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.

111

This building stood on the site now occupied by the Harbour Offices on Regent Quay and was erected in 1634. It was demolished in 1883. Dues were levied there, for the weighing and packing of goods.

266

Weigh-House, Regent Quay where goods were weighed and packed. The building was demolished in 1883.

290

This building stood on the site now occupied by the Harbour Offices at Regent Quay and was erected in 1634. Small dues were levied there for the weighing and packing of goods and in this old structure were stored all sorts of unclaimed merchadise which were sold off at the end of a year and a day from the date of deposit. Latterly the buuilding became a sail loft and was demolished in 1883.

336

The carcase of a whale stranded in the estuary of the Tay was taken to Aberdeen to be exhibited in an enclosure on the Inches near the Goods Station. The arrival of this monster came to the attention of John Struther, Chair of Anatomy at Aberdeen University, who took the whale back to Marschal College to skin and eventually put together an articulated skeleton which now reposes in Dundee Museum.

382

A photograph of one of the bells installed in St. Nicholas Church in 1887. A carillon of 36 bells were ordered by Aberdeen Town Council from Severin van Aershodt of Louvain in Belgium to replaced those destroyed in the fire of 1874. The bells were also commissioned and installed to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years of her reign. The largest of the new bells was named Victoria. On 11th May 1887, the new bells arrived at Aberdeen Goods Station, after being shipped to Leith, where they were loaded on to lorries, and paraded through the main streets of the city on their way to Back Wynd. The inscription on the shown bell reads as follows: "The gift of Councillor George Washington Wilson. Cast by Severin Vanaerschodt, Louvain Belguim."

399

Guild Street looking towards the harbour. On the left hand side of the road is the facade of Her Majesty's Theatre built in 1872. It was renamed the Tivoli in 1910. It was a popular theatre and many well-known performers appeared on its stage including W. C. Fields, Tony Hancock and Andy Stewart. The Tivoli became a bingo hall in 1966 and finally closed its doors in 1997. However, following refurbishment, the Tivoli reopened in 2013. The Criterion Bar is on the left of the photograph and the old Goods Station is on the right.

470

This building stood on the site now occupied by the Harbour Offices at Regent Quay and was erected in 1634. Small dues were levied there for the weighing and packing of goods and in this old structure were stored all sorts of unclaimed merchadise which were sold off at the end of a year and a day from the date of deposit. Latterly the building became a sail loft and was demolished in 1883.

505

The old channel of the River Dee. 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.

606

This photograph shows the interior of the old Joint Station. The kiosk of Knowles & Sons is in the centre of the image. It would have sold a variety of snacks to rail passengers. The image also includes many adverts, including for Sangster & Henderson, a public telephone and a good view of Platform 10.

641

This photograph shows the corner at the end of Regent Quay in the late 19th century. The building in the centre of the image, with pediment, is the offices of the Great North of Scotland Railway Company and to its left is the entrance to the Waterloo Railway Station. The railway station was opened by the company on 1st April 1856. It was built to supersede an existing station at Kittybrewster. Waterloo was once the station for all railway passengers and goods going between the city and the north. Trains coming and going from the south stopped at a nearby, but unconnected station on Guild Street. It had opened two years earlier in 1854 and was operated by rival railway company, the Scottish North-Eastern. Passengers with connecting trains would need to dash along Trinity and Regent Quay or wait for a bus. Connections were not guaranteed. It took Parliament to settle the differences between the companies. This saw the construction of the Joint Station, opened in November 1867, and the creation of the Denburn Valley Railway. Both Waterloo and Guild Street subsequently became stations for the transport of goods only. The buildings shown in this photograph were altered and eventually demolished in the 20th century. Remnants of the station can still be seen today in a small yard and the railway line following the old canal path and joining the main tracks heading north at Kittybrewster. On the right of this image can also be seen an building, likely a goods shed, of the Aberdeen, Newcastle & Hull Steam Company. This passenger ship service was founded in 1865 and had offices at 43 Marischal Street. The building to the left of Waterloo Station, far left here, was the site of an establishment called Berry's Hotel and served as various pubs until the late 1960s. It looks like it was closed or being refurbished at the time of this photograph. To the left of this image would be Commerce Street and Regent Quay. Waterloo Quay would begin to its right.

885

This photograph of Rubislaw Quarry was probably taken some time in the 1880s. At the top of the image can be seen a variety of mechanical lifting devices, thus dating the illustration prior to the introduction of steam cranes and Blondins For over 200 years this quarry provided much of the granite evident in the city landscape of today. The granite was also used for tombstones, shop-fronts and street paving both within and outwith the city boundries. The quarry was nearly 500 feet deep and 900 feet by 750 feet at the top.

