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The Puffing Briggie
532 A scene of change and renovation in the Denburn Valley. The image looks south from Union Bridge over the suburban platforms of the old Aberdeen Joint Railway Station. The old station's large, curved roof can be seen in the background.
The area we are looking at has seen much change since this time. It is now largely covered by the 1960s retail development on the south side of the bridge, the later Trinity Centre, the development of Wapping Street and Denburn Road, and the building of Atholl House. Though many of the buildings of note we can see in this image are still visible today.
The tall buildings on the far right are the rear of those on Bridge Street. The small street in front of them, going up to Guild Street, is the start of College Street. It is now a partially pedestrianised lane that goes under Wapping Street. The building at the top of this street is the classical style suburban ticket office, built 1909 and now home to Tiffany Hair & Beauty.
Going west along Guild Street's two span road bridge we come to the Great North of Scotland Railway Company's headquarters. This was designed by architects Ellis & Wilson and built in 1894. It is now part of the Station Hotel, along with number 78 next door. The building retains many of its original features. The Guild Street entrance to the Trinity Centre now runs along the western side of this building.
The image also shows features that are no longer present. The covered walkway that can be seen on the near right of the image enabled direct access from the station's central platform to the Palace Hotel on Union Street. The hotel was owned by the Great North of Scotland Railway Co. (GNSR). The walkway was vaulted to pass over the tracks at sufficient height.
Consulting The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station, 1867-1992 (c1992), this image probably dates from 1912 when, in additional to commencing the reconstruction of the Joint Station, the GNSR also laid new loading docks and carriage storage siding in the Hadden Mills site (left of image). This was to ensure that the main station buildings were used purely for passenger traffic.
The walkway that linked Windmill Brae and the Green, known affectionately as the Puffing Briggie, can be seen in the centre of the image. It looks like a section on the left has been temporarily demolished as part of the ongoing work.
The sidings on the extreme left were used for cleaning carriages in the later 20th century. One of our correspondents recounts using the often-unattended carriages, accessible when entering the station from the Green, as an unusually exciting and plush playground during their youth in the late-1940s. The 1867 Aberdeen Joint Station
537 This photograph shows the eastern side of the original 1867 Aberdeen Joint Station. The railway buildings can be seen at the front with the roof rising behind.
The history of the station can be discovered in the Great North of Scotland Railway Association's publication The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station, 1867-1992 (c1992).
In reference to the 1867 station, on page 18 it states:
"Designed by the City Architect, Mr Smith, various offices and rooms occupied the east side of the station, extending in a symmetrical manner along the entire frontage, in front of which ran a macadamised roadway eighty feet broad. The building's facade was of dressed ashlar granite quarried from Kenmay, surrounded by a balustrade of dressed freestone. The arched doors were also faced with finely dressed ashlar granite, again surrounded by freestone. The remainder of the buildings was of rustic granite interlined with courses and belts of ashlar freestone from Bannockburn. The main walls, which were thirty feet high, were finished off at the ends by square turrets about twenty feet high 'built of granite rustic work which gave the whole structure a most imposing appearance'. At its highest point the roof, designed by Mr Willet the Civil Engineer for the project, was about seventy feet above ground level and was stated as being modelled on Victoria Station, London."
The cranes and construction work that can be seen on the left side of this image suggest that it might date from the beginning of the 1913-1916 construction of the new Joint Station, overseen by GNSR Chief Engineer J. A. Parker. Foundations for the new station were laid in the cab yard to the east of the old structure on 28th May, 1913. Aberdeen Joint Station
559 Aberdeen Joint Station. View from Guild Street looking over the suburban platforms towards the main concourse building.The station was built between 1913-1916. The engineer in charge was a Mr J. A. Parker. Waterloo Station
641 This photograph shows the corner at the end of Regent Quay in the late 19th century. The building in the centre of the image, with pediment, is the offices of the Great North of Scotland Railway Company and to its left is the entrance to the Waterloo Railway Station.
The railway station was opened by the company on 1st April 1856. It was built to supersede an existing station at Kittybrewster. Waterloo was once the station for all railway passengers and goods going between the city and the north.
Trains coming and going from the south stopped at a nearby, but unconnected station on Guild Street. It had opened two years earlier in 1854 and was operated by rival railway company, the Scottish North-Eastern. Passengers with connecting trains would need to dash along Trinity and Regent Quay or wait for a bus. Connections were not guaranteed.
