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Allenvale Cemetery from Kincorth
60 An early photograph of Allenvale Cemetery, taking shape in the middle distance, as seen from Kincorth, with Abbotswell Farm in the foreground.
A limited company called the Aberdeen Cemetery Company was established for the purpose of creating this new graveyard. A prospectus inviting public investment was published in the Aberdeen Journal of 29th January 1873. It reads as follows:
"It is well known that in Aberdeen cemetery accommodation is limited and insufficient, and it is generally admitted that its extension is necessary, and cannot much longer be delayed. It is therefore desirable to acquire additional space for that purpose, and to treat it in accordance with modern ideas and practice.
"This company has been formed for the purpose of providing an extensive Cemetery, in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, suitable in all respects for the purposes of internment, and of easy access - but sufficiently removed from town to preserve its suburban character."
The new cemetery opened in late 1874 and, as we know, was a big hit. It was officially known as the Aberdeen Cemetery but quickly became known as Allenvale Cemetery, after the property on which it was built.
Allenvale saw major extensions in 1912 and 1932. A London syndicate purchased control of the graveyard from the Aberdeen Cemetery Company in 1958. Aberdeen Town Council subsequently took control of the cemetery in 1965 following the then owners going into liquidation and worries about Allenvale's future. Allenvale remains a fine example of a planned Victorian cemetery to this day.
Notable residents of Allenvale include John James Rickard MacLeod (1876-1935), co-discoverer of insulin, James Scott Skinner (1843-1927), fiddler and composer, and Mary Esslemont (1891-1984), the influential doctor. Though, of course, many interned at Allenvale would have their own interesting stories to tell.
In this photograph, Duthie Park, later created on the right, has yet to be landscaped. St. Machar Poorhouse, Fonthill House and Devanha House can all be seen in the distance. Mitchell's Hospital, Old Aberdeen
171 Mitchell's Hospital is situated in the Chanonry not far from St. Machar's Cathedral in Old Aberdeen. It was founded and endowed in 1801 by David Mitchell, a native of Old Aberdeen. It was set up for the purpose of lodging, clothing and maintaining five widows and five unmarried daughters of Old Aberdeen merchants. The women who lived there dressed in deep blue, and those who were able to earn some money from spinning or knitting were expected to give half to the hospital. The building is of one storey in the shape of a letter 'H' with a central refectory for breakfast. Depending on the cost of beef, dinner was boiled beef and greens two or three times a week, otherwise they had fish or eggs. The building has now been reconstructed into four separate dwellings. Seaton Park Racecourse, 1928
259 This image shows one of the last races in Seaton Park at a meeting held on Saturday 22nd and Monday 24th September 1928.
Horse racing had taken place in the city regularly in the 19th century when there was a racecourse at the Links. Its popularity had declined but racing was revived in Seaton Park in 1923 when 30,000 people attended.
The 1928 Meeting was not a great success since less than 1000 spectators attended on the Saturday, although 3000 attended on the Monday despite intermittent rain. The entrance fee to the ground was 1/6 (seven and a half pence) and to the Paddock 4 shillings (20p) with licensed bars, refreshments and teas available.
The fields were not large with only 5 runners in the main events. The Bon Accord Handicap, run over 7 furlongs, had prize money of 25 sovereigns. The last race on the Monday was the Consolation Handicap (for beaten horses). Only 3 horses ran, with "Lolita" winning by 6 lengths. The third horse "Peggy Maitland" was so far behind that her owner/jockey had to walk her past the post.
An application made in 1956 to restart horse racing was turned down by the Town Council. Portrait of A. B. Hutchison
303 A portrait of A. B. Hutchison (1862-1928) wearing the medal and chain of office as convener of the Incorporated Trades in 1906.
Hutchison was one of the most successful bakers in Aberdeen of his time. He was born in the district of Crimond near Peterhead and he learnt his trade in Dundee. His first of many bakeries was opened at 62 Broad Street.
Following considerable success, he opened the Central Bakery at 123 George Street in 1893. This served as the producing centre for a large number of retail shops.
The business was successfully continued by his family well into the later 20th century. An obituary for Hutchison can be found in the Press & Journal of 18th February 1928, page 8.
