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The Castlegate
16 Engraving of the Castlegate, c. 1850. The statue of the last Duke of Gordon, erected in 1844, was removed in the 1950s to Golden Square. Published by G. Shepherd, Broad Street, Aberdeen T. C. Smith and Co., Electrical Engineers
43 Shop frontage of T. C. Smith and Co., Electrical Engineers
T.C. Smith & Co. first appear in the Aberdeen Directory for 1913/14 when they are listed as electrical, automobile and power engineers. They had garage space for over 200 cars and eight private lockups, and were open day and night, including Saturday.
The garage, showrooms and office were at 21-25 Bon-Accord Street; their repair and body building shops were at 20-32 Gordon Street. In 1921-22, they had other premises at 18 Bon-Accord Street, and these are shown in the photograph. The windows have a display of all sorts of electrical equipment including lamps, heaters, radios and Hoovers.
The company would appear to have gone out of business around 1943, because in 1946, Scottish Motor Tractor Co. Ltd had taken over their Bon-Accord premises. Statue of Queen Victoria
73 A photograph showing the statue of Queen Victoria at the junction of Union Street and St. Nicholas Street. The building in the background is the Clydesdale Bank that stands next to M&S today. This fine Italian renaissance style building was originally constructed for the Town and County Bank and opened for business in May 1863.
The statue of Queen Victoria was made from marble and was sculpted by Banff born Alexander Brodie (c.1829 - 1867). The origin of this statue is closely related to another Aberdeen monument, the 1863 memorial statue of Prince Albert by Baron Marochetti, now standing, or rather sitting, in the area in front of the Central Library.
Marochetti's statue was augurated by Queen Victoria herself on 13th October 1863 and this was said to the first time the Queen had appeared at a public demonstration following the death of Albert in 1861. The Marochetti statue was the subject of great local controversy and there were various plans for an alternative, superior, memorial to the late Prince Consort. It was at a related meeting that a chap called Alexander Donald, from the Royal Tradesman of Aberdeen, moved "That a colossal statue in marble, of Her Majesty, be erected at the corner of St. Nicholas Street."
The endeavour was taken on by a variety of prominent citizens and funding was raised by public subscription. Brodie, the selected sculptor, worked on an 11-ton block of Sicilian marble for two years to complete the statue. The finished piece is 8 foot 6 inches in height and, at the request of Queen herself, depicts Victoria in Scottish regal attire. The statue stands on a substantial plinth of pink Peterhead granite.
The statue was unveiled and inaugurated on 20th September 1866 by Albert-Edward Prince of Wales, later to be King Edward VII and the subject of another of Aberdeen's notable statues. During his speech at the ceremony, the Prince said "Gentlemen, it has afforded me the greatest satisfaction to attend here today, by the wish of Her Majesty, and at your invitation, for the purpose of inaugurating a statue of the Queen, my dear mother. Her Majesty has desired me to express to you how much she appreciates the motives which have led the people of Aberdeenshire to give this lasting evidence of their attachment and loyalty to her person, of which she has so many proofs, and whose sympathy in her great sorrow has touched her so deeply."
During his visit, the Prince of Wales also received the Freedom of the City and attended the Royal Horticultural Society's Autumn Show, which was then going on in the Music Hall. An extensive account of the unveiling, the Royal visit and the town's celebrations is given in the Aberdeen Journal of 26th September 1866.
After some time at this location, the statue's marble began to show weathering due to the frost and so it was moved to the vestibule of the Town House in 1888, where it remains to this day. It stands at the foot of the building's splendid main stairway. The plaster model of Brodie's statue has also been on display in the Music Hall for many years.
A new bronze statue of an older Victoria, by sculptor Charles Bell Birch, was erected at the St. Nicholas Street location on 9th November 1893 and "the Queen" became a regular meeting place for generations of Aberdonians. To make way for the extension of Marks & Spencer, the 1893 statue moved to its current site at Queen's Cross on 22nd January 1964. Victoria now stands looking east towards Balmoral. Schoolhill
95 Schoolhill, Aberdeen. The building on the left is Aberdeen Art Gallery. The archway leads to Robert Gordon's College and the building at the far right was Gray's School of Art, which took its name from John Gray, an engineer who paid for the building. It was built in 1884 on the site of the Old Grammar School, hence the name Schoolhill. Gordon's Hospital
101 Gordon's Hospital from 1731, designed by William Adam, was a school for the education of orphaned boys, endowed by Robert Gordon. His statue, by John Cheere, is seen above the doorway. Although completed by 1739, it was not occupied by pupils until 1750. John Smith remodelled and extended the building in 1833. It became Robert Gordon's College in the 1880s. Schoolhill from St. Nicholas Churchyard
120 This photograph taken in 1880 from St. Nicholas Churchyard looks north showing a row of houses which stood between it and Schoolhill.
