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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. March Lane
677 March Lane, 1923. This view of a narrow lane in the Rosemount area of Aberdeen shows a number of small houses with tiled roofs. The rather rundown nature of the lane hides the fact that it stood on the boundary of the City of Aberdeen. At the end of the lane there was a dressed granite stone with the letters CR incised on it. These stood for City Royalty and up to the 19th century, the Town Councillors would inspect these boundaries or marches to check that such landmarks had not been removed. A series of such stones marked what was known as the Inner Marches and another series with the letters ABD marked the Outer Marches which bounded the Freedom Lands, including the lands granted to the City by Robert the Bruce in 1319. The Fountain at Woodside
1066 The small square containing the Woodside Fountain at the junction of Hadden Street and Don Street has often been recognised as the centre of the burgh. The fountain was used as a place for animals to stop and drink from. The fountain also was used in more of a communal sense as teenagers were often seen "walking the mat", which meant walking from the fountain to the old tramway terminus at and back again. Union Terrace Gardens, c. 1910
1736 A view of Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen. The centre of the picture is dominated by the prestigious Palace Hotel on Union Street, which was built in 1873 by Pratt & Keith, drapers. In 1891, the hotel was acquired by the Great North of Scotland Railway Company and quietly established a high reputation for itself. The building was destroyed by fire in 1941 and was never rebuilt. The gardens themselves have always been a popular meeting and walking place in the centre of town for city residents and visitors alike. The arches to the right are those which support Union Terrace. Scotstown Moor and Moss - looking westwards from Dubford
1759 Scotstown Moor, also known as Perwinnes Moss, was once part of around 230 acres of common heath land situated 4 miles to the north of Aberdeen City centre in the Bridge of Don area. From the 1830s, it was visited regularly by botany students from Aberdeen University and was regarded as the most important botanical facility in the Aberdeen area. Over 250 species of flowering plants have been recorded. The pools and mosses contained insect eating plants including sundew. Because it was a Common land, the local people had the right to cut peats and to graze animals there. In later years, drainage operations, agricultural improvements, construction of roads and housing have greatly reduced the area of heathland and bog. However, the remaining area has been protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is now managed by Aberdeen City Council. Outdoor Group
1979 An outdoor portrait of a large group of Aberdeen women. The nature of the photograph and the dress suggest that the subjects belong to an educational organisation. Royal Medical Corps Portrait I
2146 This portrait of a soldier in The Royal Army Medical Corps dates from around World War I. The badge of the corps can be seen on the soldier's cap.
Unfortunately, there are no identifying marks on the front or back of the postcard so it is highly difficult to establish the photographer who took the picture or discover the subject's name.
Only the head and shoulders of the subject feature, in contrast to the more common full length studio portraits of the time. The plain nature of the image, the lack of props and backdrop, accentuates the beatific quality of the sitter and the poignancy of his wartime fate. Royal Navy Portrait
2148 This is a studio portrait of two unknown friends. The uniforms and cap badges indicate that the two men are in the Royal Navy. Both are holding walking sticks and one holds a cigarette. The posture and countenance of the subjects is casual and suggests the amiability of friends. Unfortunately there are no marking on this postcard photograph to identify the photographer or subjects. Treasure 32: George Washington Wilson South Africa Photography Collection
2320 George Washington Wilson is one of the great names in 19th century photography, famous for capturing images of people, buildings and landscapes across Scotland. His photography drew attention to the beauty of his country, but his travels further afield are not as well known.
As an innovative pioneer in photography, George Washington Wilson's work reflected the reality and attitudes of society during his lifetime (1823-1893). In our collections we hold a vast selection of photographs and portraits taken by the G. W. Wilson Company in South Africa. These images were taken by his son, Charles Wilson, and Fred Hardie, a company photographer of George Washington Wilson & Co.
The company's photographs of South Africa captured scenes of the country which would have been perceived as unusual and exotic to British people at the time.
South Africa and its Treasures
The majority of British colonization was concentrated in South Africa during the 19th century. In the past, the country was colonized in order to control one of the main trade routes to India. Due to the abundance of resources such as spices and tea, European interest in Africa increased dramatically in the late 19th century, especially with the discovery of gold and diamonds in the 1860s-1880s.
On their return to Britain, George Washington Wilson & Co presented many photographs showing these natural resources, from the Robinson Gold mine in Johannesburg to De Beers Diamond Mines in Kimberley.
Tea was also a very valuable resource, and people in Britain were keen to learn more about its production and its use in South Africa.
Photography and Tourism
The collection held by Aberdeen City Libraries shows local places of interest in South Africa. These photographs capture Cape Town and Johannesburg, two of the biggest cities in the country. Many Europeans emigrated to these cities in the 19th century, due to the discovery of valuable resources in the surrounding area.
