45

A George Washington Wilson photograph (no. 4045) showing Aberdeen beach in the late 19th century. Bathing machines (also called bathings huts) can be seen at the water's edge. These were drawn to and from the sea by horses, as can be seen in the image. There were about 30 machines on the beach at any one time and male and female bathing areas were segregated. In 1933 the horses were retired and the machines served as static changing huts until 1954. They were then kept in storage and later offered for public sale as mementos of a bygone bathing era.

51

The Promenade at Aberdeen Sea Beach, c. 1950 with the Beach Shelter and Beach Bathing Station in the background.

99

The interior of the Beach Bathing Station, where generations of Aberdonians learnt to swim in the fresh water pool. The Bathing Station was designed by City Architect, John Rust, and opened on 13th July 1898. A distinctive red brick chimney dominated the beach skyline. The Bathing Station was eventually filled in and demolished, the door having finally closed to the public on 11th July 1972.

139

Interior of King's College Chapel, University of Aberdeen, Old Aberdeen, c.1900. King's College was founded by Bishop William Elphinstone under a Papal Bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on 10th February 1495. Marischal College was founded as an independent university in 1593 and the two became the University of Aberdeen in the Fusion of 1860. Work began on the College in 1500 and it took 6 years to complete the Chapel. This photograph shows the interior looking west, showing Bishop Stewart's pulpit on the right, through the nave and choir to the choir stalls and rood screen, with the antechapel behind it. Non-residents entered through the west door and occupied the antechapel, while students entered from the College Library via a special staircase within the rood screen. The central gallery of the screen is still used to house the organ. The 52 choir stalls, commissioned by Elphinstone, are "a unique survival as well as the finest of their king in Scotland". The finely panelled Renaissance pulpit of William Stewart (Bishop 1532-1545) bears his coat of arms and was originally in use in St. Machar's Cathedral. The timber ceiling was constructed soon after 1506 and was probably designed by John Fendour. It consists of a diagonal arrangement of ribs and widely spreading foliage sprigs radiating from centre bosses. The choir stalls and ceiling both show a strong Flemish influence. The Chapel is still in use today for University services and is a popular marriage venue for graduates.

157

The Dee originally flowed northward from Wellington Bridge close by the railway arches eastwards to the sea. After years of discussion about the development of the harbour, the Aberdeen Harbour Act of 1868 allowed the Harbour Commissioners to divert the river to the south. The first turf was cut by Lord Provost Leslie on 22nd December 1869. This photograph shows the dam built to allow the excavation of the new channel. Most of the work was carried out by hand with men using picks and shovels. There was no official inauguration of the new channel but the river was following its new course by the beginning of 1873.

218

Shrine, war memorial, Cowdray Hall, 1927. The War Memorial and the extension of the Art Gallery, including the Cowdray Hall and Museum, were opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 29th September 1925. These were erected at a cost of 80,000 pounds, with the cost of the War Memorial being raised by public subscription. The War Memorial is a cenotaph, in the form of a Memorial Court or Hall of Remembrance and is "consecrated to the memory of those 5000 of the city and district who gave their lives on land and sea 'that we might live'". The shrine is of white and grey marble in a niche in the north wall of the Memorial Court, directly opposite the entrance. It takes the form of a table on which is placed the Roll of Honour, printed on vellum, within glass. The table is supported by trusses decorated in Renaissance style. On either side are the Union Jack and White Ensign, representing Army and Navy, and in the centre is a laurel wreath in gilt bronze. Also in the picture can be seen the circular balcony or gallery, with a graceful balustrade, grey marble coping and ornate mouldings, which encircles the Court and leads to various picture galleries, one of which can be seen through the doorway

219

War memorial at Cowdray Hall. The War Memorial and the extension of the Art Gallery, including the Cowdray Hall and Museum, were opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 29th September 1925. These were erected at a cost of £80,000, with the cost of the War Memorial being raised by public subscription. The War Memorial is a cenotaph, in the form of a Memorial Court or Hall of Remembrance and is "consecrated to the memory of those 5000 of the city and district who gave their lives on land and sea 'that we might live'".

227

A scene from the North Pier, looking across to the South Breakwater in the background. A steam trawler is heading out to sea.