These houses were demolished around 1884 as part of an improvement scheme to widen Schoolhill - named after the old Grammar School which stood nearby.
A dwarf wall with ornamental railings was erected in place of these buildings and a porter's lodge was removed from Robert Gordon's College to form a lodge for the sexton at the entrance to the churchyard.
The book Aberdeen in Byegone Days: Views of Streets and Buildings, etc. with Letterpress Description (1910) by Robert Anderson (page 26) suggests that the building in the centre of this image was the home of Burnett Carr, the grave-digger and assistant to the sexton of St. Nicholas Church.
Newspaper references indicate that Carr, a well known figure, died on 31st May 1844 (Aberdeen Journal, 5th June 1844, page 3, column 2).
This photograph looks north and shows the back of Carr's old house. Union Bridge from Windmill Brae
123 This photograph by George Washington Wilson, looking towards Union Bridge, shows the old red-tiled roofed houses in the Windmill Brae area in the 1850s. Most of these were swept away with the construction of the railway and the building of Bridge Street around 1865-1867.
The house at the left, on the corner of Union Terrace, was owned by Harry Lumsden of Belhelvie and later by the Northern Club. Its site became part of that occupied by the Northern Assurance Company offices.
The spire of the Triple Kirks and the tower of the South Parish Church are visible in the background. Old Grammar School
125 This rather plain building which stood in Schoolhill was the old Grammar School. It was closed as a school in 1863, when the new school in Skene Street was opened. The building was demolished c.1882/3. The Grammar School seems to date back to the 13th century with successive buildings on this site. Pupils were taught Latin, Greek and English grammar with the aim of preparing them for entry to university. One of the most famous pupils here was Lord Byron, who attended from the age of 7 in 1795 for 4 years. The site was later occupied partly by The Robert Gordon University buildings. Culter Paper Mills
163 Culter Paper Mills, the oldest paper mill in the Aberdeen area, having been founded in 1750 by Bartholomew Smith.
The Gordon Arms Hotel can also be seen in the lower right of the image. Castlegate, Aberdeen
271 The Castlegate, Aberdeen looking west towards Union Street, showing the spires of the Town House and Tolbooth. The building on the right at the corner of Union Street and King Street, was designed by the architect Archibald Simpson as the North of Scotland Bank, later Clydesdale Bank. After its closure as a bank, the building was refurbished and opened in 1997 as a pub named 'The Archibald Simpson'.
In the foreground is the statue of the 5th Duke of Gordon which is now in Golden Square. Adjacent to the statue is the shelter used by cab drivers. H. Company, 7th Gordon Highlanders
281 H. Company, 7th Gordon Highlanders leaving Culter for War Service. August 6th 1914 Postcard of ruins of Huntly Castle
288 Located on the outskirts of Huntly, the castle stands on the south bank of the River Deveron. The castle dates from the late 12th century with a Norman Motte and Bailey , a medieval L-Plan tower house and defence earthworks of the Civil War nearby. The castle was the home of the Gordons, a powerful Catholic family who once ruled over much of the North-East. The main structure was begun by Lord Gordon in 1452, being built in the new 'Palace' style. The castle was not completed in its final form until 1597/1606. In 1650 it was visited briefly by Charles ll, on his way to Worcester, defeat and exile. After the Civil War, the castle fell into disuse and the Dukes of Gordon moved to Fochabers. Much of the impressive ruin still remains including the fine heraldic doorway. The castle is now the property of Historic Scotland, and is open to the public. 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. 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. Union Bridge c. 1863
373 Union Bridge c. 1863 before the construction of Bridge Street in 1865/7, looking north.
Correspondent Ed Fowler has provided the following further information on the image:
The pantiled cottages in the left foreground were occupied by handloom weavers who in the early 19th century worked for the cotton factory of Gordon Barron and Company. This was sited until 1830 on the corner of Belmont Street and Schoolhill.