With the rapid rise of tourism in this period, George Washington Wilson & Co. looked for new ways to promote and sell their work. Around 1880-1890, they started to commercialize their photography via picture postcards, a relatively new concept in Britain. This new form of media met with huge success as it was easy to write and cheap to send. It soon became the standard way to communicate with friends and family when abroad, a holiday tradition which remains today.
The postcards, in colour and having a standard size, featured many different scenes from South Africa and were viewed as an innovative way to publicize the country - and the works of photographic firms such as George Washington Wilson & Co. Acknowledgments
2364 How Aberdeen Women's Alliance City Centre Heritage Walk developed:
Following the group's involvement with Women of Scotland's Mapping Memorials to Women website (http://www.womenofscotland.org.uk/), with our partners at Glasgow Women's Library (http://www.womenslibrary.org.uk/),
at the Central Library in February 2013, we felt there was a number of women in Aberdeen who have made an important and significant contribution to the life of our city that we rarely ever hear about.
This inspired a group of volunteers to develop the Aberdeen City Centre Women's Heritage Walk.
By creating this virtual version of the walk we aim to share the many stories of these wonderful women and their achievements with as many people as possible. We also aimed to enrich the account of these women by recording, and making available, the fascinating memories of members from community members.
How to get involved:
Aberdeen women's history is still largely unwritten and not visible to the public. There are many ways women can get involved with us to address this. You are welcome help us with research or join our tour guide teams. If you have information that can be added to this walk, suggestions of how it can be improved, or memories you would like to share - we want to hear from you!
How to contact us:
Email: awainfo@btinternet.com
Postal address:
Aberdeen Women's Alliance
c/o Equalities team
Aberdeen City Council
Marischal College
Broad Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1AB
Many thanks to our virtual tour partners:
Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen City Libraries
And special thanks to:
Aberdeen Local Studies Laurelwood Avenue
2412 This street, photographed around 1910, shows the tranquil nature of this area of the North of Aberdeen in the Ashgrove area. It is one of a group of street named after trees - Cedar Place, Elm Place, Chestnut Row, and was built in the early 1880s. The young lad obviously does not expect to be disturbed on his walk down the middle of the street carrying a milkcan, watched by a little girl on the pavement. One of the gardens on the left has a pair of stone lions looking through the railings, which were removed during the Second World War as part of the salvage of metal for re-processing. Elderly Man
2468 A studio portrait of an unknown elderly man seated. The bearded subject is wearing a three piece suit, holding a wooden walking stick and leaning against a table with books. Flora Maxwell Portrait
2720 This postcard features a photographic portrait of a group of women by Flora Maxwell.
Maxwell was a photographer with a studio at 187 Rosemount Place, opposite Watson Street. In her adverts she describes herself as "The Lady Photographer" and offers "Artistic portraiture at a moderate price". Other newspaper mentions indicate she was active in the Soroptimist International.
The group appear to be a branch of the Scottish Women's Rural Institute. They are all, except the central figure, wearing the badge of this organisation. It can not be seen here but the badge features a crowned heart with a chevron reading "For home & country". Which branch of the S.W.R.I. they are is unclear.
If you can provide information on the nature of this group we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact us by using the comment button below the image. F. G. Main farm portrait
3354 A portrait by photographer F. G. Main of a young man and his horses at an Aberdeenshire farm. This was one of three photographs lent to Aberdeen City Libraries by Mr William Finney of Banchory so that we could create and preserve a digital copy for public use. These three photographs were kept by Mr Finney's family and he hopes to find out more about the people shown in them. If you can shed any light on these images please get in touch using the comment button on the left. Mr Finney was born in Turriff and the images likely relate to that area of Aberdeenshire.
Mr Finney believes the figure in the middle of this image may have been called Stephen Lorimer. This is uncertain however, as is any detail of the location shown. The image may relate to a local ploughing competition or event of this nature.
The figure in the background on the right of the image looks a lot like one of the five workers from Pitglassie shown in another of Mr Finney's images. This strongly suggests this image too is taken at, or connected to, the area and farms of Pitglassie in the Parish of Auchterless.
F. G. Main was an Aberdeen based photographer. Searches in old newspapers do not reveal a great deal about his career, however. As indicated on this card, he had premises in the New Market in Aberdeen town centre. Post office directories suggest this was numbers 39 and 40 in the gallery of the New Market.
Main also appears to have been active as the Electric Studio at 66 St. Nicholas Street. Additionally, searches indicate he operated studios at Aberdeen Sea Beach and at 47 Wellgate in Dundee. Richard D. Torrance in his Photographers in North-Eastern Scotland to 1914 (2001) has entries for both a F. G. Main and a Frank Main. These are likely one and the same photographer.