270

This photograph shows Pittodrie House which stands on the east slopes of Bennachie near the village of Pitcaple about 20 miles from Aberdeen. The Mither Tap is visible in the background. Although the house stands over 680 feet above sea level, it is surrounded by trees which provide shelter from the wind. It is a complex house of several dates and was on the estate of the Knight Erskine family for centuries, before being sold in 1903 to George Smith, a Glasgow shipping magnate who founded the City Line of Steamers. The Smith family still own the property which has been run as a luxury hotel since 1977 and the 3000 acre estate is leased for agriculture. The original house probably dated from around 1490, and a wheel stair from that period still survives, although the house was burnt by Montrose during the Covenanting Wars. A date stone commemorates the re-building by the Erskines in 1675, and in 1841, the architect Archibald Simpson created the large neo-Jacobean extension with three storey balustraded tower on the east side - seen here covered in ivy. A billiard room was added in the early 1900s and further extensions took place in 1990. The word 'Pittodrie' is thought to be derived from the Gaelic 'todhar' which can mean either manure or bleach. Aberdeen Football Club's ground is known as Pittodrie Stadium, because the Knight Erskines also owned the lands in the city where the stadium was built.

341

Children catching shrimps at Aberdeen Sea Beach.

350

New Quay, Aberdeen Harbour. This photograph shows the navigation channel leading from Aberdeen Harbour into the North Sea, with the North Pier in the far distance on the left. The New Quay later became part of Pocra Quay. The Pier was built by John Smeaton in 1781 and extended on several occasions to provide better access to the harbour. At the corner of the photograph is the customs Watch House, part of which has now been converted into a seafood restaurant. The brick obilisk in the centre is a ventilation shaft for a sewer which emptied into the channel. A newer sewer outfall has rendered it redundant. It is popularly known as Scarty's Monument. 'Scarty' was the nickname of William Smith, one of two harbour pilots in the mid-19th century. His duty was to keep watch from the North Pier during rough weather. Nicknames were often used in the fishing community to distinguish between people of the same surname.

359

The Linn o'Dee is 65 miles west of Aberdeen and over 1200 feet above sea level. It is about a mile west of Inverey, the last settlement on Deeside and marks the end of the public road. The stone bridge which replaced a wooden structure was opened by Queen Victoria in September 1857. Salmon can often be seen here leaping upwards to their spawning grounds. The area is still a popular tourist attraction with views of the Cairngorms in the distance. Linn is a Scottish word for a rocky gorge with pools.

429

A 'wagonette' travelled between Castle Street and the sea beach taking people down to enjoy the bracing sea air. Note the bare foot children in the foreground.

458

The school was opened 14th August 1899 on Great Northern Road with space for 1,100 eager to learn pupils! This photographs shows the school, and the junction with Lilybank Place, looking north west from Great Northern Road. The school was built by a popular Aberdeen builder named John Morgan who amongst other things also built the Caledonian Hotel, King Street School, various churches and the statue of William Wallace which stands opposite His Majesty's Theatre. In the early days, students would have had to learn in a building with no heating and only outdoor toilets.

771

A photograph of the the Quaker meeting house that was located between Gallowgate and Sea Mount Place. This image shows the front elevation of the building that faced south east on to Port Hill. The large scale Ordnance Survey town plan of Aberdeen (sheet LXXV.11.8., surveyed in 1867) indicates that their associated burial ground was located to the west of the building, towards Gallowgate. The plan also states that the meeting house had seating for 350 people. The Quaker Meeting Houses Heritage Project (link here) states that the group first established their meeting house and burial ground on this site in 1672 and they continued to meet there until moving to a new location in 1800. This building was later acquired by John Watt & Sons, leather merchants. The upper part had louvre windows which made it suitable for drying leather. Later OS maps suggest the building may have stood as a ruin into the mid-20th century. At the time of writing in 2022, the site is now an elevated outdoor space surrounded by blocks of flats, to the south of Porthill Court, that go from Gallowgate around Seamount Road A more recent, late-Victorian Quaker meeting house can be found at 98 Crown Street, Aberdeen. To find out more about Quakers in Aberdeen, in addition to the above mentioned Quaker Meeting House Heritage Project, there is information on a relevant collection of books held by the University of Aberdeen, including a list of associated publications, here.

815

Bridge of Don, Aberdeen looking to sea.

828

The Pleasure Park at Aberdeen Beach. The famous Scenic railway can be seen in the background. In 1929 the Town Council leased John Henry Iles a piece of ground adjoining the sea front for use as an amusement park. The pleasure park was located on the esplanade south of Wellington Road. Iles' park included rides such as The Caterpillar, The Whip, Water Dodgems, and the Brooklyn Racers (petrol driven cars). The greatest innovation, however, was the scenic railway which rose to 100 feet in the air at its highest point. The local press recorded 21,000 children, between 3 and 14 years of age, carried on the ride on the "Kiddies Day" that was held on Saturday 20th August 1932. The ride was popular throughout the 1930s. It was badly damaged by fire on the night of 5th December 1940 and was subsequently destroyed. Note the tower of St. Clements Church and the row of tenements, likely those on Wellington Street, in the background.

