6

Hall Russell, Ship Builders, Marine Place c. 1950s/60s. Note the main office is off to the right. The entrance at the top of the stairs is to the loft, where scale drawing and templates were drafted. The shipwrights department was on the ground floor to the south of this building. [Many thanks to Stanley Bruce for providing us with correct details on the building layout.]

25

Drawing of Broad Street, at junction with Queen Street, looking towards Union Street. Spire of the Town House at the left of the image.

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.

65

The Old Bridge of Dee dating from the early 16th century was begun by Bishop William Elphinstone c.1493. Further building started in 1518 and was carried out by Alexander Galloway and Thomas Franche. In 1840, the bridge was widened by John Smith, the City Architect. Drawing by Curtis Green. Lithograph by Gibb & Hay.

76

North wall of Cumberland House (now known as Provost Skene's House). Drawing by Davidson, 1950

80

Upperkirkgate, showing Marischal College's towers and spires. Drawing by D. R. Alexander.

131

Marischal College, Broad Street, as it was between 1740 and 1840, when it was demolished for re-development. It had been designed by William Adam, architect, of Edinburgh. This drawing is by James Skene of Rubislaw, c.1820.

135

Isometrical view of Bon Accord Crescent - This perspective drawing shows the gently curving terrace of 19 identical two-storey houses, with basement and attic, designed by Archibald Simpson in the 1820s for the Corporation of Tailors. In 1823, the "Aberdeen Journal" carried an advertisement for building areas to feu. The houses were to be laid out on what had previously been garden ground and the advert boasts "No situation, immediately in the vicinity of Aberdeen, possesses so completely the advantages of free air and fine exposure". The properties overlook the hollow once occupied by the Howe Burn and the area has now been converted into landscaped parkland as part of a conservation area. Houses 3-17 have a curved frontage, while numbers 1 and 2, and 18 and 19 have straight frontages. However, even by the 1950s, most of the houses were being, and still are, used as offices.

160

An engraving showing Grandholm Bridge over the River Don from a drawing by James Giles. The inscription in the bottom right indicates that the engraving was printed at the Deaf and Dumb Institution. This drawing likely looks west up the river and in the middle distance shows the Cruive Dikes, a complex of weirs and sluices across the River Don built for the purpose of fishing. Remains of these are located not far to the east of the modern Diamond Bridge. Some information on the ownership and operation of the cruives is given in the book The Annals of Aberdeen (Volume II, 1818) by William Kennedy, on pages 207-209. In the far distance is Grandholm Bridge. Aberdeen City Council's Historic Environment Record states that the bridge was built by the firm of Leys, Masson and Company in 1810 to improve access to its Granholm Works. It was a wooden bridge with a small lodge and was known locally as the "White Bridge". The 1810 bridge was replaced by the present steel structure, built by the Motherwell Bridge Company, in 1922.

168

An engraving showing the Brig o' Balgownie over the River Don from a drawing by James Giles. The inscription in the bottom right indicates that the engraving was printed at the Deaf and Dumb Institution. The title of this engraving describes the Brig o' Balgownie as the Bridge of Don. This is due to it serving as the main bridge over the river until the construction of the bridge known today as the Bridge of Don in 1827-30 by engineers John Smith and Thomas Telford. This image likely looks south east along the river, towards the bridge, from between Tam's Hole and Black Nook. This was an important salmon fishing area in the past. Some information on the catching of fish on the river is given in the book The Annals of Aberdeen (Volume II, 1818) by William Kennedy, on pages 206-211.

431

Drawing of the Castlegate.

485

A lithograph print of a drawing by James Skene of Rubislaw (1775-1864). The illustration depicts the Mercat Cross and Tolbooth in the centre of Aberdeen in around 1800. James Skene was a lawyer, amateur artist, and a notable friend of Walter Scott. A short article from the Aberdeen Daily Journal of 23rd February 1912, page 9, indicates that this image was made to illustrate an edition of The History of the troubles and memorable transactions in England and Scotland, from M.DC.XXIV TO M.DC.XLV by John Spalding that was published by the Bannatyne Club in 1829. An engraved version of this image can be found facing page 9 in volume 2 of the abovementioned publication. Titled 'Tolbooth of Aberdeen', James Skene is given as the illustrator and William Penny as the engraver. Walter Scott was the founder of the Bannatyne Club, a text publication society, and James Skene was a member. The club's two volume edition of Spalding's history, drawn from three manuscript copies, was published under Skene's superintendence. John Spalding was a 17th century Aberdeen historian and clerk. His Memorialls of the trubles in Scotland and in England, ad 1624 - ad 1645 is of note as a detailed account of the impact of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in North-East Scotland. See David Stevenson's entry about Spalding on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography for more information on his life and his written history. Spalding was commemorated in the name of three Aberdeen clubs devoted to publishing historical sources; the Spalding Club, New Spalding Club, and Third Spalding Club (collectively active between 1839-1960). In 1850-51, the first of these clubs published an improved edition of Spalding's Memorialls of the Trubles. The attributions on the version of the image shown here indicates that it was printed by Aberdeen bookseller and publisher D. Wyllie & Sons and the lithography was undertaken by Taylor & Henderson, another prominent local firm. This image looks north east and depicts the Mercat Cross, carved by Aberdeen master mason John Montgomery and erected in 1686, in the middle distance. The market cross is likely shown in use either as shops or a post office, both purposes it historically served. The cross was repaired in 1821 and moved to its present location, approximately 83 metres east, in 1827. The Tolbooth, a prison, in the centre of this image was built in 1615. Much of the building, which was developed progressively over the years, is now obscured by the Peddie & Kinnear designed Town House completed in 1874. The Tolbooth was converted into a museum which opened to the public in 1995. To the east of the Tolbooth, partially obscured by the market cross in this image, is the New Inn. This building, once the most important hostelry in Aberdeen, was demolished and replaced by the North of Scotland Bank, now the Archibald Simpson's pub, in 1840-42. The illustration otherwise shows a busy scene on Aberdeen's Castle Street. This was a centre of civic activity and important market place for the town. In the foreground are a number of pynours (an Aberdeen term for porters), then an organised craft. Some sense of life in the Castle Street/Castlegate area at the time, particularly of its more eccentric characters, can be found in the book The Aberdeen Worthies (1840) by William Bannerman.

