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T. C. Smith and Co., Electrical Engineers
43 Shop frontage of T. C. Smith and Co., Electrical Engineers
T.C. Smith & Co. first appear in the Aberdeen Directory for 1913/14 when they are listed as electrical, automobile and power engineers. They had garage space for over 200 cars and eight private lockups, and were open day and night, including Saturday.
The garage, showrooms and office were at 21-25 Bon-Accord Street; their repair and body building shops were at 20-32 Gordon Street. In 1921-22, they had other premises at 18 Bon-Accord Street, and these are shown in the photograph. The windows have a display of all sorts of electrical equipment including lamps, heaters, radios and Hoovers.
The company would appear to have gone out of business around 1943, because in 1946, Scottish Motor Tractor Co. Ltd had taken over their Bon-Accord premises. Newhills Parish Church
174 This picture shows the present Church of Newhills as it would have been at the time of its opening in June 1830.
It was built to replace the old kirk, endowed by George Davidson of Pettens in 1662, the ruins of which can still be seen among the tombstones in the churchyard.
After a decline in membership in the 1940s and 1950s, the church benefited from the building of a private and a council housing estate in its area. Membership of the church and its organisations increased till, in 1978, it was reported to be one of the most vibrant and successful in the Aberdeen Presbytery.
The external appearance of the church is little changed but a huge congregational effort in recent years has resulted in the building of a two-storey extension housing a number of meeting rooms plus toilets and kitchen facilities.
The road seen in this picture is now used by a large numbers of vehicles en route to Kingswells and the west of Aberdeen. Bede House, Old Aberdeen
572 This rubble-built structure at 20-22 Don Street dates from 1676, and for a short time after 1787 it housed eight Bedesmen - poor, single men, aged over 60. The house is now a private dwelling but a sheltered housing complex named Bede House Court was opened nearby in 1964. Bede House, Old Aberdeen
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. Culter War Memorial
994 A photograph showing the unveiling of a new panel at Culter War Memorial on Sunday 19th June 1949.
The article 'Tribute to War Dead of Culter' from the Press & Journal of 20th June 1949, page 6, describes the ceremony as follows:
"A panel containing the names of 29 men from the parish who lost their lives in the recent war was unveiled at Culter War Memorial yesterday.
"Relatives of the fallen and representatives of the Boys' Brigade, Girl Guides, Brownies, and the Territorial Army were grouped round the memorial as Mrs Tough, Hillside Road, Culter, who lost two sons in the war, unveiled the tablet.
"The panel was dedicated by the Rev. J. R. Dey, Kelman Memorial Church, who, along with the Rev. T. W. Howie, St Peter's Church, conducted the service"
Culter War Memorial is a tapering, crenelated tower located on a hillock to the west of the village. It is accessed by a footpath that leaves North Deeside Road not far beyond the bridge over the Culter Burn.
Correspondent Brian Coutts has been in touch to inform us that one of the representatives of the Brownies present at the ceremony was Elizabeth McNab.
The abovementioned sons of Mrs Jane Tough of Hillside Road were Driver Frank Tough, Royal Corps of Signals, formerly an employee of Culter Paper Mills, who was killed by enemy action in the Middle East on 24th September 1942, aged 24, and Private Ernest "Ernie" Tough, 2nd Gordons, who died on 5th October 1943, aged 26, while a prisoner-of-war in Thailand. (Source: Press & Journal, 26th September 1946, page 3.)
