Torry and the River Dee

This photograph by George Washington Wilson shows Old Torry from Balnagask, with Victoria Bridge in the distance.

In the early 19th century Old Torry developed out of the medieval settlement of Lower Torry. It was a centre of fishing industry and culture. Old Torry was eventually largely demolished in the 1970s to make way for support service buildings for the emerging oil and gas industry. Only one or two streets, such as Abbey Road, remain of Old Torry.

Victoria Bridge was erected following the Dee Ferry Boat Disaster, which claimed the lives of 32 people on 5 April 1876. The ferry had for centuries took people from Pocra Quay, near Fittie, to Torry and back again. The 5th April was a feast day so the ferry was particularly busy when it went down and 32 people lost their lives. There had long been plans to build a bridge here but the Ferry Boat disaster was the final impetus needed for the project.

When the bridge opened finally in 1881 it enabled direct access for carriages from Torry into the heart of Aberdeen via Market Street. The new bridge facilitated the rapid expansion that Torry would see in the following years.

Torry