723

Union Street with the imposing facade of the Music Hall on the left. The Music Hall or The Assembly Rooms as they were originally known were built in 1820 by Archibald Simpson. The concert hall designed by James Matthews and was added in 1858.

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agreed to a recommendation from City Librarian Peter Grant to hold a sale of more than 30,000 books which had been withdrawn from stock for various reasons.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 Best sellers included children's books purchased by play groups, out of date encyclopaedias and Whittaker's Almanacs, and bound volumes of National Geographic Magazine.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".

3372

The Music Hall opened in 1822 as Aberdeen's Assembly Rooms and was designed by Archibald Simpson; the building was originally intended as a place for the elite to socialise. In 1858, the Aberdeen Music Hall Company bought the building and a large concert hall was added, reopening as the Aberdeen Music Hall in September 1859. The building was refurbished in the mid 1980's, spending more than £2.5 million, and reopening in 1986. The Music Hall has been run by Aberdeen Performing Arts since 2004 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009. The latest renovations took place between 2016 and 2018 and the Music hall has been a vibrant part of Aberdeen since then, welcoming artists and entertainers.

3413

This photograph shows the Picturedrome/Cinema House building in the mid-to-late 1970s, after it had ceased being a cinema. As with many cinemas at the time, it was converted into a bingo hall. In 1981 it was rechristened Casino Bingo. In the Evening Express of 22nd December 1986 it was announced that Coral Social Clubs of Nottingham had purchased the Kingsways on King Street and Casino Bingo on Skene Terrace. Both were former cinemas owned by James F. Donald (Aberdeen Cinemas) that were then operational as bingo halls. The chairman of James F. Donald (Aberdeen Cinemas), Richard Donald, confirm the sale of the venues and expressed sadness to see them go, particularly the old Cinema House hall that had been in the family firm for over 50 years and that he had managed as a 14-year-old. Both venues were retained as bingo halls by Coral Social Clubs, which later became known as Gala Bingo. In 1995 the Cinema House building was redeveloped and opened as a 350-capacity live entertainment centre. It was named the Playhouse after the old Donald owned cinema located at the west end of Union Street. The new Playhouse offered live music, cabaret and dancing. At the time of opening a spokesperson for the owners, Balgownie Development Company Ltd., said "We're offering a full night's entertainment where they can come in have a meal and enjoy a night of cabaret and dancing all under the one roof". Interior changes were kept to a minimum in the redevelopment to retain the atmosphere (Evening Express, 21/10/1995, p. 4). 1995 also saw the opening of the Stage Door Restaurant in the North Silver Street side of the building. The eatery was from the same team that operated Aberdeen's Courtyard Restaurant and retained a number of design features from its time as a cinema. The restaurant had an impressive large bowed ceiling and theatre related wall illustrations. This space was later occupied by a computer gaming and esports hub called Engage Gaming. In 2020 this company changed their name to Reset Gaming and moved to premises on John Street. After the Playhouse, the main part of the building was occupied by the Forum from 1998 and operated as a well-known concert and events venue. Most recently it was a venue called The Assembly, which sadly closed down in 2019.