The former, Frank Tough, is buried at Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial in Egypt and Ernest is buried Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Myanmar. (Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.) Wellwood, Pitfodels
1063 This beautiful mansion house in its 15 acre grounds is situated about 3 miles from Aberdeen and is set back from the North Deeside Road at Pitfodels. It was the home of George Davidson of G &W Davidson, merchants, rope and twine manufacturers but was purchased by Aberdeen Royal Mental Asylum in August 1930 and opened as a private nursing home for the treatment of early nervous and mental disorders. In 1964, it became part of the neighbouring Woodlands Home providing accommodation and care for mentally handicapped adults who might be successful in finding employment in the community. It became a day centre for adults with physical or learning difficulties, but planning permission for housing was granted in 2003. Rothienorman Church
1730 Rothienorman is a village about 25 miles north of Aberdeen and 10 miles from Inverurie. The church began as a mission station in 1935, under Inverurie, before being raised to full status in 1947. In 1958, it became a joint charge with Culsalmond but it is now linked with Fyvie. Rev. Alexander Noble has recently been inducted to the charge but, at the time of this photo, the minister was Rev. Rodney Milligan, who had the charge from 1958. The church was designed by the Aberdeen architect, George Bennett Mitchell, in 1936. The roof is supported by arched oak beams which are painted black, as is the bell tower, in contrast to the grey harled walls. The pews came from the United Free Church in Rayne, while the communion table and chains in light oak were gifted by James Dalgarno, in memory of his wife. At first glance, its unusual design makes the passerby think that it is a private house but most visitors regard it as a beautiful building. Schoolhill
2269 The facade of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Gray's School of Art on Schoolhill. The Arts School was founded by John Gray, engineer, 'to promote education in drawing, painting, modelling, and all branches of art' and was built in 1885 next door to the Art Gallery and on the site of the old Grammar School. The architects were Matthews and Mackenzie who used a mixture of pink granite from Corrennie Quarry and sparkling white Kemnay Granite.
The gateway leads to Robert Gordon's College, founded by Robert Gordon, a Danzig merchant, and opened in 1750. It is now a co-educational private school. Gray's School of Art became part of the Robert Gordon University, and was re-sited to the Garthdee area in 1965. The statue in the foreground is that of General Charles Gordon who was killed at Khartoum. The statue was sculpted by T. Stuart Burnett, ARSA. This Gordon was unrelated to Robert Gordon. Treasure 33: The Pedigree of the Cruickshanks of Stracathro
2321 Among the Local Studies collection of family trees is a chart from 1847 entitled Pedigree of the Cruickshanks of Stracathro. The title initially referred to the Cruickshanks of Langley Park but this has been scored out and replaced with Stracathro. A pedigree is a form of genealogical table. Collections of pedigrees were first made in the 15th century and, according to The Oxford Companion, were "a matter of aristocratic pride and of practical necessity for legal purposes". The term pedigree comes from the French 'pied de grue', meaning crane's foot, due to the resemblance of the genealogical lines to the thin legs and feet of the bird.
The pedigree of the Cruickshanks was compiled by E. G. G. Cruickshank, who features in the 10th generation detailed on the table.
The pedigree begins with the earliest ancestor at the top of the document with lines dropping down to succeeding generations. Each generation is given a Roman numeral and individuals within each generation are assigned Arabic numbers. The pedigree begins with "John Cruickshank first in Strathspey m. Mary Cumming of Elgin" and extends down to an incomplete 12th generation. The individuals in the 11th generation were mostly born in the 1870s.
The information listed on a family tree is dependent on the sources available and the purpose for which it was created. The information given on the Cruickshank's pedigree varies but typically includes an individual's date of birth, marriage details and date of death. Additional information is also supplied as is the case with the 7th generation of Cruickshanks - Margaret Helen is described as the daughter of Rev. Gerard of Aberdeen, author of a book whose title is unreadable, and sister to a Colonel Gerald. Details of army service are supplied for some individuals and many of the Cruickshanks were involved in the administration of India or served in the army there.
The tiny handwriting, use of abbreviations and sparse punctuation makes the document challenging to read so familiarity with the subject matter and names of places is useful. A later interpreter of the document has made a number of annotations in pencil. For example, one of the later additions points to an individual and reads "Is this W. Robertson of Auchinroath? Yes!"
In addition to a listing of descendants the pedigree is annotated with a number of original notes and a description of a coat of arms. The latin motto of Cavendo tutus translates as 'Safe through caution'. One note, quoting "an old paper", describes from where the family came prior to being in Strathspey. A note on the other side of the chart states that "distinguished Officer and Author the late Colonel Stewart of Garth" links the family to the Royal Family of Stewart and suggests the name of Cruickshank derives from "some deformity in the first cadet of the house."
Attached to the document is a letter dated 23 October 1927 from a Jim Bulloch to City Librarian G. M. Fraser. Bulloch explains that he got the pedigree from a Mr. Mackintosh of Elgin, thinks it is quite rare and that the library might like it for its collection. It has stayed in the Local Studies collection to this day.
The Gazetteer for Scotland website states that in 1775 Patrick Cruickshank, listed at No. 11 of the 7th generation, bought the estate of Stracathro in Angus. The property was subsequently inherited by his brother Alexander Cruickshank (1764 - 1846). Alexander hired the Aberdeen architect Archibald Simpson to build Stracathro House between 1824 and 1827. The Palladian Scottish country house still exists today.