1031

Cults Railway Station, 1920 - Cults was the first main station on the Deeside Line between Aberdeen and Ballater, at 3 and five-eighths miles from Aberdeen. The line between Aberdeen and Banchory was opened in 1853 and extended to Aboyne and later to Ballater by 1866. The double line, as seen here, was opened in 1884 and returned to single line in 1951. This view, from about 1920, shows the stationmaster, Peter Walker, his staff and a number of passengers awaiting the imminent arrival of a train. In 1894, suburban trains, "subbies", were introduced between Aberdeen and Culter, calling at 8 intermediate stations and covering the 7 miles in just over 20 minutes. This meant that up to 30 trains would be calling at Cults every day. The "subbies" ceased on 5 April 1937 because of competition from buses. The Deeside Line closed to passenger traffic on 28 February 1966, after the Beeching Report of 1963. Goods traffic continued for a few more months but the final train ran on the line on 30 December 1966. Cults Station was later occupied by a joinery company.

1071

The Aberdeen area had many granite quarries, and there was a need for men who had the skill to reduce huge blocks of granite into manageable pieces by chipping it with a variety of hammers, and chisels to produce the required shape and size. In this 1920's photograph we see a settmaker at Persley Quarry on the north side of the River Don in Aberdeen, at his wooden shelter or 'skaithie'. These shelters provided some sort of wind break for these men who had to sit on blocks of granite patiently working on the hard stone. Settmakers made cassies for roads and Aberdeen setts were used to pave streets in London. On his left is a tripod structure which acted like a small crane to lift the bigger stones into position. Note the lack of protective safety equipment apart from some extra padding on his knees.

1194

This 1987 view of the east side of George Street show the premises at 12-16 and at 20-22 George Street in their last days before being demolished. The Rubber Shop had been in business in the city since 1890 when its founder, George Fowler opened premises at 16 St. Nicholas Street called the London Rubber Company, supplying waterproofs, sports goods, hosepipes, washers etc. This expanded into a wide variety of toys and leather goods. In 1945, they moved from St. Nicholas Street to these premises in George Street where they continued to sell toys, sports equipment, china and fancy goods until July 1986 when the impending development of the Bon Accord Centre forced their closure.

1200

The photo shows No's 18-20 and 22-28 Loch Street in a rather delapidated state. Clydesdale, electrical goods, Target Discount and Bruce Millers had all closed in preparation for demolition for the Bon Accord Centre. Charles Bruce Miller first opened his music shop in 1900, and he was succeeded by his sons and grandsons as the company prospered. They moved from 51 George Street to these purpose designed premises in Loch Street in May 1977 where they had four floors catering for the growing trade in TV's, music centres as well as musical instruments. In 1983, they moved to a new location at the west end of Union Street, so that by the time this image was taken in 1987, the shop had been bricked up and was covered in advertising posters.

1214

The Maypole Delivery Van, c.1938. Robert Fergus Abercrombie on the right. Robert was a delivery boy and was aged 17 years. Maypole was a national diary company specialising in the sale of tea, butter, margarine, eggs, biscuits, cakes, mincemeat and similar goods. In the 1930s the chain had over 1000 branches and its motto was "Maypole serves the best".

1440

Aberdeen Local Studies moved to a new home in the extension following the refurbishment of 1978-82. It was integrated back on to the main reference floor in 1990 and the extension area has since been used for a variety of purposes including study facilities, Aberdeen College Learning Centre outreach and the Business Information Service.

1789

This drawing shows a barge being pulled by two horses along the Aberdeenshire Canal, with the twin spires of St. Machar Cathedral in the background. The Aberdeenshire Canal was opened in 1805 and ran for 18 miles from Aberdeen to Port Elphinstone, near Inverurie. It was first proposed in 1795 by various landed proprietors as a means of providing better transport connections for the rural interior of Aberdeenshire. The new waterway was fed by the River Don and various streams and springs. Barges transported goods and fly boats or gig boats carried passengers. In 1840, the goods transported included nearly 4000 tons of lime, 5000 tons of coal, 1124 tons of meal, 54 tons of salt, 110 tons of wood, 51 tons of granite, 43 tons of livestock and 8 tons of whisky. Passenger traffic was catered for by two iron boats, which made the trip twice a day in summer and once a day in winter. It cost 2 shillings (10p.) for the full journey or 2d. (about a half pence) per mile. As a result of the number of locks to be negotiated at the Aberdeen end, passengers disembarked at the Boathouse at Kittybrewster, having completed the journey in 2 and a half hours. Goods traffic was handled by various barges, some of which belonged to the canal company. It took them 10-14 hours to complete their passage to Aberdeen Harbour. There were facilities for changing the horses at Dyce and Kintore. In his book The Annals of Woodside and Newhills Patrick Morgan remarks that the canal "was a great convenience to the inhabitants, and a luxury to the boys for bathing in summer and skating in winter." There is no mention of girls using the canal for leisure purposes - perhaps they were required to stay at home and help with housework instead. The canal increased the prosperity of the area that it served but it was never a huge financial success for its owners. Also it was about to be overtaken by a much speedier rival. Its demise as in other parts of the country was largely brought about by the coming of the railways. The Aberdeenshire Canal was bought over by the Great North of Scotland Railway and finally closed in 1854. The company gave £1000 as compensation for depriving the inhabitants of Woodside of the privilege of the Canal and to assist in obtaining a supply of water from other sources. There is very little physical evidence to remind us that the Aberdeenshire Canal ever existed. However there is one quite substantial remnant which lies close to Great Northern Road - Warrack's Bridge was one of the original canal bridges and looking over the west side of the bridge the curve of the canal bed can clearly be seen.

