderful spectacle." Aberdeen Public Soup Kitchen
1191 Aberdeen Public Soup Kitchen was first established as a charity in 1800 in St. Mary's Chapel in St. Nicholas Church. It supplied a breakfast of coffee and bread and a lunch of bread, soup and a piece of beef or mutton to the needy of the city. In a period of nearly 240 days it supplied over 140,000 servings of soup and bread.
The Soup Kitchen moved to Loch Street in 1838 and this new building was opened by Lord Provost Stewart in December 1894. The ground floor dining room had accommodation for at least 50 people and the tables were marble topped. In 1926, a total of nearly 27,000 meals were provided with funding still coming from charitable donations since few could afford even the two pence (1p) for the lunch.
The building survived major developments in the surrounding area but in recent years its charitable purpose was no longer thought necessary, and it was converted into a café in the mid 1990s. In 2022, the building still stands at 41-43 Loch Street, with the covered walkway for John Lewis and the Bon Accord Centre to its south (to the left of this image). It is occupied by a outlet of the Jo Malone London fragrance and candle store. Mutton Brae and Lower Denburn
1668 Mutton Brae and Lower Denburn, Aberdeen. Mutton Brae ran from Schoolhill to Lower Denburn. Many of the houses there were occupied by handloom weavers who worked in a large cotton factory at the corner of Belmont Street and Schoolhill. The missionary Mary Slessor lived here. After the factory closed in 1830, the buildings were demolished and the site was developed for the three Free Churches, designed by Archibald Simpson, which opened in 1843/44. These are now referred to as the Triple Kirks. Many of the other houses were demolished to allow the building of the Denburn Valley Junction Railway which opened in 1867.
King's College Chapel
1770 Interior of King's College Chapel, Aberdeen. The Chapel, originally the Chapel of St Mary in the Nativity, was built between 1500 and 1505. Old Aberdeen
1804 Print of Old Aberdeen drawn by John Slezer. General view of the old city with the Crown Tower of King's College and the spires of St Machar Cathedral in the distance. The small building in the right foreground was the Snow Church, St Mary ad Nives, which was demolished in the 1600's, although part of the burial ground survives. Flourmill Brae
1930 This image (c. 1920) shows at the left hand side, a massive stone coffin which stood for many years at the back of tenements at Flourmill Brae. It was brought to the public's attention in 1926 when the area was subject to the Town Council's slum clearance scheme. The coffin consisted of granite slabs blackened and cracked through time. It was 5 and a half feet long, two feet wide and two feet deep. The sides and ends were held together by iron clamps and the lid was cemented on. The belief was that the coffin contained the remains of Mary Bannerman, one of the Bannermans of Elsick and married to George Leslie, Laird of Findrassie, near Elgin who died in 1692. However when the coffin was eventually opened it was empty apart from black earth. It was suggested that the slabs may have protected her coffin at some time and that the actual coffin and her remains had been removed to one of the city's graveyards. The opening of the Rowett Research Institute
2240 The opening of the Rowett Research Institute by Queen Mary in September 1922. The Rowett Research Institute
2241 The Rowett Research Institute at Bucksburn. It was opened by Queen Mary in May 1923. Victoria Road
2251 Victoria Road was one of the first streets in the development of New Torry in the late 19th century. As the population of Aberdeen rapidly increased and advances were made in fishing technology there was a need for more housing in Torry.
The Torry Land Association controversially bought the land that had previously been occupied by Torry Farm and began work on what would become the main street in Torry.
The first houses, Nos 104 and 110, were built by Calder Duncan and David Alexander around 1883. These villas have since however been replaced with the type of granite tenements that dominate the area.
In this image the No.43 electric tram is clearly seen on its way from Guild Street to St. Fittick's Road. Torry was one of the last places in Aberdeen to get a tram line, the route being opened in 1903. Tram rosettes are still visible on the frontage of many of Torry's tenements today. The rosettes are where overhead power lines for the trams were fixed into the walls. The last tram to Torry ran in a blizzard in February 1931.
In addition to gas lamps, Victoria Road was home to many notable residents over the years. These include Dr Laura Sandison who ran a clinic on the street. She was a pioneering woman doctor, politician and a mentor to Mary Esslemont. Sandison was known to residents of Torry and beyond for always riding her bicycle and in her Press and Journal obituary in 1929 she was described as "the best loved woman in Aberdeen." Victoria Road
2252 Victoria Road was one of the first streets in the development of New Torry in the late 19th century. As the population of Aberdeen rapidly increased and advances were made in fishing technology there was a need for more housing in Torry.
The Torry Land Association controversially bought the land that had previously been occupied by Torry Farm and began work on what would become the main street in Torry.
This view taken from the junction with Menzies Road shows the Victoria Bar on the corner. This is reputed to be the old site of the Torry Farm duck-pond.
The first houses, Nos 104 and 110, were built by Calder Duncan and David Alexander around 1883. These villas have since however been replaced with the type of granite tenements that dominate the area.
In this image the No.43 electric tram is clearly seen on its way to Guild Street from St. Fitticks Road. Torry was one of the last places in Aberdeen to get a tram line, the route being opened in 1903. Tram rosettes are still visible on the frontage of many of Torry's tenements today. The rosettes are where overhead power lines for the trams were fixed into the walls. The last tram to Torry ran in a blizzard in February 1931. One of the road's historic gas lamps can also be seen on the near right.
Victoria Road was home to many notable residents over the years. These include Dr Laura Sandison who ran a clinic on the street. She was a pioneering female doctor, politician and a mentor to Mary Esslemont. Sandison was known to residents of Torry and beyond for always riding her bicycle and in her Press and Journal obituary in 1929 she was described as "the best loved woman in Aberdeen." 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 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. |