University College London's Legacies of British Slave-ownership website indicates that Patrick and Alexander, and two other Cruickshank brothers, owned plantations on the Caribbean island of St Vincent that used slave labour. See Alexander Cruickshank's entry in the database here: 'Alexander Cruikshank of Stracathro', Legacies of British Slave-ownership database, http://wwwdepts-live.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/8590 [accessed 9th June 2020]. In 1833 when Britain abolished the ownership of slaves the government granted £20 million in compensation to former slave-owners. Alexander Cruickshank made three claims for compensation, two of which were successful.
In 1874, Stracathro House and estate were sold to Sir James Bannerman, Lord Provost of Glasgow, and father of Prime Minister Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. The country house was later used as a World War II hospital and owned by Tay Health Board before being sold to private owners in 2003. Primrose Ward, Maternity Hospital
2408 A photograph of the Aberdeen Maternity Hospital's Primrose Ward at its Castle Terrace location. It shows three nurses looking after a number of patients in bed and recently born children in cots.
The hospital moved to Castle Terrace in 1900 and the number of beds steadily increased from 18 in 1904 to 32 by the mid 1930s.
The cost of the new building in Castle Terrace was covered by donations, including a generous gift of £3000 from the Trustees of the late Thomas Primrose, advocate of Aberdeen. The ward was presumably named after this benefactor.
There were three wards in 1912; the Primrose Ward, the Alice Ward and a private ward.
This image featured on the backcover of many of the hospital's annual reports. Aberdeen Local Studies hold copies of these reports for the years 1912 to 1947. Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanitorium
2477 A postcard photograph showing Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanitorium. The institution was founded, initially in a different building, by Christian Catherine Smith in 1874. The home was integrated into the NHS in 1948 and later bought by Aberdeen Town Council in November 1953. It operated as a care home for the elderly until 1980 when it was sold into private ownership. LUCRATIVE BUSINESS IN DANZIG
2878 With the substantial number of Scottish immigrants in Poland a reputation followed. "A Scots pedlar's pack" became a phrase used in Poland. The expression referred to the goods which the Scots had traded. Some of these goods were malt, flax, fruit, handkerchiefs, linen, woollen products, coal, fish and cloth.
As the Scottish minority made a visible contribution to the trade in Danzig, they earned another expression used among the Poles -"Szkot" (which means Scot in Polish). It was an epithet which referred to a business traveller.
The Scottish population in Poland increasingly grew in the 16th century due the career opportunities offered by the country. Areas of Poland consequently show the presence of these Scots. In 1576, Stefan Batory - the king of Poland at the time, designated a sector of Danzig to house Scots. "Nowe Szkoty" (New Scots) is an area in modern day Gdansk which has around 10 Polish villages with street names referencing the Scots who previously lived there.
The image on the left is of Cragievar Castle. This castle was owned by William Forbes. The funding for the property came from the riches he had made in Poland. Mill on the Clunie
3016 A photograph, looking south west, by James Valentine showing the Mill on the Clunie in Braemar.
Also known as the Mill of Auchendryne, the building dates from the late 18th century and originally functioned as a granary. It was turned into private housing in the late 20th century.
The Clunie Water is a tributary of the River Dee. Elsie S. Rae
3303 A portrait by Aberdeen's Morgan photographic studio of the poet Elsie S. Rae (1897-1973). She was known for her WWI poems and use of Doric, the local dialect, in her writing.
This image was used as a frontispiece to an edition of her poetry called Private John M'Pherson (1917). John M. Cheyne in France
3348 A group portrait of the 10th Battalion Labour Corp in France during World War One.
The man eighth in from the right, in the third row (wearing a slanted bonnet style hat), is Private John M. Cheyne. He sent this postcard to his wife Jane Cheyne who was living at 5 Pirie's Lane in Woodside.
