Quick Search
|
Search Results
You searched for: More Like: 'Gilcomston Steps'
69 items
items as
Gilcomston Steps, Skene Square
20 Gilcomston Steps, foot of Skene Square, in 1866. Part of old Gilcomston, these 18th century labourers' houses were known as "the rotten holes" and were among the very worst slums in the city, even by the standards of the mid 19th century. The end house with the sign was used as a smithy. All were demolished to make way for the Denburn Valley Railway, c.1866. Northfield Mission Church
34 Engraving of Northfield Mission Church and School, Gilcomston. Drawing by Andrew Gibb.
Popularly known as 'Laing's Kirkie', Northfield Mission Kirk was opened in Leadside Road on 10 November 1850. The building was designed and funded mainly by Alexander Laing, coachbuilder, as part of the Free Church Mission in the Northfield area of Gilcomston. At that time the area had a bad reputation and poor housing conditions. In 1863, Mr Laing handed over the chapel to the charge of the Free East Church, and the school was transferred to the School Board. Although the new Rutherford Church opened in 1870, the Mission Kirk continued its work. Hardweird
40 The Hardweird. Part of old Gilcomston, it resembled a small "ferm toon" standing between the foot of Jack's Brae and Upper Denburn and it consisted of 18th and early 19th century artisan and labourers' housing - a product of the period when Gilcomston had a flourishing weaving industry. One of Aberdeen's worst slums, it was cleared during the early 1930s and the playground of Gilcomstoun Primary School now occupies part of the site. Union Street
84 Union Street looking towards Holburn Junction. This section of the street was originally known as Union Place. The spire is that of Gilcomston South Church. Note the railings round the basements of the houses. Castlehill Barracks
106 A view of the southern aspect of the Castlehill in about 1850, with the Barracks featuring prominently. The Barracks replaced the Chapel of St. Ninian and an observatory erected in 1781. The foundation stone was laid on 24th June 1794 by the Marquis of Huntly and it was completed early in 1796, with accommodation for 600 men. The picture is interesting, as it shows the line of Hangman's Brae, which descended from the south west corner of the hill to Castle Lane and into Virginia Street. It was partly absorbed into the construction of Castle Terrace in 1864. The houses on the left of the illustration with the outside steps were incorporated into the first Hospital for Sick Children in 1877. Aberdeen Savings Bank, Union Terrace
178 Aberdeen Savings Bank, Union Terrace, 1894. Aberdeen Savings Bank was established in May 1815 "for receiving such small sums as may be saved from the earnings of tradesmen, mechanics, labourers, servants etc". As the bank became more successful, they moved from premises in the Guestrow to a new building in Exchange Street. By the 1890s, the directors decided that a new site was necessary, especially as the population in the city was moving westwards. This illustration, by the architect William Kelly in 1894, shows the building that was to be constructed at the junction of Union Terrace and Diamond Street at a cost of £11,000. The design is of Renaissance style, with the central entrance leading to an inner porch lined with red and grey granite, then a short flight of steps led to the main telling office. This office had a deeply panelled ceiling and dome partially filled with painted and decorated glass. Coats of Arms of the City and Lord Provosts were also displayed. The counter and desks were made of mahogany and oak with wrought iron and wrought copper grills. In the 1960s, a large extension was built on an adjacent site and, in 1983, the bank became part of the Trustees Savings Bank in Scotland and in 1999 became part of Lloyds TSB. Union Street looking West
191 Union Street looking West with the pillars of the Assembly Rooms on the right. This building, more commonly referred to as the Music Hall, was designed by Archibald Simpson in 1820, while the actual Music Hall within, was designed by James Matthews in 1858. The spire belongs to Gilcomston South Church. Gilcomston Parish Church
659 Gilcomston Parish Church, designed by William Smith in 1771 and his son, John, added the vestry in 1845. It was restored in 1878 by the architects Mackenzie and McMillan. It is now known as Denburn Parish Church. Gilcomston Dam
706 Once fed by the waters of the Denburn on its eastward course from Kingswells and Rubislaw Den, the Gilcomston Dam lay between Leadside Road and the present Osborne Place. It was in existence as early as 1673, when it is mentioned in a disposition of sale of surrounding land to the Aberdeen Corporation, and in the sale, the meal mill of Gilcomston is mentioned. The dam was drained and filled in by the Town Council in 1907 as it had become insanitary and a favourite place for drowning cats and dogs. Gilcomston Dam
707 Once fed by the waters of the Denburn on its eastward course from Kingswells and Rubislaw Den, the Gilcomston Dam lay between Leadside Road and the present Osborne Place. It was in existence as early as 1673, when it is mentioned in a disposition of sale of surrounding land to the Aberdeen Corporation, and in the sale, the meal mill of Gilcomston is mentioned. The dam was drained and filled in by the Town Council in 1907 as it had become insanitary and a favourite place for drowning cats and dogs. Jack's Brae
710 A photograph looking north west up Jack's Brae, from its junction with Upper Denburn, in the Rosemount area. Jack's Brae was named after the owner of property there. This photograph likely dates from the mid-to-late 19th century.