A newspaper notice for the birth of a son in 1914 indicates that F. G. Main lived at 245 Great Western Road at one time. We can find no obituary for the photographer. A cursory search of statutory records reveals that a Frank G. Main died in Aberdeen aged 65 in 1946. This may be the photographer in question. 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] Blaikie's Quay
3505 This photograph looks northwest across Victoria Dock from Blaikie's Quay.
Featured prominently is a locomotive marked GNSR (Great North of Scotland Railway). It looks like an Aveling and Porter steam shunter. It is pulling wagons loaded with sacks, most likely contain coal. Workers for the train can be seen riding and walking alongside it.
A movable shed, street lamp and signalling device can also be seen on the left of the image.
In the background, across the dock, the front elevation of 33 Regent Quay is visible. This long and narrow, neo-classical building, located at the bottom of Marischal Street, was designed by Robert Gordon Wilson and was built in 1901-02 as a harbour branch for the Aberdeen Town and County Bank. Blaikie's Quay
3506 This image looks northeast onto Victoria Dock from Blaikie's Quay.
Featured prominently is a locomotive marked GNSR (Great North of Scotland Railway) pulling along a wagon loaded with sacks. It looks like an Aveling & Porter Steam Shunter. The workers for the train can be seen riding and walking alongside it.
To the left of the image, a large goods shed can be seen across Victoria Dock on Waterloo Quay. Aberdeen Airport
4188 A photograph showing passengers disembarking a British Airways plane on arrival at Aberdeen Airport. The passengers, dressed in business attire, are walking down Scottish Airports branded movable stairways that are marked "Aberdeen". This photograph likely dates from the late 1970s or early 80s.
This image comes from a collection of slides donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by Aberdeen City Council's publicity department. Union Terrace Gardens: before and after 1
4254 Above, a before image showing two figures looking up at the Burns Statue on Union Terrace. Cowdray Hall and the Triple Kirks spire are visible in the background. This image was taken on 10/06/2015.
The after photograph below shows the statue in front of the park's new Burns Pavilion. Union Terrace has been revamped with increased walking space and new street furniture. Taken on 26/07/2023.
This composite image is part of a series by Roddy Millar showing Union Terrace Gardens and its surrounds before, during and after its major redevelopment. Stonehaven-Bervie Bus
4272 A photograph showing a busy Stonehaven-Bervie horse drawn bus about to start its journey. It is taken from the Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial coronation souvenir number published on 12th May 1937, page 87. This special issue was published to commemorate the crowning of George VI (1895-1952) and Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002).
This photograph is one of a number illustrating an article titled '"One Hundred and Six Years - Six Sovereigns - Four Coronations - One Lifetime" Mrs. Caird's Great Record'. The article is about the life of a long-lived resident of Stonehaven called Grace Caird, nee McPhail (1831-1937), who was known as the "Grand Old Lady of the North East." At the time of her death late in the year, she was reputed to be the second oldest woman in Scotland (The Scotsman, 27th November 1937, page 16).
The caption accompanying the photograph reads as follows:
"In Granny Caird's young days the horse bus and stagecoach called regularly at the mill in Stonehaven. Here we have the Stonehaven-Bervie 'bus' about to take its departure. It passed nearby Granny's home in Kinneff daily, but in those days Mrs Caird thought nothing of walking 20 miles a day. The 'bus' was a luxury that could be only indulged in at frequent intervals." Gallowgate in 1932
4274 A photograph showing a no. 20 bus driving up Gallowgate in around 1932. The image looks south towards Marischal College from outside no. 121, James T. Scott's Shepherd's Bar, later the Blue Lamp.
This photo is taken from the Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial 1932 annual, page 46. It is one of a number illustrating an article by G. M. Fraser (1863-1938), city librarian, titled 'The gates of Aberdeen: intimate study in street nomenclature.'
The caption accompanying the photograph reads as follows:
"The spacious Gallowgate - older citizens have hardly yet accustomed themselves to the adjective "spacious" as applied to the Gallowgate. 'Old crabbed ways' are rapidly disappearing, and the transformation of this area has undoubtedly been stimulated by the setting of the new buildings of Marischal College in their midst." Union Terrace Gardens: before and after 12
4296 The before image shows a pedestrian walking past planters and the Edward VII statue with trees in the background. Taken on 28/08/2019.
The after photograph shows new wildflower planting and the Union Street Pavilion behind Edward VII. Taken on 24/08/2023.
This composite image is part of a series by Roddy Millar showing Union Terrace Gardens and its surrounds before and after its major redevelopment. |