In addition to running his business, and involvement in the Incorporated Trades, Hutchison was a town councillor, including being made a baillie, served as a Justice of the Peace and was a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Rubislaw Supply Stores
372 This building was erected in 1837 as a tollhouse on the Aberdeen-Skene turnpike road. Turnpike roads were built during the late 18th and early 19th centuries with the intention of improving the rough tracks which were the only roads at that time. Income for the maintenance of the roads was administered by local trustrees through a levy of tolls on travellers at bars or gates, usually set at 6 mile intervals. At each bar there was a tollhouse where the keeper lived. The rounded shape with windows facing in different directions allowed the tollkeeper to see who was approaching so that he could collect the tolls. The toll system was abolished by the Aberdeenshire Roads Act, 1865. The Rubislaw Toll House was then converted into a grocery shop and became known as Rubislaw Supply Stores, run for many years by Gavin Coutts. It remained as a grocery store until recently when it has been converted into a restaurant. It stands at the junction of Queens Road and Spademill Road - named from an old mill which turned wooden handles for spades in the late 1700's. D. Cameron, Bakers
442 A photograph of Mr D. Cameron on his horse and cart and outside his bakery and confectioners shop at 76 Skene Square.
This photograph was taken by Kidd & Stridgen of 33 New Market Gallery, Aberdeen.
A copy of this image was kindly lent to the Aberdeen City Libraries for reproduction by William Donald of Udny Green.
Local historian A. G. Duthie has been in touch to suggest that if we look at the Ordance Survey from 1902 (Aberdeenshire sheet 075.11), judging by the shape and position of the buildings, there is a plausible location for this building north of Skene Square School on the other side of the road. Watson Street Lodge
733 A photograph of the Watson Street Lodge in Victoria Park.
The figures standing in the doorway are most likely to be Robert Walker (1848-1930), the Keeper of Victoria Park, and his family; his second wife Christina Walker and daughters Elizabeth and Ann. Judging by the 1891 census and Robert's eventual obituary, the family also had at least five sons.
Walker was previously married to Isabella Robertson. She died on 24th November 1877. This photograph likely dates from the later 19th century.
Robert Walker was originally from Perth and was himself a son of a gardener. He came to Aberdeen as a nurseryman and in around 1871 was chosen out of 450 candidates to be the city's first keeper of parks.
He oversaw the creation of Victoria Park, Aberdeen's first public park, before going on to lay out Westburn Park, Stewart Park, Union Terrace Gardens and the Promenade. Walker was also an early advocate and pioneer of the planting of street trees.
For a number of years Aberdeen had two superintendents of parks, Walker and a Mr Peter Harper at Duthie Park. When Harper retired in 1914 Walker was appointed general superintendent.
Post Office directories indicate that Walker and his family lived at the Watson Street Lodge, also known as the Victoria Park Lodge, from its construction in around 1872 to his retirement in 1919. His residence at the lodge was part of the job. On retirement Walker moved to the relatively nearby 111 Westburn Drive.
He was succeeded as general superintendent of parks by William B. Clark, who resided at the West Lodge of Duthie Park. A man called Robert Duncan replaced Walker as the keeper of Victoria and Westburn Park.
Over the years Aberdeen has had substantial success and renown as an attractive, green city. A considerable portion of the credit for this success must reside with the pioneering and dedicated work of Robert Walker. Settmaker at Persley Quarry
1071 The Aberdeen area had many granite quarries, and there was a need for men who had the skill to reduce huge blocks of granite into manageable pieces by chipping it with a variety of hammers, and chisels to produce the required shape and size. In this 1920's photograph we see a settmaker at Persley Quarry on the north side of the River Don in Aberdeen, at his wooden shelter or 'skaithie'. These shelters provided some sort of wind break for these men who had to sit on blocks of granite patiently working on the hard stone. Settmakers made cassies for roads and Aberdeen setts were used to pave streets in London. On his left is a tripod structure which acted like a small crane to lift the bigger stones into position. Note the lack of protective safety equipment apart from some extra padding on his knees. Tram No. 2 at Bucksburn
1132 Suburban tram No. 2 at Bucksburn. Correspondent Dr Mike Mitchell states that by the time this photo was taken - probably 1926 or 1927 - the Suburban Tramway was in poor shape, and was to close in late summer 1927. Car 2 is in a battered condition. 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. Gallowgate
1524 This image looks south down Gallowgate. It is a good illustration of the old narrow, winding shape of the street. 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.
Pitmedden House
1734 This photograph shows the Victoria Monument located on a hill to the south of Pitmedden House. The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route now runs between the two sites. The monument is conical in shape and well-constructed of granite rubble.