It took Parliament to settle the differences between the companies. This saw the construction of the Joint Station, opened in November 1867, and the creation of the Denburn Valley Railway. Both Waterloo and Guild Street subsequently became stations for the transport of goods only.
The buildings shown in this photograph were altered and eventually demolished in the 20th century. Remnants of the station can still be seen today in a small yard and the railway line following the old canal path and joining the main tracks heading north at Kittybrewster.
On the right of this image can also be seen an building, likely a goods shed, of the Aberdeen, Newcastle & Hull Steam Company. This passenger ship service was founded in 1865 and had offices at 43 Marischal Street.
The building to the left of Waterloo Station, far left here, was the site of an establishment called Berry's Hotel and served as various pubs until the late 1960s. It looks like it was closed or being refurbished at the time of this photograph.
To the left of this image would be Commerce Street and Regent Quay. Waterloo Quay would begin to its right. Dyer's Hall Lane
685 A photograph looking north-west across Dyer's Hall Lane in 1904.
This lane and row of cottages were situated south of Union Street near the Hardgate at what was soon to become Willowbank Road.
Some of these cottages were thought to date to before 1789. Though some would be more recent than that. The lane's name derives from when the old Dyers' Association met there.
The houses were roofed with red pantiles which were replaced with asbestos when the roofs began to leak. They had outside stairs to the upper floors and water taps outside the door.
The Town Council felt that it would be too costly to preserve the cottages despite their historic interest. They were among the few remaining examples of 18th century houses in the city.
They were demolished in 1956 to make way for extensions to the Station Garage.
The tall chimney in the background likely belonged to the nearby North of Scotland Distillery (formerly known as the Bon-Accord Distillery).
Dyer's Hall Lane was replaced by Willowbank Road in around 1906. This was the first part of a new thoroughfare, incorporating Springbank Terrace, that would connect Holburn Street to Wellington Road (later South College Street).
An article detailing the improvement scheme can be found in the Aberdeen Daily Journal of 21st March 1906 on page 4. Marischal Street
732 This photograph shows Marischal Street at its junction with Regent Quay, looking north towards Castle Street.
It was built to improve the connection between the harbour and the main part of the city, which had previously only been accessible via the steep incline of Shore Brae and the Shiprow.
In 1766, the Town Council were successful in purchasing the unoccupied Lodging of the Earl Marischal of Scotland which stood on the south side of the Castlegate. It was then demolished to open up the way for the new street, named in the Earl's honour.
It was the first street in Aberdeen to be paved with dressed granite setts. Houses were built and were occupied by prosperous professional men such as Dr William Dyce; Andrew Roberston, William Young and Alexander Fraser; both to become Provosts of Aberdeen. These properties were mostly converted to commercial use in later years.
The buildings on the right were replaced by the long and narrow, neo-classical building, designed by Robert Gordon Wilson and built in 1901-02, that can still be seen today at 33 Regent Quay. Dyce Junction Station, Aberdeen
1060 Dyce Junction Station, Aberdeen, c.1910, with the large suburban signal box in the foreground. The main line is situated on the left of the box. The "Buchan Line" to Peterhead and Fraserburgh via Maud Junction can be seen in the background. The locomotive here illustrated is a G.N.S.R. 4-4-0, a type of locomotive used throughout G.N.S.R. territory. This particular train is heading towards Aberdeen with passenger coaches in tow. The Great North believed in 4-4-0s to the extent that they owned few locomotives of other wheel arrangements. Bannermill from Broad Hill
1487 A photograph looking south west from Broad Hill towards the Bannermill (or Banner Mill) cotton works.
The road in the foreground is that which would become Links Road. This continued along the north side of the factory and had a junction with Constitution Street at the north east corner of the works. The land shown in front of Bannermill is Queen's Links.
The location of Bannermill is now occupied by a large square shaped complex of mostly early 21st century flats (completed 2004), with parking in its middle, and a main entrance, on Bannermill Place, accessed from Constitution Street.
The factory was established in 1827 by Thomas Bannerman and closed down in 1904, then under the management of Messers Robinson, Crum & Co. Limited.
The premises were used as stores and for various types of works during the 20th century.
In 1999 the 5.8 acres site was put on the market by the then owners, the North Eastern Farmers (NEF) co-operative, with a price of around £5million. NEF left the site in February 1999 to move to a new headquarters at Rosehall, Turriff. (See P&J, 11 November 1999, p. 7)
Aberdeen City Council subsequently produced a planning brief for developers calling for a housing or mixed housing and hotel development on the site.
