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Statue of Queen Victoria
73 A photograph showing the statue of Queen Victoria at the junction of Union Street and St. Nicholas Street. The building in the background is the Clydesdale Bank that stands next to M&S today. This fine Italian renaissance style building was originally constructed for the Town and County Bank and opened for business in May 1863.
The statue of Queen Victoria was made from marble and was sculpted by Banff born Alexander Brodie (c.1829 - 1867). The origin of this statue is closely related to another Aberdeen monument, the 1863 memorial statue of Prince Albert by Baron Marochetti, now standing, or rather sitting, in the area in front of the Central Library.
Marochetti's statue was augurated by Queen Victoria herself on 13th October 1863 and this was said to the first time the Queen had appeared at a public demonstration following the death of Albert in 1861. The Marochetti statue was the subject of great local controversy and there were various plans for an alternative, superior, memorial to the late Prince Consort. It was at a related meeting that a chap called Alexander Donald, from the Royal Tradesman of Aberdeen, moved "That a colossal statue in marble, of Her Majesty, be erected at the corner of St. Nicholas Street."
The endeavour was taken on by a variety of prominent citizens and funding was raised by public subscription. Brodie, the selected sculptor, worked on an 11-ton block of Sicilian marble for two years to complete the statue. The finished piece is 8 foot 6 inches in height and, at the request of Queen herself, depicts Victoria in Scottish regal attire. The statue stands on a substantial plinth of pink Peterhead granite.
The statue was unveiled and inaugurated on 20th September 1866 by Albert-Edward Prince of Wales, later to be King Edward VII and the subject of another of Aberdeen's notable statues. During his speech at the ceremony, the Prince said "Gentlemen, it has afforded me the greatest satisfaction to attend here today, by the wish of Her Majesty, and at your invitation, for the purpose of inaugurating a statue of the Queen, my dear mother. Her Majesty has desired me to express to you how much she appreciates the motives which have led the people of Aberdeenshire to give this lasting evidence of their attachment and loyalty to her person, of which she has so many proofs, and whose sympathy in her great sorrow has touched her so deeply."
During his visit, the Prince of Wales also received the Freedom of the City and attended the Royal Horticultural Society's Autumn Show, which was then going on in the Music Hall. An extensive account of the unveiling, the Royal visit and the town's celebrations is given in the Aberdeen Journal of 26th September 1866.
After some time at this location, the statue's marble began to show weathering due to the frost and so it was moved to the vestibule of the Town House in 1888, where it remains to this day. It stands at the foot of the building's splendid main stairway. The plaster model of Brodie's statue has also been on display in the Music Hall for many years.
A new bronze statue of an older Victoria, by sculptor Charles Bell Birch, was erected at the St. Nicholas Street location on 9th November 1893 and "the Queen" became a regular meeting place for generations of Aberdonians. To make way for the extension of Marks & Spencer, the 1893 statue moved to its current site at Queen's Cross on 22nd January 1964. Victoria now stands looking east towards Balmoral. March Lane
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. Aberdeen Central Library 1892
1382 The new Central Library was officially opened by Andrew Carnegie on July 5th 1892 at a cost of £10,000 (about £5m today).
Mr. Carnegie had contributed £1,000 to the building fund and prior to the opening ceremony received the Freedom of the City. Northfield Farm
1503 Northfield Farm was located at Bannermill behind Northfield Church of Scotland. It was tenanted by the Booth family for centuries. The farm was leased from the Hays of Seaton.
Along with the adjoining farms of West Northfield and Oldtown, the farm was taken over by the Corporation of Aberdeen in 1946 and eventually demolished to make way for the expansion of the housing estate of the same name.
The name Northfield is believed to have come from the area being the most northerly point of the Freedom Lands given to the burgh of Aberdeen by King Robert the Bruce.
(Many thanks to Alexander Gavin for providing information and prompting further research into the history of the farm.) Northfield Farm
1504 Northfield Farm was located at Bannermill behind Northfield Church of Scotland. It was tenanted by the Booth family for centuries. The farm was leased from the Hays of Seaton.
Along with the adjoining farms of West Northfield and Oldtown, the farm was taken over by the Corporation of Aberdeen in 1946 and eventually demolished to make way for the expansion of the housing estate of the same name.
The name Northfield is believed to have come from the area being the most northerly point of the Freedom Lands given to the burgh of Aberdeen by King Robert the Bruce.