This postcard was lent to Aberdeen City Libraries by Bill Cheyne, their grandson, so that we could create and preserve a digital copy for public use. His Majesty's Theatre: Arlette
3451 Cover of the programme for the Operette Arlette from September 1918. Note that "Hats are not allowed in Private Boxes, Orchestra Stalls or the first three rows of the Dress Circle". "Special Tram Cars are arranged to meet at the Theatre every evening for Circular Route". [Image from the Aberdeen Performing Arts Archive.] Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanitorium
3810 A group portrait of patients and staff at the Newhills Convalescent Home and Sanatorium in the 1930s.
The Newhills Convalescent Home was founded by Christian Catherine Smith in 1874. She was the wife of Rev. James Smith, the minister of Newhills Parish Church. The couple lived in the nearby church manse. Christian grew up in North Ayrshire and demonstrated concern for the welfare of others from a young age.
Christian married James Smith on 14th April 1869 and it was shortly after arriving in the parish that she recognised the potential of the place as somewhere ill people could come to rest and regain their health. The convalescent home was subsequently started at Dykeside Cottage. It was a great success and operated at this location for 7 years.
Annual newspaper reports on the home described its purpose as being for "the benefit of respectable persons in humble life who appear to be failing into dishealth, or are convalescing after non-infectious ailments."
In 1908 Christian Smith stepped down as head of the home due to ill health and was replaced by a publicly elected executive board. This was led for many years by Dr. Walter A. Reid and during his tenure the institute was modernised and extended.
In 1948 the home was incorporated into the National Health Service. Due to issues of staffing and its unsuitability during winter, the decision was taken to close the home. Patients were transferred to other local hospitals and in the same year the home was sold to Aberdeen Town Council.
The buildings were subsequently operated as a home for the elderly and homeless until March 1980 when it was sold into private hands.
After leaving the manse in 1917, Christian Catherine Smith, the founder of the home, lived at 2 West Craibstone Street. She died there on 6th December 1924 aged 81. She was buried at Newhills Church and the then minister Rev. Andrew Currie led a memorial service. He described the Newhills Convalescent Home as "an institution not only for the healing of bodies, but a place for the comfort of hearts and the cure of souls." Christian Smith's name can still be seen today in one of the church's stained-glass windows. Bede House
3842 This rubble-built structure at 20-22 Don Street dates from 1676, and for a short time after 1787 it housed eight Bedesmen - poor, single men, aged over 60. The house is now a private dwelling but a sheltered housing complex named Bede House Court was opened nearby in 1964.
Note the fish-hakes on the wall where salted, gutted haddocks would be spread to dry to provide food later in the year. Castlegate and Salvation Army Citadel, Aberdeen
4236 A postcard image showing a busy Castle Street and Castlegate in Aberdeen.
A large selection of transport can be seen including double-decker trams, open and hard-top buses and a private car. A market appears to be underway in the Castlegate near the statue of the Duke of Gordon.
The other side of this postcard indicates it was posted on 11th August 1930 by a holidaymaker in Aberdeen to Cupar in Fife. The brief message reads "Having a good holiday here. All good wishes." Invernettie, Peterhead
4248 A postcard published by J. Shivas & Son of Peterhead with an image of a house identified as Invernettie. This house is more commonly known as Dales Cottage and continues to be private residence at the time of writing in 2023. It is located north west of Dales Park in Peterhead. Newhills Parish Church
45 This picture shows the present Church of Newhills as it would have been at the time of its opening in June 1830. It was built to replace the old kirk, endowed by George Davidson of Pettens in 1662, the ruins of which can still be seen among the tombstones in the churchyard. After a decline in membership in the 1940s and 1950s, the church benefited from the building of both a private and a council housing estate in its area. Membership of the church and its organisations increased till, in 1978, it was reported to be one of the most vibrant and successful in the Aberdeen Presbytery. The external appearance of the church is little changed but a huge congregational effort in recent years has resulted in the building of a two-storeyed extension housing a number of meeting rooms plus toilet and kitchen facilities. The road seen in the picture is now used by a large numbers of vehicles en route to Kingswells and the west of Aberdeen. Treasure 40: Valentine and Sons Postcards Collection, 1825-1963
209 Founded in 1825 as a printing firm based in Dundee, Valentine & Sons grew to become a prominent force in the postcard industry. Combining established printing practices with new developments in photography, Valentines were one of many companies able to exploit the growing Victorian tourist boom, aided in part by easier travel on Britain's new railway system.
James Valentine, son of the original founder John, became an early pioneer in photography with many of his works reproduced by the company from 1860. After James' death in 1879, the company continued under his two sons, George Dobson Valentine and William Dobson Valentine.