Wimpey House submitted a plan for 349 luxury flats and this proposal was given the go-ahead. Construction primarily took place during 2002 and 2003, with the first residents moving-in in October 2002. Union Terrace Gardens
1654 A postcard image looking north east from Union Terrace, across the gardens, towards the War Memorial at Cowdray Hall and the Art Gallery on Schoolhill.
A large poster for the Tivoli Theatre on Guild Street can be seen on the wall next to the railway platform of the old Schoolhill Station.
The gardens below Triple Kirks, beyond Denburn Road, are also worthy of note. 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. Demolition of the old arched roof in 1913, showing the rolling gantry used to assist the work
2637 In 1909 a new suburban booking office and platforms were opened to the west of the main building, accessed from Bridge Street. It was 1912 before work began on rebuilding the old Joint Station itself including upgrading the track layout to provide 13 platforms, and improved storage, parcels and fish-loading facilities. The arched roof was replaced by a pitched glass roof over the concourse only with cast iron, glass and wood canopies extending along each platform.
The new station, completed in 1915, forms the core of the station as it is today. Lifting Guild street Goods Yards
2646 The station was modernised in the early 1980s with a new Travel Centre and upgraded concourse along with a new electronic signalling centre and High Speed Train servicing depot. Further track rationalisation and the replacement of six old mechanical signal boxes also took place.
About ten years ago Guild Street Goods Yard was lifted and replaced by the Union Square shopping centre which opened in October 2009. This incorporated the old Station Square and the façade of the 1915 building into the atrium of the new development. Separately a new Travel Centre and staff offices were provided.
In the 1990s the rail network was privatised; track and infrastructure passed to a company called Railtrack later transferring to Network Rail. East Coast services initially passed to a company called Great North Eastern Railway but are currently run by Virgin East Coast. Scotrail services are operated by Abellio, a subsidiary of Dutch Railways. The Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston is run by Serco and the daily train to Birmingham and southern England by Arriva Cross Country trains. Although managed by Abellio, Aberdeen Station is today very much a joint station.
In August 1992 the approach to the station from the north past Union Terrace Gardens was being changed dramatically by construction of the Denburn Dual Carriageway. Woodside Station
3847 A photograph showing Woodside Railway Station. This image likely dates from the early to mid 20th century and is looking north east from the station's southern platform. The houses in the background would be those of Don Terrace. Beyond these houses is woodland and the River Don.
Woodside Station was located not from north from Great Northern Road, along Station Road. Woodside Works was location to the north west of the station further along this road. Cothal Mills
4292 A photograph looking north across the River Don towards the remains of Cothal Mills in June 1976. This image was likely taken not far from Dyce Cemetery.
Foxgloves can be seen in the foreground on the southern bank of the river. The buildings on the other side were part of a former woollen, yarn or flock mill complex.
The book Gordon: an illustrated architectural guide (1994) by Ian Shepherd, page 170, states that the mills, steam and water powered, once employed upwards of 100 workers and were superseded by the larger works downstream at Grandhome.
See Crombies of Grandholm and Cothal, 1805-1960: records of an Aberdeenshire enterprise (1960) edited by John R. Allan for more information on the use of the mills by the Crombie firm.
An entry for the mills in the Aberdeenshire Ordnance Survey Name Books, 1865-1871, reads as follows:
"A large pile of buildings situated close to the river Don. Originally there was a meal mill here and subsequently, when the greater portion of the houses were erected, the manufacture of woollen cloth was carried on; now yarn is the only production. Motive power water. Contiguous to the mill there are a considerable number of dwellinghouses inhabited by the mill workers. Property of Sir William Forbes Bart." (reference: OS1/1/30/64)
Large scale Ordnance Survey mapping indicates that Cothal Mills were disused by around the mid-20th century.
At the time of writing in 2023, the main buildings shown here have been converted to residential use. A property notice titled 'Old Mill by River Don up for grabs' in the Press & Journal of 24th March 1992, page 18, states that Upper Cothal Mill, on the right in this image but mostly obscured by trees, then up for sale, had been converted into a spacious family home in 1985, following a period of disrepair. 16 Schoolhill/arch (looking north)
4309 A photograph looking north showing the east elevation of 16 Schoolhill and a connected wall with arch in around 1986 or 1987.
This image is one of a series taken by Aberdeen City Council to record buildings prior to the redevelopment of the area and construction of the Bon Accord shopping centre.