850

An aerial view of Sandilands Chemical Works looking east towards the sea. This image likely dates from around the mid-20th century. Some of the houses on Garvock Wynd, the street on the right of this image, have disappeared compared to earlier aerial views. The next street along to the left, with "the Big Hoose" on its corner, is Baltic Street. Miller Street runs along the bottom of the image. These chemical works began in 1848 when brothers John and George Miller of Paisley leased the land adjacent to gas works that had opened in 1844. Their intention was to process the by-products of coal gas manufacture. The business operated as John Miller & Company, known locally as "stinky Miller's", and went on to manufacture a range of products for North East agriculture. An obituary for John Miller can be found in the Aberdeen Free Press of 6th March 1894, page 4. An obituary for George Miller featured on page 4 of the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of 11th September 1889. In around 1928, Miller & Co. became part of Scottish Agricultural Industries (SAI). In the 1930s, the first SAI manager, Mr. Bremner, was appointed and this marked the beginning of the end of the Miller era. SAI was formed in 1928, part of ICI agricultural division (ICI owned 51%), by combining firms such as J. Miller & Co. in Aberdeen, Milne in Dyce and firms in Carnoustie, Ayr, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Beyond the chemical works can be seen Queen's Links and the Pleasure Beach across Wellington Street. The esplanade and North Sea are visible beyond.

871

A photograph of a tram no. 67 serving the Sea Beach route. Correspondent Dr Mike Mitchell comments that tram 67 was built in Dee Village workshops, then the main tramcar works, in 1919 as an unemployment relief measure. The construction used parts from an ex-horse car conversion of the same number. It was delivered in December 1919 and ran until 1953/54. The photograph shows the tram on Great Western Road with Mannofield Church in the background. Designed by Jenkins and Marr, this church was officially opened on 30th July 1882.

1193

This 1987 photo of the west side of George Street shows nos. 29 and 31 in their last days of trading before closing prior to their demolition for the shopping development to be known as the Bon Accord Centre. John Martin, butcher, had been in business here for nearly 100 years. The original John Martin opened this shop after having been manager in the butchery department of the Northern Co-operative Society. He retired in 1932 and the business was carried on in the same name by his two sons. On the door was the sign: "Redevelopment closure - this shop will cease trading Saturday 11 April 1987". Sometime prior to the demolition of the building, the flats above these shops had been renovated as accommodation for students at Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology (now The Robert Gordon University).

1436

The Reference Library opened in August 1892 and underwent a number of changes in layout. As this photograph shows it was frequently packed out with industrious students and researchers throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

1465

Scotstown Moor, also known as Perwinnes Moss, was once part of around 230 acres of common heath land situated 4 miles to the north of Aberdeen City centre in the Bridge of Don area. From the 1830s, it was visited regularly by botany students from Aberdeen University and was regarded as the most important botanical facility in the Aberdeen area. Over 250 species of flowering plants have been recorded. The pools and mosses contained insect eating plants including sundew. Because it was a Common land, the local people had the right to cut peats and to graze animals there. In later years, drainage operations, agricultural improvements, construction of roads and housing have greatly reduced the area of heathland and bog. However, the remaining area has been protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is now managed by Aberdeen City Council.

1539

A photograph of the Langstane (also styled as the Lang Stane or Lang-Stane). This standing stone located in Aberdeen city centre is thought to be of considerable antiquity. Though little firm information is known about its history. Fenton Wyness includes a similar image, if not the same, in the first edition of The City By the Grey North Sea (1966). He describes it as follows: "The 'Langstane' in Langstane Place, probably part of a Bronze Age circle dating from circa 1800 B.C. The photograph shows it in its original site before being built into the niche at the rear of Messrs. Watt and Grant's building." Page 280. On page 292, Wyness indicates that the stone is marked on Paterson's 1746 plan of Aberdeen. In Aberdeen Street Names (1911), G. M. Fraser writes: "The 'Lang-Stane' is thought to have been part of a Bronze Age Circle. Such circles were used by the Druids either as centres of worship or as burial places. Langstane Place would have been part of the old road which entered Aberdeen from the south, passing by the Hardgate and Windmill Brae to the Green." Page 191 in 1986 edition. Its entry on Aberdeen City Council's online historic environment record indicates that the stone measures 1.8m in height by 0.68m in breadth and at least 0.3m in thickness. On the front face of the stone is the incised legend 'LANGSTANE'. This entry suggests that it was likely an ancient boundary stone.

1647

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