2008

This drawing shows a barge being pulled by two horses along the Aberdeenshire Canal, with the twin spires of St. Machar Cathedral in the background. The canal ran for 19 miles from Aberdeen Harbour to Port Elphinstone, near Inverurie, and was first proposed in 1795 by various landed proprietors as a means of providing better transport connections for the rural interior of Aberdeenshire. It was opened in 1805. Passenger traffic was catered for by two iron boats, which made the trip twice a day in summer and once a day in winter. It cost 2 shillings (10p.) for the full journey or 2d. (about a half pence) per mile. Because there were several locks to be negotiated at the Aberdeen end, passengers disembarked at the Boathouse at Kittybrewster, having completed the journey in 2 and a half hours. Goods traffic was handled by various barges, some of which belonged to the canal company. It took them 10-14 hours to complete their passage to Aberdeen Harbour. There were facilities for changing the horses at Dyce and Kintore. In 1840, the goods transported included nearly 4000 tons of lime, 5000 tons of coal, 1124 tons of meal, 54 tons of salt, 110 tons of wood, 51 tons of granite, 43 tons of livestock and 8 tons of whisky. The canal was purchased by the Great North of Scotland Railway Company and it closed in 1854, when the railway line was opened using part of the old canal route. There are still some remnants of the canal to be seen including milestones and the street names Canal Street and Terrace recall its existence.

2149

This photograph, looking south, shows an array of gantries overhead and the Denburn South Junction Signal Box on the right, in the middle distance. Denburn South Junction opened on 31st May 1914. It replaced the initial Denburn Junction Signal Box, located where the Denburn Valley Railway met the Aberdeen Railway. This photo was likely taken at some point during the 1930s. Denburn South was a large box, containing a 240 lever frame of which 217 were used. 181 controlled movement to and from the Joint Station and 36 the adjoining goods lines. Three quarters of the operational costs were met by the Joint Station and one quarter by the Caledonian Railway. Aberdeen South replaced this box on 20th April 1947. (Information taken from 'The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station 1867 - 1992' by Keith G. Jones. This excellent title is available to consult at Aberdeen Local Studies and is recommended for further details on Aberdeen railways.)

2150

This photograph looks south and shows the Denburn South Junction Signal Box, which was opened on 31st May 1914, in the middle distance, on the right. An array of gantries can also be seen in the centre of the image. Denburn South replaced the initial Denburn Junction Signal Box, located where the Denburn Valley Railway met the Aberdeen Railway. This photo was likely taken at some point during the 1930s. Denburn South was a large box, containing a 240 lever frame of which 217 were used. 181 controlled movement to and from the Joint Station and 36 the adjoining goods lines. Three quarters of the operational costs were met by the Joint Station and one quarter by the Caledonian Railway. Aberdeen South replaced this box on 20th April 1947. (Information taken from 'The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station 1867 - 1992' by Keith G. Jones. This excellent title is available to consult at Aberdeen Local Studies and is recommended for further details on Aberdeen railways.)

2151

This photograph shows the interior of the Denburn South Junction Signal Box, which was opened on 31st May 1914. It replaced the initial Denburn Junction Signal Box, located where the Denburn Valley Railway met the Aberdeen Railway. The photo was likely taken at some point during the 1930s. Denburn South was a large box, containing a 240 lever frame of which 217 were used. 181 controlled movement to and from the Joint Station and 36 the adjoining goods lines. Three quarters of the operational costs were met by the Joint Station and one quarter by the Caledonian Railway. Aberdeen South replaced this box on 20th April 1947. (Information taken from 'The Joint Station: Aberdeen Station 1867 - 1992' by Keith G. Jones. This excellent title is available to consult at Aberdeen Local Studies and is recommended for further details on Aberdeen railways.)

2182

All the children in Ashgrove Developmental nursery have additional support needs. They were given free access to a variety of art and collage materials and decorated Rainbow Sparkles. We asked other children in the playroom to help name the Dolphin.