The house and area shown were located to the north of Schoolhill, between George Street and Harriet Street. Historically, it had been the site of a carting contractors company called Wordie's and associated stables.
This arch would have been the main entrance to the stable buildings. The south west corner of the Bon Accord Centre is now on this site. 78-80 George Street/32-38 Loch Street
4333 A photograph looking south east at Loch Street, from its junction with George Street, in around 1986 or 1987.
This image is one of a series taken by Aberdeen City Council to record buildings prior to the redevelopment of the area and construction of the Bon Accord Centre.
From right to left, the image shows The Buttery, a bakery of the A. B. Hutchison firm, at 78-80 George Street, a Post Office at 32 Loch Street and the Swan Bar at 34 Loch Street.
On the site of these buildings now stands the north elevation of the Bon Accord Centre to the east of the main George Street entrance. At the time of writing in 2023, the ground floor unit in the centre in this area is occupied by a womenswear shop called Hobbs. Aberdeen Market 21 - foyer area by main entrance
4397 A Roddy Millar photograph looking north across the foyer area within the Aberdeen Market's main entrance. The doors to Market Street are partially shown on the right.
Two businesses within the Market are shown: the Market Key & Heel Bar, in unit 48 on the left, and Smart Mobile, directly ahead.
Smart Mobile, in unit 38, specialised in mobile phone repairs and selling mobile accessories. The back wall of the unit seen here is adorned with many phone cases.
Due to the closure of the Market, both of the businesses shown here moved to new premises at 88 Union Street.
On the right of the image, next to the Market Street doors, a blue plaque with the building's opening hours can be seen.
Photograph taken on 26/02/2019. Treasure 113: Railway Station Plans
334 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the main railway station in Aberdeen. One of our treasures this month is a plan which shows the siting of the original joint railway station and the beginning of the Denburn Valley Line.
This plan was published as a supplement to the Aberdeen Free Press and is dated May 29th 1863. The plan shows the proposed station and the surrounding area. The station and areas around it which require alteration are tinted in dark and light red. We can see that the plans involved the extension of Guild Street and the creation of access roads to the station so that it could be easily reached via a variety of approaches. Other features of note are the proposed tunnel earmarked for the Woolmanhill area and also the Scottish North Eastern Railway Station on Guild Street which indicates that the joint station was not the first station to be built in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Joint Station was opened on the 4th November 1867 and a glowing report and detailed description of the new building can be found in the Aberdeen Journal: "it is truly a magnificent building; and its proportions are such as few stations in the three kingdoms will surpass in point of elegance." William Smith, city architect at the time, was the architect of the joint station and John Willet the engineer.
Learn more about the other stations of Aberdeen, now vanished, in the Treasures from our Collections digital exhibition on the touch screens. Royal Lunatic Asylum - Elmhill House
524 A sketched elevation of the proposed building designed by architect William Ramage (1819-1866) as an extension for Aberdeen's Royal Lunatic Asylum. The building became known as Elmhill House and was completed in 1866.
This sketch illustrated the Interim report to the managers of the Royal Infirmary and Lunatic Asylum of Aberdeen (1858). A copy of this pamphlet is held in the Local Studies collection of Aberdeen City Libraries. The interim report primarily consists of text by Ramage outlining his amended plans for the building. The amendments were informed by his visits, alongside a Dr. Jamieson, to "several of the most important Asylums in the Kingdom".
Ramage refers to an accompanying set of four plans. The interim report only features this sketch and a plan of the main floor, marked as ground plan no. 11. The comments from the committee, that introduce and follow Ramage's report, written by convener David McHardy, indicate that the two illustrations from the pamphlet were drawn up at the committee's request and are separate from those plans mentioned by Ramage.
Elmhill House was designed by Ramage in an Italian villa style with an E-plan layout. The building had three storeys above ground and a basement. The entry on Aberdeen City's Historic Environment Record indicates it was built to alleviate overcrowding at the main Royal Lunatic Asylum buildings at Cornhill. It was intended to be for the care of private patients able to pay a guinea a week or more.
The above site also explains that the building was badly damaged by bombing in World War 2. Though much of the Elmhill House, including the elevation shown here, can still be seen at the time of writing in 2023. A comparable view is given, looking north, from Shaw Road. The building appears to be in use as private housing.
In this sketch, Ramage is identified as the architect in the bottom left. In the opposite corner, the lithographers are given as Keith & Gibb. |