12

A George Washington Wilson photograph showing Aruacarias (monkey puzzle trees) outside what is likely South Stocket Cottage. This building was located about 100 metres to the west of the junction of Moray Place and South Stock Road, on the north side of the latter. The upper part of South Stocket Road, on which this building stood, was also known as High South Stocket Road. As Aberdeen developed to the west, the street name of South Stocket Road was progressively replaced by Beechgrove Terrace, from Rosemount Place to Fountainhall Road, and, to the west of that, by King's Gate. The beginning of this development and the renaming of the street is detailed in the article 'Extension of the city' in the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of 25th April 1877, page 4. See also G. M. Fraser's book Aberdeen Street Names (1911) for further discussion of streets named in reference to the Stocket Forest. This photograph likely dates from the latter half of the 19th century. Since this time, South Stocket Cottage has been demolished. The 25 inch to a mile Ordnance Survey map sheet revised to 1923/24 indicates that the building stood until at least then. Ordnance Survey maps show a house initially called Kingsgate having been built around 60 metres to the north west of this cottage between roughly 1867 and 1899. By the 1920s mapping, this house was named Kingshill and it remains under this name at 160 King's Gate at the time of writing in 2024. This image looks west across the southern elevation of South Stocket Cottage.

29

A photograph from the 1890s looking east along Whitehall Place from near the bottom of Desswood Place. The wall and gateway on the near left of the image is likely that of Whitehall House. The row of houses in the distance are those of Osborne Place. The church visible behind the houses is Carden Place United Free. The photograph also shows a street lamp and three children in the foreground. Two boys lean casually on bicycles and another appears to be wearing a basket as a hat. Desswood Place was laid out in 1888 by the City of Aberdeen Land Association in what was then a relatively rural area in the west end of Aberdeen. The street was rapidly being filled with large granite houses for prosperous citizens. It was named after Alexander Davidson of Desswood who was Chairman of the Land Association for many years. Desswood was the name of Davidson's country property near Kincardine O'Neil on Deeside.

51

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

95

Schoolhill, Aberdeen. The building on the left is Aberdeen Art Gallery. The archway leads to Robert Gordon's College and the building at the far right was Gray's School of Art, which took its name from John Gray, an engineer who paid for the building. It was built in 1884 on the site of the Old Grammar School, hence the name Schoolhill.

103

Wallace Tower in the Netherkirkgate looking towards St. Nicholas Church. The tower never had any connection with William Wallace. It is believed to have been the town residence of Sir Robert Keith of Benholm. The name "Wallace" may have been a corruption of "well-house". The Wallace Tower was re-sited at Tillydrone in the 1960s. Correspondent Ed Fowler suggests that the ornamental building shown on the left at the end of the Netherhirkgate, next to the horse and cart, is the Dyers' Hall. The name refers to the Dyers' or Litsters Society who were once an important and wealthy industrial group in Aberdeen. Newspaper notices suggest the building was used as a public house, where societies regularly met, and that it, and other buildings, were demolished in around 1807 to make way for a new street between Union Street and Tannery Street.

109

Villa Franca, built by Mr. Peacock, dancing master, who died in 1806. The name has been transferred to No. 156 Hamilton Place, which partly stands on the site of the former house, a little east of Morningfield.

112

Wallace Tower in the Netherkirkgate looking towards St. Nicholas Church. The tower never had any connection with William Wallace. It is believed to have been the town residence of Sir Robert Keith of Benholm. The name "Wallace" may have been a corruption of "well-house". The Wallace Tower was re-sited at Tillydrone in the 1960s.

115

Fountainhall House, now 130 Blenheim Place, an 18th century two-storey house with period gateway and ironwork, commemorates, through its original name of Fountain Haugh, the days when reservoirs and cisterns dotted the area. The old 1706 cistern from Fountainhall is now in Duthie Park.