From 1896, Valentine and Sons began producing postcards to complement their existing business which included books of photographs, portraits and Christmas cards. As the postcard business grew in success, the company expanded into other tourist markets - including opening offices in Jamaica, Norway, North Africa, Canada and New York.
By the 1930s, the company focused solely on postcard production, but a focus on monochrome and sepia prints seems to have underestimated a growing demand for colour images. By the 1950s, the business was suffering and elected to change direction by returning to greetings cards. The company was purchased by Waddington & Co in 1963 - which in turn passed to Hallmark cards in 1980. Operations in Dundee ceased in 1994.
As with other producers of photographic material, the legacy of such a prolific business enables modern audiences a glimpse into the past with thousands of images from numerous locations capturing a given moment in time. Postcards have become a staple for those with historical interest, and many private collectors seek to hold the entire works of companies such as Valentine and Sons.
For the Local Studies service, the collection of postcards produced by Valentine and Sons offer some unique and fascinating insights into Aberdeen life in the past. Not only this, the messages written on the back of postcards - both from and to those in Aberdeen - can often bring a more human side to the historical picture.
Treasure 53: An Account of Pedestrianism
228 National Walking Month takes place in May and is promoted by the UK charity Living Streets. Their aim is to encourage people to see walking as a natural choice and they hope to see a reduction in health problems, congestion and pollution, and social isolation while boosting local communities by bringing high streets to life. Specific events such as Walk to School Week and Walk to Work Week are also held during this month.
One of the books in our Local Studies collection describes the exploits of walkers in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1813, Walter Thom published 'Pedestrianism; or, An account of the performances of celebrated pedestrians during the last and present century; with a full narrative of Captain Barclay's public and private matches; and an essay on training.'
Pedestrianism was the term used for competitive walking races which were extremely popular as a spectator sport in the 18th and 19th centuries, both in indoor and outdoor venues, not only in Britain but also in America, Canada and Australia. Large sums of money could be won and betting on the results was prolific.
Walter Thom came from Bervie in Kincardineshire but moved to Aberdeen in the early 1800s where he published The History of Aberdeen in 1811. He then moved to Edinburgh for a short time before travelling to Ireland where he became editor firstly of the Dublin Correspondent and later of The Dublin Journal. He died in Dublin in 1824.
In his preface to Pedestrianism, Thom explains that his choice of subjects treated in the volume will deserve attention of all classes "as exercise conduces so much to the strength and soundness of both body and mind".
He discusses the Olympic Games and gymnastic exercises as practised by the ancient Greeks before moving to "modern pedestrianism" which he claims "affords the best species of exercise, and may be said to include much that is valuable to mankind". He describes feats of pedestrianism from the 1700s and 1800s, which included races over a period of days or those which only lasted one or two hours.
Treasure 55: Punch
230 The first edition of the satirical magazine Punch was published on 17 July 1841. The title being derived from a conversation between the founders who claimed that - just as the alcoholic drink of the same name - the magazine would be nothing without Lemon (Punch's first editor was named Mark Lemon).
Despite a difficult start of low circulation figures, the success of the magazine was ensured with the decision to publish an annual edition, or Almanack. Copies of these soared and shortly after the magazine was taken over by the printing firm of Bradbury and Evans whereupon it entered its golden age.
Modern satirical magazines - such as Private Eye or the French publication Charlie Hebdo - often purposefully push the boundaries of good taste in order to land a searing political blow of maximum impact. In the Victorian age, Punch attempted to capture the mood of the public in tasteful, yet no-less provocative terms.
Punch frequently used illustrations to highlight contemporary problems in a stark visual manner. So much so in fact, that it can claim to have changed the English language in the process. The original definition of the word cartoon meant simply a preliminary drawing for a work of art - similar to "sketch" - with no additional meaning. However, the word took on the additional connotation of being applied to humour with the publication of Punch's 'Cartoon No.1 - Substance and Shadow'.
The enduring popularity of the magazine is in many ways, inextricably linked to its own downfall. With changing appetites for publications and satire, Punch desperately needed to keep re-inventing itself, but seen by many as a national institution, change was far from easy. Eventually the magazine succumbed to the pressure of low circulation and finally ceased publication in 2002, leaving behind 160 years of humour and wit.
Punch's lasting legacy is a snapshot of opinion on some key historic events from the preceding decades - notably including coronations, scandals, wars, budgets, coalitions and many other subjects high on the political agenda. |