The site of the factory was subsequently used for the construction of Archibald Simpson's three Free Churches, which nestled under the prominent red brick spire. Bricks for the spire were salvaged from the Dee Village demolition.
To the right of the image is the Denburn entrance to the Trinity Hall. This memorial doorway to Dr William Guild was salvaged from the gateway to the first 'Tarnty Ha'. Sadly it was later lost during demolition work for the Trinity Shopping Centre. Frederick Street Primary School roof playground
453 A photograph showing school children on the roof top playground of Frederick Street Primary School in around 1907.
This was one of very few such playgrounds in the city, perhaps one of only two. The Central School on Schoolhill also had a comparable, roof-top playground for at least some of its history.
Frederick Street School opened in 1905 and had a role of 332 infants and 764 senior/junior pupils. The unusual, elevated playground measured 750 square feet. Schoolhill, Aberdeen
497 Schoolhill, Aberdeen. The building on the left is Aberdeen Art Gallery. The archway leads to Robert Gordon's College and the building at the far right is Gray's School of Art (1884), which takes its name from John Gray, an engineer who paid for the building. It was built on the site of the Old Grammar School, hence the name Schoolhill. Castlegate, Aberdeen
506 The Castlegate. The Town House is centre with the Spire of the Tolbooth at the right. The large building on the right was the headquarters of the North of Scotland Bank. Note the statue of General Gordon and the cannon at his left. Castlegate
519 The Castlegate, Aberdeen showing the statue of the last Duke of Gordon in the foreground. The buildings in the background include the Record Office which was to be demolished in the 1890's for the construction of the Salvation Army Citadel (1896). The double gables on the right belonged to Rolland's Lodging - the town house of this family whose estate was at Disblair. This building was demolished in the 1930's and the site was later occupied by Voluntary Service Aberdeen. Seaton House
573 The house was acquired by Aberdeen City Council in 1947 and was demolished in 1963 after being destroyed by fire.
Previous owners had been the Hay family since 1849. The house was of three periods. The oldest portions in the north-west wing, dating from the mid 17th century were built by James Gordon, a baillie of Old Aberdeen in 1661, who died 1714.
The most interesting part was the south block, built of brickwork with dressed work in sandstone, the piended roof slated; the main entrance doorway in the central section under the pediment and three-light window was grand classical architecture. It was built around 1715 for Gordon's son-in-law, Colonel John Middleton, MP for the Aberdeen Burghs and the architect was possibly Middleton's friend James Gibbs.
The north-east wing was early 19th Century in date. The Castlegate
574 The Castlegate, Aberdeen. The Town House is in the centre of the photograph with the spire of the Tolbooth to the right. The Athenaeum Building is on the left and behind the statue of the Duke of Gordon is the headquarters of the North of Scotland Bank. Note the cannon to the left of the Market Cross.
In his Annals of Aberdeen (1818) William Kennedy states "In the year 1394, King Robert III granted to the burgesses and community a charter, dated 20th of October, by which he permitted them to build a tolbooth and court house, eighty feet in length, and thirty feet in breath, in any part of the town except in the middle of the market place. This edifice was accordingly soon afterwards erected on the north side of the Castlegate, on the site of the present town house." (page 403)
In 1615 a new prison replaced the one on this site and it stood for many years. It was largely replaced or subsumed by the new town house development in the 1870s, however the old Tolbooth spire can still be seen - as in this photograph (the right most spire). The Castlegate
628 The Castlegate with the statue of the Duke of Gordon in the foreground and the Market Cross behind. The buildings in the background were to be demolished in the 1890s for the building of the Salvation Army Citadel. The shop to the right is James Esson's. The Castlegate, Aberdeen
671 The Castlegate, Aberdeen with the statue of the Duke of Gordon in the foreground. The Market Cross is in the background with the Record Office on the far left, which would be demolished in the 1890s for the building of the Salvation Army Citadel. The caption on the statue says, "George, Fifth and Last Duke of Gordon, born 1770, died 1836. First Colonel 92nd Gordon Highlanders". |