135

Isometrical view of Bon Accord Crescent - This perspective drawing shows the gently curving terrace of 19 identical two-storey houses, with basement and attic, designed by Archibald Simpson in the 1820s for the Corporation of Tailors. In 1823, the "Aberdeen Journal" carried an advertisement for building areas to feu. The houses were to be laid out on what had previously been garden ground and the advert boasts "No situation, immediately in the vicinity of Aberdeen, possesses so completely the advantages of free air and fine exposure". The properties overlook the hollow once occupied by the Howe Burn and the area has now been converted into landscaped parkland as part of a conservation area. Houses 3-17 have a curved frontage, while numbers 1 and 2, and 18 and 19 have straight frontages. However, even by the 1950s, most of the houses were being, and still are, used as offices.

147

Local historian A.G. Duthie has been in touch to identify this image as the most easterly point of the Old Deeside Road. The photograph is taken from the position of the modern day junction of Great Southern Road and Holburn Street. The house in the background is still visible today. In his book The Old Deeside Road, G.M. Fraser writes, "The commencement of the old road at Hardgate is still, fortunately, to be seen, near Fonthill Road, at the group of ruinous houses connected with what was long known as Palmer's Brewery. The 'lie' of the old houses at the back of the brewery shows the run of the old road, two of the small, dilapidated buildings being clearly the eastmost houses of the old road just where it touched the Hardgate." (p. 19) This scene was photographed for Aberdeen Public Library on 6th July 1917 by Mr. James Ritchie.

148

Photograph of Woolmanhill taken 1907, looking towards Schoolhill. This image is thought to show the house where Joseph Robertson (1810-1866), the journalist and historian, was born. For more information on Robertson see the entry about him in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (available online with an active library membership) and an obituary for him can be found in the Aberdeen Journal of 19th December 1866, page 6. Roberston was mostly likely born at 73 Woolmanhill. He and his family certainly appear to have lived at this address for some time. Robertson is listed at this number in the Aberdeen Directory 1833-34 (D. Chalmers & Co.), page 116. Additionally, a death notice for Robertson's mother, Christian Leslie, features in the Aberdeen Journal of 23rd March 1859, page 5, which gives her address as 73 Woolmanhill. Exactly which of the shown buildings is Robertson's birthplace, or no. 73, is somewhat unclear. A Press & Journal article on "Historic Woolmanhill" from 6th June 1925, page 5, states "it was in the line of houses that separate Blackfriars Street from Woolmanhill that there was born in 1810 Joseph Robertson, who became the most noted antiquary of his day, the most accomplished that Aberdeen has produced." This would suggest that Robertson's birthplace is one of the buildings on the left. This image featured in the Evening Express' 'Flashback' feature from 12th January 1985, page 12. The accompany information states "Joseph Robertson, an eminent historian and one time editor of the 'Aberdeen Observer' was born at 37 Woolmanhill - the tall building in the foreground of our picture - in 1810." This slightly vague description could refer to the building on the right of the image or perhaps to the first tall building on the left side of the road. The latter would accord better with other references. Additionally, the buildings on the right were known as Black's Buildings. The above reference to "37 Woolmanhill" may initially suggest a confusion of 73 Woolmanhill, but the former is not without precedent. In Historical Aberdeen (1905), within an informative chapter on Woolmanhill, G. M. Fraser writes the following on page 149: "Then hardly less remarkable, either in historical knowledge, or general scholarship, was Dr. Joseph Robertson, whose name appears so frequently in these pages, born in the unpretending house, still standing, No. 37 Woolmanhill. It is strange that in Aberdeen there is no public memorial of this distinguished man." If 37 Woolmanhill is the correct address, 1950s Ordnance Survey mapping, which includes building numbers, suggests the relevant house may be the one in the centre of this image, of those on left, in the middle distance, just after the building marked as a tea warehouse.

292

Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen with its alterations as proposed 1787 by Mr. Smeaton.

329

The Firhill Well stood at the bend of a lane leading from what now is Sunnybank Road to what now is Bedford Road. It takes its name from being located near a fir-clad hill. It is not known who built the well but it was in existance as early as 1799. This photograph was taken in 1890.