(Many thanks to Alexander Gavin for providing information and prompting further research into the history of the farm.) Lord Roberts
2195 An Adelphi Series postcard showing Lord Roberts alighting from a horse-drawn carriage, with a procession down Union Street, and arriving at the Music Hall to receive the Freedom of the City. Stop 4: Health Services for Women and Children - Agnes Thomson (1880-1952) Clementina Esslemont OBE (1864-1958) Fenella Paton (1901-1945) and Mary Esslemont (1891-1984)
2303 The first sick children's hospital on site of former Naval Surgeon's Dr Blaikie surgery on 6-8 Castle Terrace in 1877 extended to take in Castle Brae Chapel. An unsung heroine that worked on this site is Dr Agnes Thomson (nee Baxter) a graduate from Aberdeen University who served as an anaesthetist at the Sick Children's and Maternity Hospitals during the First World War. Agnes Thomson was instrumental in founding the Aberdeen Mother and Baby Home and volunteered her services to the Mother and Child Welfare Association, which was established to address the shockingly high death rate of babies and toddlers in the east end of Aberdeen.
Throughout her life, Clementina Esslemont OBE was a champion of liberal ideas and good causes and well known for her no-nonsense approach to social service provision. One of her principal achievements was the foundation of the Aberdeen Mother and Child Welfare Association in 1909, which played an important role in social service and public health provision in the City of Aberdeen until the creation of the Public Health Department in 1949. She was also involved in the establishment of a model block of tenements on the Spital, Aberdeen, in the formation of Aberdeen Lads' Club, St Katherine's Club, and the nursery school movement.
Dr Mary Esslemont, one of Clementina Esslemont's daughters, worked as a Gynaecologist at the hospital. Mary did much to improve the care and wellbeing for mothers and babies with her determination and hard work. As well as being the Gynaecologist she also ran prenatal and family planning clinics. Mary was an advocate of women's rights, health education and family planning. She was the first female president of the Student University Council and the first woman to be president of Aberdeen Liberal Association in 1954. Awarded the CBE in 1955, Aberdeen City Council bestowed the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen in 1981.
Aberdeen has also led the way in family planning with a remarkable woman at the forefront of fertility control. Pioneer Fenella Paton opened Aberdeen's first family planning clinic in 1926 at Gerrard street. The clinic, the first of its kind in Scotland, moved to new premises in Castle Street in 1948. But prior to these clinics and innovations in family planning there were large families and mothers that needed to go out to work and at our next stop an initiative was put in place to help these working women.
Memories:
Norma Michie speaking about Mary Esslemont
Audrey's memories of the Family Planning Clinic
Denise's memory of the Family Planning Clinic
Heather's memories of Ina Lawrence and the Children's Hospital
Alma Duncan's memories of Cocky Hunters Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: Inner March Stone
2516 At S.W. corner of Holburn Central Church on Alford Lane, about 18m from Holburn Street. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2517 At the rear of 24-26 Thistle Street (Thistle House) on old boundary wall of Bridewell Prison. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2518 At the rear of 24-26 Thistle Street (Thistle House) on old boundary wall of Bridewell Prison. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2519 At Thistle Lane, about 100m from Thistle Street, on old boundary wall of Bridewell Prison. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2520 At Thistle Lane, about 100m from Thistle Street, on old boundary wall of Bridewell Prison. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2521 At Thistle Lane, about 100m from Thistle Street, on old boundary wall of Bridewell Prison. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2522 On the back of pavement at the top of Jack's Brae, the site of March Lane. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2523 On the enclosing wall of railway at Canal Road. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen, Inner March Stone
2524 On the enclosing wall of railway at Canal Road. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone Alpha
2529 At the mouth of Ferryhill Burn on the Dee opposite Old Ford Road. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone Alpha
2530 At the mouth of Ferryhill Burn on the Dee opposite Old Ford Road. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone 6
2531 Stone near South East corner of the back garden of 11 Hammerfield Avenue. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone 9
2532 Set against the front garden wall of 126 Craigton Road. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone 9
2533 Set against front garden wall of 126 Craigton Road. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone 11
2534 On Craigton Road against the dry stone wall west of the entrance to "Woodlands." Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone 12
2535 On right side of footpath which joins Friarsfield Road and Kirk Brae, Cults. On site of Cults Dam. Freedom Lands and Marches of Aberdeen: March Stone 12
2558 On right side of footpath which joins Friarsfield Road and Kirk Brae, Cults. On side of Cults Dam. |