It features a granite engraved plaque with a representation of a sailing ship and the latin motto 'Per Perigulum Vivo'. The plaque reads 'Erected on the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's first visit to Aberdeen when she was received by George Thomson junior, Esq, The Lord Provost and afterwards MP for Aberdeen. Erected by Mr and Mrs George Thomson, Yost. Pitmedden 8th September 1898'. The Harbour
1760 An image looking north towards the Tidal Harbour from the Balnagask side of the River Dee.
The image shows the main components of Aberdeen Harbour taking shape; the River Dee, Point Law, Albert Basin and Victoria Dock at the top. The Aberdeenshire Canal
1789 This drawing shows a barge being pulled by two horses along the Aberdeenshire Canal, with the twin spires of St. Machar Cathedral in the background.
The Aberdeenshire Canal was opened in 1805 and ran for 18 miles from Aberdeen to Port Elphinstone, near Inverurie. It was first proposed in 1795 by various landed proprietors as a means of providing better transport connections for the rural interior of Aberdeenshire.
The new waterway was fed by the River Don and various streams and springs. Barges transported goods and fly boats or gig boats carried passengers.
In 1840, the goods transported included nearly 4000 tons of lime, 5000 tons of coal, 1124 tons of meal, 54 tons of salt, 110 tons of wood, 51 tons of granite, 43 tons of livestock and 8 tons of whisky. Passenger traffic was catered for by two iron boats, which made the trip twice a day in summer and once a day in winter. It cost 2 shillings (10p.) for the full journey or 2d. (about a half pence) per mile.
As a result of the number of locks to be negotiated at the Aberdeen end, passengers disembarked at the Boathouse at Kittybrewster, having completed the journey in 2 and a half hours. Goods traffic was handled by various barges, some of which belonged to the canal company. It took them 10-14 hours to complete their passage to Aberdeen Harbour. There were facilities for changing the horses at Dyce and Kintore.
In his book The Annals of Woodside and Newhills Patrick Morgan remarks that the canal "was a great convenience to the inhabitants, and a luxury to the boys for bathing in summer and skating in winter." There is no mention of girls using the canal for leisure purposes - perhaps they were required to stay at home and help with housework instead.
The canal increased the prosperity of the area that it served but it was never a huge financial success for its owners. Also it was about to be overtaken by a much speedier rival. Its demise as in other parts of the country was largely brought about by the coming of the railways. The Aberdeenshire Canal was bought over by the Great North of Scotland Railway and finally closed in 1854. The company gave £1000 as compensation for depriving the inhabitants of Woodside of the privilege of the Canal and to assist in obtaining a supply of water from other sources.
There is very little physical evidence to remind us that the Aberdeenshire Canal ever existed. However there is one quite substantial remnant which lies close to Great Northern Road - Warrack's Bridge was one of the original canal bridges and looking over the west side of the bridge the curve of the canal bed can clearly be seen. A. B. Hutchison
1891 A portrait of A. B. Hutchison (1862-1928) wearing the medal and chain of office as convener of the Incorporated Trades in 1906.
Hutchison was one of the most successful bakers in Aberdeen of his time. He was born in the district of Crimond near Peterhead and he learnt his trade in Dundee. His first of many bakeries was opened at 62 Broad Street.
Following considerable success, he opened the Central Bakery at 123 George Street in 1893. This served as the producing centre for a large number of retail shops.
The business was successfully continued by his family well into the later 20th century. An obituary for Hutchison can be found in the Press & Journal of 18th February 1928, page 8.
In addition to running his business, and involvement in the Incorporated Trades, Hutchison was a town councillor, including being made a baillie, served as a Justice of the Peace and was a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Old Inn at the Pier
1991 A drawing titled Old Inn at the Pier, signed W. Gordon, 1890.
The label on the library's glass slide identifies the building as the Ferry Boat Inn. It was located past the old Blockhouse at the end of Pocra Quay. The harbour side pub was run by Willie Cormack, who also ran a shop in Fittie called Highland Willie's.
Comparing the shape and location of the pub shown here with the Ordnance Survey Aberdeen town plan surveyed 1866-67, particularly the pub's bay windows, suggests this is in fact the Steam Yacht Inn. This inn, which was further up Pocra Quay, east of Pocra Jetty, can be seen on the above town plan on sheet LXXV.12.21. Duthie Park
2192 A postcard image, likely from the early 20th century, looking east across the northernmost section of Duthie Park's Upper Lake, towards the bandstand.
As can be seen on old large scale Ordnance Survey maps, the northern section of the lake was originally lobed shape as visible here. It was made more cohesively rounded at some point in the mid-20th century.
