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At first glance this is a
thoroughly grey city. Look beneath the surface,
though, and it is uniquely fascinating. Known as
the ‘Granite City’ thanks to the grey stone used
in many buildings, it has terraced gardens,
flower-decked parks – it’s famous for its displays
of roses – and a skyline dotted with sky-touching
spires, the most notable of which is the 195ft
tower of St Nicholas Church. The city is famous
for golf and is a popular seaside resort with two
miles of golden beaches. |
Typical granite houses in Belvidere St -
Photo:
Richard Slessor
CCL |
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Aberdeen boat club on the Dee Estuary - Photo:
Richard Slessor
CCL |
Lying at the mouth of the
salmon rivers Don and Dee, it has an ‘old’ part
containing fine architecture and the twin-spired
15th century cathedral of St Machar. Founded by
the saint in 580AD, Aberdeen was called Devana by
the Romans and was granted a royal charter in 1179
by King William the Lion. Within 200 years it was
a prosperous port dealing in cargoes such as fish,
wool and timber. |
Its great castle was destroyed
in 1308 when supporters of Robert the Bruce
evicted a garrison of English troops. The city
itself was burned down by Edward lll, resulting in
a ‘new Aberdeen’ with a thriving harbour.
Scotland’s third largest city
still has a thriving fishing industry and acts as
a base for the exploration of North Sea oil
fields. Its Harbour Board claims to be the oldest
business in Britain while its university is the
fifth oldest.
The ornate 19th century
Marischal College is possibly the largest granite
building in the world and here visitors will find
curios aplenty at the anthropological museum. The
Gordon Highlanders Museum also has an array of
interesting memorabilia.
The Provost Skene’s House
houses a fine museum while one of the oldest
houses in Aberdeen is the 16th century Provost
Ross’s House. The Old Tolbooth - scene of public
executions - still displays the ‘Aberdeen Maiden’,
forerunner of the guillotine.
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