The Ordnance Survey town plan of Aberdeen, 1:500 scale, surveyed in 1866-67 depicts a "Coffee Roasting and Grinding Works" at the top of Jack's Brae at its junction with Leadside Road. A large chimney of these works can be seen on the right side of this image in the distance.
These works were the premises of John Strachan. In the Aberdeen Post Office Directory for 1867-68, Strachan is described as follows:
"Strachan, John, coffee roaster, coffee, sugar, and sugar grinder, Jack's brae" (page 213).
Aberdeen City Council's Historic Environment Record describes the site thusly:
"Site of meal mills, built in the 18th - 19th Centuries and demolished in the 1980s. The works was two-storey with a basement, comprising a 9-bay range with a single kiln and a three-storey with attic 5 by 6-bay block of later date. There were also two 2-storey store blocks. The mill was originally water powered, later electrically driven. The OS 1st edition map depicts a coffee roasting and grinding works here; they are annotated as corn mills on the OS 25in map published 1924." (link here).
The business was known as John Strachan & Sons and the works as Gilcomston Mill. The business was started in around 1852 and John Strachan was succeeded as its proprietor by his son James Strachan (1838-1914). His obituary can be found in the Evening Express of 28th December 1914, page 5. His son, John Strachan, was later to become the business's managing director. The obituary of this later John Strachan can be found in the Press & Journal of 1st July 1935, page 8.
At the time of writing in 2022, the site is occupied by a residential complex called Strachan Mill Court - no doubt named after the coffee roasting and milling enterprise. Hardweird
718 The Hardweird, so named as having been built on the Hardweird Croft, is now the only street in Aberdeen showing the 'forestairs' that were so common in the older streets of the town. The Hardweird ran from Skene Row to Jack's Brae. Skene Row came off Skene Street, opposite Chapel Street. Part of old Gilcomston, it resembled a small "ferm toon" standing between the foot of Jack's Brae and Upper Denburn and it consisted of 18th and early 19th century artisan and labourers' housing - a product of the period when Gilcomston had a flourishing weaving industry. Some of the houses were demolished in 1908. One of Aberdeen's worst slums, it was cleared during the early 1930s and the playground of Gilcoumston Primary School now occupies part of the site. The Aberdeen New Savings Bank
764 The new Aberdeen Savings Bank, Union Terrace. Designed by William Kelly, 1896.
Aberdeen Savings Bank was established in May 1815 'for receiving such small sums as may be saved from the earnings of tradesmen, mechanics, labourers, servants etc'. As the bank became more successful they moved from premises in the Guestrow to a new building on Exchange Street in 1858.
By the 1890s, the directors decided that a new site was necessary, especially as the population in the city was moving westwards.
This photograph shows the building that was constructed at the junction of Union Terrace and Diamond Street at a cost of £11,000. The design is of renaissance style, with the central entrance leading to an inner porch lined with red and grey granite, then a short flight of steps led to the main telling office. This office had a deeply paneled ceiling and dome partially filled with painted and decorated glass. Coats of Arms of the City and Lord Provosts were also displayed. The counter and desks were made of mahogany and oak with wrought iron and wrought copper grills.
In the 1960's a large extension was built on an adjacent site, and in 1983 the bank became part of the Trustee Savings Bank in Scotland, and in 1999 became part of Lloyds TSB. Mackie Place
1092 4-5 Mackie Place, Aberdeen.
Mackie Place takes its name from Robert Mackie, skinner, who was feuing the ground along the denburn side here in the latter half of the 18th century. The photograph shows a pair of Georgian dwelling houses dating from c.1760.