219

In March 1912 an exhibition on the infectious disease tuberculosis was held in the Music Hall on Union Street. This striking poster, with the headline 'War on consumption', advertised the six day event and the accompanying series of lectures. The exhibition was organised by the Town Council of Aberdeen and the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption. The majority of the exhibition was brought to the city by the latter party with local additions from the Aberdeen Public Health Department, the pathological and public health laboratories of the University of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Mothers' and Babies' Club. The exhibition arrived in Aberdeen on the 16 March from Dundee where it had been visited by 30,000 people. It had also toured Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Hull. The exhibits were arranged in the Music Hall's Ball Room and Square Room by Mr Haughton, the organising secretary, with assistance by officials of the Public Health Department. The exhibition included two full sized model rooms. Living conditions such as good ventilation, fresh air and sunlight were considered vital in combating the disease. A "bad room" was modelled on a real property in the East End of London. Tuberculosis was a grave health concern at the time. The poster states that "During the past Ten Years in Aberdeen 1997 persons died from Consumption, and 1039 from other forms of Tuberculosis." In a preview of the exhibition from 19 March, the Aberdeen Journal wrote "The object of the exhibition is to draw attention to the enormous wastage of life and work caused by tuberculosis in its various forms; to show how the disease is caused and spread; and to illustrate the methods of cure and the precautions for its prevention." The importance of the exhibition was further stressed in a later article which stated: "There is no single disease that causes among civilian communities so many deaths and manifests itself in such various forms, and nothing can be more desirable than to bring home to the masses of people how the deadly scourge can best be prevented or checked. In Aberdeen alone the number of deaths yearly from all forms of tuberculosis is about 270, and of these about two-thirds, or 180, are due to pulmonary tuberculosis. The disease usually lasts long, and the number of definite diseases attributable to it at any one time in the city is probably not less than four or even five times as large as the deaths." The exhibition was opened by the Principal of the University of Aberdeen, George Adam Smith, and was accompanied by a series of daily public lectures by experts on the disease. Each day's lecture was followed by cinematograph presentations illustrating the precautions taken in connection to tuberculosis. The lectures were held next-door to the Music Hall in the Aberdeen Y.M.C.A. Hall. At the close of the "six day crusade against tuberculosis", Lord Provost Maitland described the exhibition and lecture series as "Magnificent" and the Journal stated that the success of the event, "judged by popularity, is beyond all doubt." In total 39,960 attended over the six days, placing Aberdeen behind only Hull which was open for an extra day. Approximately 20,000 health pamphlets were disseminated around the city, including 15,000 catalogues freely distributed by the Public Health Committee. A copy of this catalogue, which includes an instructive article from Hay, is kept in the collection of Aberdeen Local Studies.

238

In its heyday Aberdeen attracted visitors from all over the UK and established itself as one of Britain's leading holiday resorts. This is the Links and Sea Beach Development Plan of 1923 which ultimately led to the transformation of Aberdeen into a first class holiday resort. In September 1919, Aberdeen Town Council took the decision to develop and improve Aberdeen Beach with the construction of a large entertainments building comprising a concert hall, restaurant, dining room, dance hall and lounge, beach pavilion and two shopping arcades. Messrs. Roberts and Hume of Bathgate were chosen to design the proposed scheme in 1926, at an estimated cost of £42,717. The final design incorporated all requested features excluding the shopping arcades, but the dance hall - known now as Aberdeen Beach Ballroom - became one of the finest dance halls in Scotland.

290

Adam "Cosmo" Mitchell was born at Kennethmont in 1860. Raised on a croft, little is known of his early childhood but by the age of 21, he had become a dancing master teaching in several areas near his home. By the end of 1881, Mitchell had brought his dance classes to Aberdeen. Using rooms in the Music Hall for instruction, he taught children and adults in increasingly popular classes. His professional associations with local schools, as well as local, regional and international societies, also helped strengthen his professional reputation and furthered his integrity as an authority on dancing and, by 1895-6, he was creating his own dances. Mitchell joined the newly-formed Imperial Society of Dance Teachers in 1904. By the following year, he had been elected as vice-president and continued to be re-elected in that post for many years. In 1915, Mitchell published A Guide to Ballroom Dancing. In 1919, Mitchell's wife died. A key part of his business life, the loss of his wife led to the immediate cessation of his teaching in schools. By 1924, he had retired from teaching altogether. Mitchell died in 1932 and bequeathed his entire professional library of dance textbooks, notebooks and ephemera to Aberdeen City Libraries. Our Treasure showcases some of the items from this collection. Patricia Ballantyne produced a thesis on the development of Scottish dance, utilising much of the Cosmo Mitchell collection. Her thesis Regulation and Reaction is available to view in the Information Centre. It is largely due to her research that we are able to explore the life of this little-known local celebrity. Find out about the marketing ploys adopted by Mitchell, and the origins of his middle name, in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreens in Central, Airyhall, Tillydrone and Mastrick libraries.

