261

Culter House, Deeside. The building was destroyed by fire in 1910 and subsequently re-built.

262

United Free Church, Culter, which became Kelman Memorial Church, and more recently has amalgamated with St. Peter's to form Peterculter Church.

281

H. Company, 7th Gordon Highlanders leaving Culter for War Service. August 6th 1914

388

An interior view of Stoneywood Paper Mills

389

A photograph showing an interior view of Stoneywood Paper Mills. The image shows a large hall full of workers and machinery producing large sheets of paper.

390

Interior view of Stoneywood Paper Mills

447

Culter Paper Mills site, showing new Barratt housing at Millden.

448

Culter Paper Mills site, showing new Barratt housing at Millden.

450

St. Peter's Church, Church Hall and Manse, Peterculter.

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.

709

Rubislaw Terrace, Aberdeen in around 1880. This photograph by George Washington Wilson shows the granite splendour of this terrace, which was planned by the architects Thomas Mackenzie and James Matthews, jointly with James Giles, artist. The houses were to be erected on the property of James Skene of Rubislaw, on the north side of Albyn Place. The Aberdeen Journal of 31st March 1852 describes the plans as thus: "The style of architecture possesses in a high degree the rare merit of combining what is new, at least in Aberdeen, with what is, in point of taste exceedingly beautiful". The houses have crowstepped gables and plain windows alternating with bow windows which have a balustrade, and had 11-15 rooms. In 1854, James Matthews actually lived there, and later occupants included a paper manufacturer, a ship owner, and a number of advocates. Today, many of the houses have been converted into offices for legal firms. Granite balustrades and a garden area separate the terrace from Albyn Terrace.

710

A photograph looking north west up Jack's Brae, from its junction with Upper Denburn, in the Rosemount area. Jack's Brae was named after the owner of property there. This photograph likely dates from the mid-to-late 19th century. The Ordnance Survey town plan of Aberdeen, 1:500 scale, surveyed in 1866-67 depicts a "Coffee Roasting and Grinding Works" at the top of Jack's Brae at its junction with Leadside Road. A large chimney of these works can be seen on the right side of this image in the distance. These works were the premises of John Strachan. In the Aberdeen Post Office Directory for 1867-68, Strachan is described as follows: "Strachan, John, coffee roaster, coffee, sugar, and sugar grinder, Jack's brae" (page 213). Aberdeen City Council's Historic Environment Record describes the site thusly: "Site of meal mills, built in the 18th - 19th Centuries and demolished in the 1980s. The works was two-storey with a basement, comprising a 9-bay range with a single kiln and a three-storey with attic 5 by 6-bay block of later date. There were also two 2-storey store blocks. The mill was originally water powered, later electrically driven. The OS 1st edition map depicts a coffee roasting and grinding works here; they are annotated as corn mills on the OS 25in map published 1924." (link here). The business was known as John Strachan & Sons and the works as Gilcomston Mill. The business was started in around 1852 and John Strachan was succeeded as its proprietor by his son James Strachan (1838-1914). His obituary can be found in the Evening Express of 28th December 1914, page 5. His son, John Strachan, was later to become the business's managing director. The obituary of this later John Strachan can be found in the Press & Journal of 1st July 1935, page 8. At the time of writing in 2022, the site is occupied by a residential complex called Strachan Mill Court - no doubt named after the coffee roasting and milling enterprise.