515

Draft plan of the Town House by architects Peddie & Kinnear from around 1868-74.

517

Woolmanhill Hospital. Architects drawing of the West Elevation. Designed by Archibald Simpson 1832-1838.

599

An illustrated view of New Aberdeen, showing the River Dee. The inscription below the image states "Engraved by J. Storer, for the Antiquarian and Topographical Cabinet, from a Drawing by J. D. Glennie". The latter is likely John David Glennie (1796-1874), a painter, engraver and lithographer that the Benezit Dictionary of Artists describes as known for illustrating Letters on India and Scenes on the Continent by Maria Graham. Antiquarian and Topographical Cabinet, containing a series of elegant views of the most interesting objects of curiosity in Great Britain. Accompanied with letter-press descriptions was compiled by James Storer and John Greig and published in 9 or 10 volumes from around 1807 to 1817. In the advertisement at the beginning of the first volume, J. Storer and I. Greig state that the work "will be hastening to preserve the lineaments of the most venerable remains of Antiquity which Time is incessantly whittleing away by nearly imperceptible atoms." This view of New Aberdeen features in volume 9 of the series, published in 1811, and is accompanied by a short description. It lists the principal objects shown as the Castle Hill, the Barracks, Toll-booth and the Custom House.

634

Towards the middle of the picture can be seen the distinctive square tower of John Smith's West St. Nicholas Kirk House built 1830-31. This drawing is prior to major developments to the junction with Union Terrace, the street on the left of the image. Note the absence of The Northern Assurance Building on the corner. The building commonly called "The Monkey House" was built in 1885 by architect A. Marshall Mackenzie. The building at the junction in this drawing is likely the townhouse of the Lumsden family of Belhevie. This would become the first home of the Northern Club in 1854. In the centre of the image, on the left after Union Bridge, is the Aberdeen Hotel designed by Archibald Simpson and started in 1817.

653

Drawing of the Grammar School at Old Aberdeen. Dated 1892. The Crown Tower of King's College is in the background.

674

Drawing of Castlegate looking west along Union Street. Correspondent Ed Fowler got in touch to point out the salient features of "the Plainstones, Mercat Cross in is original position with the Athenaeum Reading Room, Tolbooth, the New Inn (Freemasons Lodge) and the Aberdeen Bank at the top of Marischal Street. It is one of set of 3 drawings by the same artist employed by Gibb's the Lithographer. The others being the Brig o' Dee, and the Nether Kirk Gate, Benholm Lodging."

680

This drawing is by J.W. Allan and the engraving was published by John Hay in 1840. Castlegate looking west along Union Street, with the Athenaeum on the left and the spire of the Tolbooth on the right.

1278

Engraving of the Market Cross, Castlegate at the time when it was in use as a Post Office. From an engraving by J. Swan of Glasgow, based on a drawing by George Smith, architect of Aberdeen dated 1822. The Market Cross opened as a Post Office on 10 April of that year, with Alexander Dingwall as Postmaster.

1412

This drawing shows proposals for an illuminated neon sign on the Central Library. The installation never went ahead (presumably as World War 2 intervened) but it certainly would have been visible for some distance.

1452

Albion Street, originally the Bool (Bowl) Road, was once the main thoroughfare from Justice Street to the Links and to the bowling greens which were there in early 18th century. This drawing dates from 1859. To the right is the Mission Chapel (1849) which developed into Albion Street Congregational Church. This area was later covered by the Beach Boulevard.

1462

Upperkirkgate at its junction with George Street, showing Marischal College in the background. Drawing by D.R. Alexander

1777

Drawing of the Duthie Park c.1883.