443

Mr and Mrs Henderson, and others, outside their grocery shop at 21 Chattan Place. Mrs Henderson's maiden name was Prentice. This photograph was taken by Kidd & Stridgen, a photographers based at 9 New Market Gallery. 21 Chattan place was Kenny's Chip Shop in the 1980s and later a Chinese takeaway restaurant. A copy of this image was kindly lent to the Aberdeen City Libraries for reproduction by William Donald of Udny Green. Mrs Henderson was the sister of his mother-in-law.

485

A lithograph print of a drawing by James Skene of Rubislaw (1775-1864). The illustration depicts the Mercat Cross and Tolbooth in the centre of Aberdeen in around 1800. James Skene was a lawyer, amateur artist, and a notable friend of Walter Scott. A short article from the Aberdeen Daily Journal of 23rd February 1912, page 9, indicates that this image was made to illustrate an edition of The History of the troubles and memorable transactions in England and Scotland, from M.DC.XXIV TO M.DC.XLV by John Spalding that was published by the Bannatyne Club in 1829. An engraved version of this image can be found facing page 9 in volume 2 of the abovementioned publication. Titled 'Tolbooth of Aberdeen', James Skene is given as the illustrator and William Penny as the engraver. Walter Scott was the founder of the Bannatyne Club, a text publication society, and James Skene was a member. The club's two volume edition of Spalding's history, drawn from three manuscript copies, was published under Skene's superintendence. John Spalding was a 17th century Aberdeen historian and clerk. His Memorialls of the trubles in Scotland and in England, ad 1624 - ad 1645 is of note as a detailed account of the impact of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in North-East Scotland. See David Stevenson's entry about Spalding on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography for more information on his life and his written history. Spalding was commemorated in the name of three Aberdeen clubs devoted to publishing historical sources; the Spalding Club, New Spalding Club, and Third Spalding Club (collectively active between 1839-1960). In 1850-51, the first of these clubs published an improved edition of Spalding's Memorialls of the Trubles. The attributions on the version of the image shown here indicates that it was printed by Aberdeen bookseller and publisher D. Wyllie & Sons and the lithography was undertaken by Taylor & Henderson, another prominent local firm. This image looks north east and depicts the Mercat Cross, carved by Aberdeen master mason John Montgomery and erected in 1686, in the middle distance. The market cross is likely shown in use either as shops or a post office, both purposes it historically served. The cross was repaired in 1821 and moved to its present location, approximately 83 metres east, in 1827. The Tolbooth, a prison, in the centre of this image was built in 1615. Much of the building, which was developed progressively over the years, is now obscured by the Peddie & Kinnear designed Town House completed in 1874. The Tolbooth was converted into a museum which opened to the public in 1995. To the east of the Tolbooth, partially obscured by the market cross in this image, is the New Inn. This building, once the most important hostelry in Aberdeen, was demolished and replaced by the North of Scotland Bank, now the Archibald Simpson's pub, in 1840-42. The illustration otherwise shows a busy scene on Aberdeen's Castle Street. This was a centre of civic activity and important market place for the town. In the foreground are a number of pynours (an Aberdeen term for porters), then an organised craft. Some sense of life in the Castle Street/Castlegate area at the time, particularly of its more eccentric characters, can be found in the book The Aberdeen Worthies (1840) by William Bannerman.

497

Schoolhill, Aberdeen. The building on the left is Aberdeen Art Gallery. The archway leads to Robert Gordon's College and the building at the far right is Gray's School of Art (1884), which takes its name from John Gray, an engineer who paid for the building. It was built on the site of the Old Grammar School, hence the name Schoolhill.