338

Our guest treasure this month is the collection of architectural drawings held by Aberdeen City Council's Design Team (Public Buildings). Design Team (Public Buildings) is a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) chartered practice with a team of qualified Architects, Architectural Staff and Quantity Surveyors. Their aim is to support and provide a sustainable built environment in Aberdeen based on principles of design excellence, social wellbeing, environmental responsibility and value for public money. Over the years Aberdeen City Council has collected thousands of architectural drawings. They are used by the Design Teams to inform alterations to existing buildings and demolitions. The Design Team's (Public Buildings) collection contains drawings of many of Aberdeen's best known structures. These include: The Beach Ballroom, The Music Hall, The Bon-Accord Baths, the Maritime Museum and the Central Library. The collected drawings are an important resource used in the Design Team's work and therefore are not publicly accessible. Although the public do not have access to this collection, many historic architectural drawings are available to consult at the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives and Local Studies at Aberdeen City Libraries. If you would like assistance locating this type of material, please contact us at localstudies@aberdeencity.gov.uk.

343

In the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, at the height of music hall variety, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. was one of the most famous and highly paid entertainers in Britain. He remains an enigmatic and charismatic figure in the history of the North East. Born Samuel Murphy Bodie at 33 George Street, Aberdeen on 11 June 1869, he went on to become a leading showman, hypnotist, ventriloquist, controversial 'bloodless surgeon', and was billed variously as The Electric Wizard, The Modern Miracle Worker of the North, and The Most Remarkable Man on Earth. Our treasure is a photograph album held by Aberdeen City Libraries that offers an insight into the life and times of Bodie and his amazing family. Walford Bodie was for much of his career the headline performer of an extended and shifting company of artists. Members of his family, and in particular those of his wife, often played important roles in the Bodie Show. In 1890 Bodie married Jeannie Henry (1869-1931), who performed with Walford as an illusionist and mind-reader called Princess Rubie, until her retirement in 1930. Jeannie and 3 of her sisters went on to play important parts in the Bodie show. One of her sisters was Annie "Nan" Henry (1880-1970) and it is her album that we now hold in the library. The album is a large volume, bound in dark green leather. Within floral endpapers there are around 101 pages each containing approximately 3 photographs. The images are a mixture of postcards and photographic prints. Most appear to have been sent to Nan Henry while she was living in the Bodie family home in Macduff. Many have signed endearments on the front and carry short messages on the reverse. To learn more about this unique character, have a browse in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition.

546

The front cover of a programme for an event organised to raise funds for workers from Broadford Works, a textile factory in Aberdeen. These workers had been made unemployed due to the financial difficulties of the owners of the works, Richards & Co. The event took place in the Music Hall on 21st December 1898, under the patronage of the directors and managers of the works. It featured the following acts: an organ recital by Mr John Allan; grand national fantasia, Scotland's pride by 1st Aberdeen Artillery Volunteer Band; Chairman's remarks by Lord Provost Fleming; songs from Miss Nellie Donaldson; a dramatic recital called Touch me gin ye daur by Mr Dove Paterson; a song called By the Fountain performed by Mr J. A. Goodlad; dancing by the Alexandra Trio; musical (instrumental) entertainment by Mr Will Pender; songs by Miss Jessie G. Roberton; Von German Girl, a comic song by Mr R. F. Davidson; dancing by Roberts and Masson Trio; Quartette, Thuringian Volkslied, by Messrs. Goodlad, Watt, Arthur, and Emslie; the world-famed cinematographists Messrs Walker & Company; another quartette, Soldiers' Chorus from Gounod's Faust by Messrs Goodlad, Watt, Arthur, and Emslie; recital of the William Cadenhead poem Broadford Mill by Mr Dove Paterson; Bedouin Love Song by Mr William Arthur; selections of bagpipe music by Mr Angus Gibson; dancing by Miss Duncan's Quartette, highland and national; descriptive fantasia by 1st Aberdeen Artillery Volunteer Band, A Hunting Scene; God save the Queen by 1st Aberdeen Artillery Volunteer Band. A dance assembly followed the concert. Tickets for the event could be bought from the Lodge, Maberly Street, members of the committee and from various city centre businesses. The back page of the item, also available to view on this website, features an illustration of the Hutcheon Street/Maberly Street site and some historical detail. The programme was printed by the Rosemount Press.

143566

 

 

143673