810

Justice Mills of one kind or another are first mentioned in the 1300s, and were the site of a famous battle. In their final form, an Upper Justice Mill occupied a site later partially covered by the Odeon Cinema building, while the Lower Mill stood in Union Glen, at the bottom of the steep slope with its mill dam above and behind it (see water wheel centre left). The left hand part of the building and the wheel were removed when the cinema was built, the dam was drained and a thoroughfare created into Union Glen, but the central and right hand parts survived, albeit derelict, into the 1960s. The wagon in front of the buildings is painted with the business name James Alexander & Son, Grain Merchants. The 1866-67 Ordnance Survey large scale town plan of Aberdeen indicates that Lower Justice Mill was a corn mill. A black cat can also be seen in the centre right of the image and a woman carrying some type of load is in front of the waterwheel. Correspondent Geoffrey Mann has been in touch to inform us that in 1793 there was a miller at the Justice Mills called George Reid. This information was found from an Old Machar baptismal record for his and Margaret Smith's (his wife) daughter Elizabeth. Coincidentally, there was another George Reid (1826-1881) who was a partner in the prominent seedsmen and agricultural implement makers, Messrs Benjamin Reid & Co., who had their Bon-Accord Works just to the east of the Justice Mills. The obituary of this later George Reid from The Aberdeen Journal 16/07/1881 states that at the time his death he lived with his two sisters in Justice Mill Lane.

831

A James Valentine postcard image looking east towards the Bridge of Don in Aberdeen with the river mouth beyond. The photograph used on this postcard likely dates from the early 20th century. The lone building at the left end of the bridge would be the Donview Hotel. The buildings on the far left, down the path from the hotel, are likely those of Don Mills, which processed corn and barley. Aberdeen City Council's Historic Environment Record states that the mill was originally built as a distillery in 1798.

863

Justice Mill Lane, off Holburn Street, prior to the building of the Regent/Odeon Cinema (1932) and the Bon Accord Baths (1940). This image looks east on to Justice Mill Lane from Holburn Street. The building on the right is one of the old mills that were present in the area. To its left is the premises of James Scott, a tobacconist. In the near right of the image is the side of 35-39 Holburn, a tenement that likely dates from 1899. The ground floor of this building has been occupied for much of its history, and in this photograph, by the Glentanar Bar. The Aberdeen Pub Companion (1975) by Archibald Hopkin states that the Glentanar dates from 1909 when Charles Ewen acquired a licence for the premises at 39 Holburn Street. The structure in the centre of the image is the ornate ventilation shaft of the Aberdeen Cable Subway. It was constructed as part of the Dee Village Electricity Works, at the foot of Crown Street, and dates from around 1903.

876

This image was taken around 1909 from a hill at the west end of Culter - 7 miles west from Aberdeen looking down on the North Deeside Road towards Banchory. The image shows the cottages known as Clayhills with the houses of Malcolm Road beyond. Hidden in the trees at the right hand side is the statue of Rob Roy overlooking the Leuchar Burn which runs through the wooded valley.

883

A team photograph of Culter Football Club from the 1931-32 season. Local historian Brian Coutts has been in touch with names for some of the people shown: The fourth from the left,of the five men in the back row is David Sangster. The middle row, of nine men, starts on the left with T. Emsie, the club secretary. 4th along is G. Petrie and the 5th is Arthur Jackson. The front row, starting again from the left, is A.J. Moir, H. Wilson, L. Cooper, W. Jamieson and an unknown 5th man. Brian also suggests that the trophy at the front might be the Archibald Cup.

946

A team photograph of Culter Juniors Football Club in 1911. Local historian Brian Coutts has been in touch with names of the individuals shown (all from left to right): Back row - D. Guild, P. Low, J. MacDonald, W. Duncan, C. Dunbar, J. McAra, J. Milne and J. Ogilvie. Middle Row (kneeling) - G. Insch, C. Allan and J. Milne. Front row - J. Reid, Alastair Thomson, J. Agnew, G. McKenzie and J. Fraser. Silver City Vault visitor David Allan suggests that the C. Allan in the middle row looks like his uncle, Charlie Allan, who lived in Culter's Clayhills cottages.

947

First fire engine at Culter Mills.

948

Culter Mills: the old main office.

949

Culter from the mill chimney, 10 May 1936.

950

Culter Mill chimney, 10 May 1936.

951

Culter Mill chimney 10 May 1936.

952

Culter from mill chimney - 10 May 1936.