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The Pleasure Park, Aberdeen Beach
397 A postcard showing John Henry Iles' Pleasure Park in the 1930s. The park's esplanade site, south of Wellington Street (roughly where Amadeus nightclub/the Range and part of the Queen's Links carpark would later stand), was leased to Iles by the Council in 1929. Illes was an amusement entrepreneur originally from Manchester.
The park's biggest attraction, in all senses, was the Scenic Railway roller coaster shown here. Iles was involved in several amusement parks around Britain and during a visit to New York he obtained the European rights to the design of the latest roller coasters. He subsequently erected his Scenic Railway in Aberdeen in 1929.
The roller coaster rose to 100 feet in the air at its highest point and was popular with holiday makers and locals throughout the 1930s. The local press recorded 21,000 children, between 3 and 14 years of age, carried on the ride during a special children's day that was held on Saturday 20th August 1932.
Part of the message written on the back of this postcard by a young visitor to Aberdeen reads "This picture shows you the scenic railway which I have been on and liked very much".
The Scenic Railway was sadly badly damaged by fire on the night of 5th December 1940 and was consequently demolished. Other attractions of Iles' park included rides such as The Caterpillar, The Whip, Water Dodgems, and the Brooklyn Racers (petrol driven cars).
In the background of this image be seen the tower of St. Clements Church and a row of tenements, likely those on Wellington Street. Rosehill Farm
1485 A photograph, likely by James G. Kellas and from the early 1950s, showing Rosehill Hill Farm.
The large scale Ordnance Survey map surveyed in 1867, those revised in 1899 and in 1924 show the farm located on the north side of Cairncry Road. Rosehill Quarries were located to the north of the farm buildings.
The OS map surveyed in 1955 shows the farm surrounded by a modern housing estate. The buildings are then nos. 8, 10 and 12 Blackthorn Crescent.
The farm buildings later appear to have made way for new housing developments on Blackthorn Crescent and no remains of the farm can be seen today.
In the early 19th century the lands of Rosehill, along with Burnside and Ruthrieston, were acquired by Alexander Duthie, a successful advocate in Aberdeen, and later passed to his grandson Walter, a writer to the signet in Edinburgh. Walter was the uncle of Elizabeth Crombie Duthie, who donated Duthie Park to the people. See the latter's obituary in the Evening Express of 30th March 1885, page 3, for further detail. Brae Farm
1790 This photograph was taken in 1951 by James Kellas and looks east showing, on the left, the rear of Brae Farm, located on Morningside Road, and part of 142 Morningside Avenue on the right.
There was originally a Brae Farm to the north west of this location that can be seen the Ordnance Survey map published in 1869 (Aberdeen Sheet LXXV.14). Just to the north of the old farm on the map is a single Aberdeen Water Works reservoir.
An article from The Leopard magazine by Diane Morgan (October/November 1985) explains that in 1885 an Aberdeen Corporation Water Act was passed to empower the Town Council to take eight million gallons daily from the River Dee and to build a second reservoir at Mannofield. This was to keep up with the city's rapid population increase.
To carry out the expansion, the council acquired the land adjoining the initial reservoir including the first Brae Farmhouse and its steadings. They then became known as Reservoir Cottage and Reservoir House and served as the home of the inspector of the water works. A relatively early inspector was called William Clark. On 28th February 1898 he died at the cottage aged 64. He was buried in the John Knox Churchyard (Aberdeen Weekly Journal, 02/03/1898, p.4).
Clark was likely succeeded as waterworks inspector by James Forsyth. The Forsyth family lived at the cottage well into the 20th century. James was married to Margaret (née Jaffray), who died after him on 28th July 1945, aged 85. Their second son, Sapper John Forsyth, died aged 26 at Oldmill Military Hospital on 20th April 1917. He was buried at Springback Cemetery.
The reservoirs continue to play a vital role in supplying water to Aberdeen. The cottage and house however were demolished in the late 20th century and replaced by modern water treatment buildings.
As shown on the 1901 OS map, sometime shortly after the passing of the 1885 act the Brae Farm we can see in this picture was built to the south east, where Morningside Road met Auchinyell Bridge. To the east, Aberdeenshire County Cricket Ground was also built around the same time.
This later Brae Farm was the home to the Kinnaird family for the first half of the 20th century. The heads of the family were Frank Kinnaird and Margaret Amelia Smith.
Their son Lance-Corporal A. G. Kinnaird, of the Royal Scots, was reported as a prisoner of war in Germany in June 1918. Prior to the war he had worked with the Clydesdale Bank (Evening Express, 03/06/1918 p.3).
Frank's eldest daughter, Jessie Sinclair, married James Smith Mathieson at Ruthrieston U.F. Church on 7th September 1927 (Evening Express, 08/09/1927, p.6).
A younger daughter, Edith Kinnaird, married a man from Portsmouth called Andrew Livingstone in July 1936. The marriage took place in Ruthrieston West Church and the reception was at the Caledonian Hotel (Press & Journal, 06/06/1936 p.8).
Daughters Amelia Elizabeth and Margaret Kinnaird both left Brae Farm in the 1920s (1924 and 1920, respectively) to reunite with fiancés who had travelled ahead to Canada.
Frank Kinnaird died on 12th August 1950, aged 84.
At some point during the 1930s-1950s the residential streets we know today, Morningside Avenue, Terrace and Place were constructed between the reservoir and the new farmstead. These streets take their name from Morningside Farm to the east. As can be seen in this photograph, the farm stood into the 1950s. It was eventually demolished when Morningside Avenue was extended to meet Morningside Road. The newer bungalows can be distinguished by their tiled, rather than slated roofs. 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. Treasure 25: Alexander Ogg, Land Surveyor: Inverurie, Aberdeen and New Zealand
196 November 27th 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the death of the land surveyor Alexander Ogg. Local historian, and Central Library user, Dr Douglas Lockhart made the excellent suggestion that we celebrate this anniversary by displaying Ogg's rare Map of New and Old Aberdeen (1855) as a treasure for November.
The tremendous level of detail; annotation of residential and business occupants and the inclusion of various proposed city developments, make the map a particularly interesting historical item.
This version of the map was corrected to 1855 and published by J. Gellatly, 26 George Street, Edinburgh.
There is a brief description of the map in the bottom right of the sheet that reads:
"This map, continued from the Original Survey made in 1809, by John Smith Architect; has been revised and corrected to 1848, by Alexr. Ogg Land Surveyor; the Railways and Approaches by Alexr. Gibb, C.E. and the Harbour Improvements by James Abernethy, Harbour Engineer."
The National Library of Scotland hold a version of the map corrected to 1847 and published by D. Wyllie & Son, 111 Union Street, Aberdeen. It features a similar description to the one above, the only difference being it states it is corrected by Ogg to 1847.
There are visible differences between the two versions, particularly around the railway areas. How much these amendments are due to Ogg in 1848 or a later cartographer is unclear. Map showing location of first Joint Station
362 Map showing location of first Joint Station alongside the Caledonian Railway's original terminus. Note that the course of the River Dee was closer to the centre of the city in the 1860s.
Following several years of controversy over the route and cost of a direct connection between the SNER and the GNSR, Parliament brokered an agreement between the two companies to jointly fund a line from Kittybrewster to a new station in Guild Street at a cost of about £200,000, involving two tunnels and the culverting of the Denburn. |