The interesting twin front gables provide a most unusual appearance, as does the two doors which are approached by an elaborate set of curved flights of steps. The house is one of Aberdeen's early buildings of quarried granite, is semi detached. Once an independent picturesque location, the area is now surrounded by tenements.
One of Aberdeen's oldest schools, Aberdeen Grammar School lies a few hundred yards to the left, now separated by Esslemont Avenue. Denburn Church, formerly Gilcomston Parish Church
1124 Denburn Parish Church, formerly Gilcomston Parish Church. Dating from 1771, designed by William Smith, with vestry added by his son John Smith in 1845. Astoria Cinema, Aberdeen
1152 The exterior of the Astoria Cinema, Clifton Road, Kittybrewster, Aberdeen, c.1960. In 1934, a new cinema was built on part of the old Central Park, just north of Kittybrewster Auction Marts. It was designed by the architect, T. Scott Sutherland, and was opened on 8th December 1934, with space for more than 2000 people. Its proximity to the relatively new housing areas of Kittybrewster, Powis, Woodside and Hilton should have ensured its success. It was made of concrete over a steel framework, with the roof sloping in a series of steps to produce the best acoustics. It had a colour scheme of light pink, invory and brown with walnut panelling and 2 miles of Wilton carpet. It closed on Saturday 13th August 1966, re-opening later that month as a Bingo Hall but that only lasted a few months and it finally closed in January 1967. In April 1967, it was being demolished and the site redeveloped as a shopping complex. The cinema had had one of the latest Compton theatre organs, which had been removed piece by piece and restored to be placed in the hall of Powis Academy. In November 1982, an arson attack destroyed the organ. Peter Grant, City Librarian 1972-1989
1420 Peter Grant was City Librarian from 1972 until 1989 and is seen here on the steps of the Central Library on Rosemount Viaduct in 1976.
The wrought iron lamp standards topped by large globes were originally designed to hold gas lights. These beacons were only re-wired and lit again in the 1970s, following the wartime blackout. At the same time the "Central Library" inscription appeared giving the building more visibility.
Image copyright of Aberdeen Journals. Gilcomston Steps, Skene Square, 1866
1453 Gilcomston Steps, foot of Skene Square, in 1866. Part of old Gilcomston, these 18th century labourers' houses were known as "the rotten holes" and were among the very worst slums in the city, even by the standards of the mid 19th century. The end house with the sign was used as a smithy. All were demolished to make way for the Denburn Valley Railway, c.1866. Silverhillock Farm
1482 An image looking north east showing Silverhillock Farm in the 1950s.
The property, through which flowed the Gilcomston Burn, was located at the junction of Westburn Road and Foresterhill Road.
The Royal Infirmary buildings can be seen in the background. Grandholm Mills
1715 The dinner hour, workers crossing the bridge over the River Don.
The history of the mills in Woodside has gone through prosperous and bad times with several being closed in the mid-1800s and subsequently reopened towards the end of the century. The success especially of the paper and cloth mills of the area has provided work for many generations of Woodsiders.
A linen and cloth factory moved to the Grandholme mills site in mid-18th century from Gordon Mills and was taken over by James and John Crombie in 1859. J&J Crombie went on to produce the famous worldwide Crombie cloth at the Grandholme Mill, leading to the long association between Woodside and the fabric. The mill at one point employed up to 3000 people.
J&J Crombie were included on a list of government suppliers and one tenth of all coats worn by British officers of the First World War were made with the Crombie cloth. By World War II 467 miles of the cloth was being produced at the Grandholme mill per year.
By 1960 Grandholm was the largest supplier of tweed in the UK and also produced silk, wool, cashmere and yarns. Sadly the business has now been moved away from the Woodside area to the Borders.
Premises of George Roberts, Upholsterers
1719 Local historian A. G. Duthie has been in touch to identify this shop as being located at 474 Union Street. It features at this address in the 1910-11 Post Office directory for Aberdeen.
The basement access, raised steps, and metal railings are all long gone from the building. This is the case of most of the buildings around this area. There are some that remain further east along Union Street.
The edge of a building that can be seen on the extreme left of the photo is that of the distinctive Waterhouse. It is a four storey tenemental building designed by John Smith and built in 1830. It contained machinery and a large tank to extract and distribute water from the River Dee. It later served as a fire station, carriage and horse hire premises and various banks. |