This part of the Upper Lake has traditionally been used for pedalos. The Astoria Cinema
2268 The Astoria Cinema on Clifton Road, Woodside.
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, ivory and brown with walnut panelling and 2 miles of Wilton carpet. It closed on Saturday 13th August 1966, reopening 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. Tragedy befell it in November 1982, when, in an act of vandalism, a youth set fire to the hall and the organ was totally destroyed. Treasure 6: Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen
2275 Enthusiastic gardeners who have spent months, if not years, nurturing their plants have the opportunity to display their efforts at flower shows - usually held in August or September. These events for individuals happen all around the country and have a long history.
Britain in Bloom is the national flower show for whole communities. It was the brainchild of Roy Hay, a horticultural journalist. Following a holiday in France where he admired the "Fleurissement de France", he persuaded the British Travel and Holidays Association (later the British Tourist Authority) to organise a similar competition for communities in Britain.
Although the first competition in 1964 was won by Bath, Aberdeen received a "Special Mention". The city did even better in 1965 when it won the National Trophy. Although it did not win again until 1969, the city then continued its success each year until 1971. However, this achievement led to Aberdeen being debarred from the National Competition in 1972 although it still won the Scottish section. 1973 and 1974 saw Aberdeen winning the National award again, and its record 10th win was in 1998.
A slogan competition was held for the 1968 campaign when the winning entry proclaimed "Aberdeen - Garden City by the Sea".
In order to celebrate Britain in Bloom and Aberdeen's success in the competition we have chosen to highlight our collection of historic prize schedules for the Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen's annual exhibition.
The Aberdeenshire Horticultural Society was founded in March 1824 when a meeting of "Practical Gardeners" was held in the New Inn for the "purpose of forming themselves into a Society". The Earl of Aberdeen graciously agreed to be Patron of the Society.
In November 1863, it was announced at the annual general meeting that HRH the Prince of Wales had now agreed to become Patron of the Society and that the Society's name was to be changed to the Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen.
The Society's "Prize Schedule for Exhibition" gives details of each of the classes which can be entered, with the prizes which can be won - a sum of money or a cup or medal. In 1920, there were a total of 222 classes and those who exhibited were split into one of four Divisions - professional gardeners; nurserymen and florists; amateurs and working class.
The Schedules also contain the Rules of Competition, the Constitution of the Society and a list of Subscriptions and Donations received - these include names, addresses and amounts given. Our earliest copies of the booklets cover the period 1920 - 1937, although the file is incomplete.
The Society celebrated its 175th anniversary in 1999. To take a closer look at these, and many other Aberdeen historic documents, visit Aberdeen Central Library. 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. Treasure 36: Aberdeen City Libraries' First Book Sale, 24 February 1979
2327 National Libraries Day has been held every February since 2011 to celebrate and raise awareness of libraries, library staff and their communities all over the UK. It is an opportunity for libraries to showcase and promote what they have to offer and to attract as many visitors as possible to local libraries.
This month our selection from the Library archive brings the focus to a Library event the likes of which has never been seen before or since in Aberdeen City Libraries. The photograph shows the queue for the first ever Library book sale held in the Ballroom of the Music Hall on Saturday 24 February 1979, when well over a thousand people swarmed through the doors to grab a bargain. The Press and Journal covered the event with the headline: "Bonanza Day for Bookworms; bargain hunters pack the Music Hall".
In September 1978 the Aberdeen District Council's library committee agreed to a recommendation from City Librarian Peter Grant to hold a sale of more than 30,000 books which had been withdrawn from stock for various reasons. There was also considerable duplication of stock following local government re-organisation in 1975 when Aberdeen inherited six former county branch libraries.
Books were divided into three categories: Children's, Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction (including reference books) and prices were kept low at 20p for fiction books and non-fiction titles slightly more at 50p.
Best sellers included children's books purchased by play groups, out of date encyclopaedias and Whittaker's Almanacs, and bound volumes of National Geographic Magazine. By the end of the day, the event was deemed an overwhelming success, selling over 13,000 books and raising more than £3645 for the purchase of new stock.
The hard work and dedication of the Library staff was recognised by the Convener of the Library Committee Councillor Henry Rae who said "It turned out to be a resounding success and this was achieved by the dedication of the staff".
The Development of Marischal Square and Broad Street (23/08/2015-20/04/2018): 14
3064 From Flourmill Lane. Ground floors of Marischal Square taking shape. Marischal College and Greyfriars' Church beginning to be obscured. Provost Skene's House and portable cabins on the left. 08/04/2016. The Development of Marischal Square and Broad Street (23/08/2015-20/04/2018): 21
3071 Marischal Square taking shape in Broad Street with Alan Beattie Herriot's statue of Robert the Bruce forming a focal point. 06/07/2016. |