656

An engraving of Bede House at 18, 19 and 21 Don Street, Old Aberdeen. This three storey townhouse, with an attic, is dated 1676. It was built as the residence of Baillie William Logan. For a short time after 1787 it housed eight Bedesmen - poor, single men, aged over 60 - hence its name. It was restored in 1965 and is now private accommodation. In the engraving Bede House is 19 and 21 Don Street, whereas in 2019 it is numbered 20 and 22. This latter numbering is also on Ordnance Survey maps from the 1950s.

673

A view of the buildings at Castle Street prior to their demolition for the construction of the new Town House (1867-1874) designed by Peddie and Kinnear. The entrance to Broad Street is visible in the left foreground. The entrance further on is to Huxter's Row, which turned west and ran behind these building to exit on Broad Street. The Lemon Tree Hotel and the Bon-Accord Hotel were located on this lane. The former soon moved to 7-9 St. Nicholas Street. Past the fortified facade of the Tolbooth, and its prominent spire, can be seen the entrance to Lodge Walk and Archibald Simpson's North of Scotland Bank premises, opened in 1842. The signs in the shop windows likely give notice of imminent closure. A sign for Alexander Badenoch, an outfitter, can be seen at 12 Union Street. Further down, at what is likely Chapman and Co., tailors and clothiers, "Great bargains" are advertised. In addition to the gas lamps and pollards, there is array of traffic on the cobbled street. Two night watchmen stand talking on the left. A Gordon Highlander, presumably coming from the nearby Castlehill Barracks, is outside Badenoch's shop. Two fishwives carry leaden creels to market. A large dog sleeps outside Chapman and Co. and various horse drawn vehicles are shown.

677

March Lane, 1923. This view of a narrow lane in the Rosemount area of Aberdeen shows a number of small houses with tiled roofs. The rather rundown nature of the lane hides the fact that it stood on the boundary of the City of Aberdeen. At the end of the lane there was a dressed granite stone with the letters CR incised on it. These stood for City Royalty and up to the 19th century, the Town Councillors would inspect these boundaries or marches to check that such landmarks had not been removed. A series of such stones marked what was known as the Inner Marches and another series with the letters ABD marked the Outer Marches which bounded the Freedom Lands, including the lands granted to the City by Robert the Bruce in 1319.

679

Lemon Tree Hotel, Huxter Row, off Castle Street, which was demolished to make way for the Town House in the 1870s. The title was transferred to a house in St. Nicholas Street and more recently to the Lemon Tree arts venue in West North Street. Huxter Row was a narrow street running from Broad Street, parallel with Union Street, to the old Town House and then joining Union Street at right angles. The street derived its name because of the booths of hucksters - small traders.

683

This image, dating from 1905, shows the Gallowgate looking south, with Seamount Place on the left. The name Gallowgate, means the road to the gallows where public executions took place. The building at the left corner of the photograph was known as the Porthill Factory, erected in the 1750's and used by Milne, Cruden and Co. for the manufacture of linen thread. At the time of this photo, it was occupied by William Kitson and Co. Stoneware Merchants. Porthill was so named because of one of the city's gates or ports stood there until 1769. At the corner of Seamount Place were the premises of William Allan, grocer, later trading as Allan's Public Supply Stores. The three brass balls signifying a pawnbroker can also be seen projecting from the building. Futher down on the left were the New Porthill School and the Gallowgate Free Church. These buildings were swept away during street widening and slum clearance and the hill was flattened out.

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.

687

This view shows the narrow congested Exchequer Row, around 1900. It is a photograph of a watercolour painting by Alexander J. Murray that is in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums (AAGM). The Balmoral style tower of the Salvation Army Citadel, opened in 1896, is seen in the distance with the Market Cross surrounded by an ongoing market. Exchequer Row (first mentioned in 1350) was a short street connecting the Shiprow to the Castlegate, and on its right side, were a number of courts leading into an area crammed with insanitary dwellings which were later demolished. It was popularly supposed that the name Exchequer Row derived from the Aberdeen Mint which stood in the area. However, it comes from the name of the Royal Customs House - the Skakkarium, dating back to the 14th century.

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.