Old Aberdeen
Encyclopedia
Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen
in Scotland
. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh
, which was erected into a burgh of barony
on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament
in 1891. It retains the status of a community council
area.
The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things increase").
To the north of Aberdeen city centre, Old Aberdeen was for a long time fairly isolated at the edge of the city, being followed to the north by the River Don
, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie
hamlet. Since the 1960s, and the North Sea
oil boom of the 1970s, however, housing development has surrounded the area, in particular with the nearby Tillydrone
development.
. From the 13th century it was the location of the Doctors of Aberdeen
, a powerful group of church bishops, who made many of the executive decisions pertaining to church and state
relations. In the 1630s the Covenanter
s challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle
and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for later military engagements; namely, William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter
army of 9000 men in the first battle of the Civil War in 1639 by marching over the Causey Mounth
to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee
, effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.
, and many vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries built in the locally ubiquitous grey granite. A notable feature of the later buildings is the early use of hand-made bricks to build up gables, top garden walls, etc.; this use of brick being rare elsewhere in Scotland before the late 19th century. A number of the streets remain paved with stone setts
. There are also several university buildings from the late 20th century.
Old Aberdeen is effectively the main campus of the University of Aberdeen
. There are also residential and commercial properties, but many of these are owned by the university or owned by the staff and students of the university. Additionally the area includes a small police station, a bank, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office (which has since "moved" into the SPAR
shop outside of the Old Aberdeen boundary at the junction of St Machar Drive and King Street). To the north of the university lies St Machar's Cathedral, whose medieval ecclesiastical buildings formed the original Old Aberdeen before the University arrived in 1495.
Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College
Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently-restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie
(14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.
. Old Aberdeen remains a community council
area within the city. For elections to Aberdeen City Council, Old Aberdeen forms part of the 'Tillydrone/ Seaton/Old Aberdeen' electoral ward, which elects three councillors. These are currently Norman Collie (Labour), Jim Noble (SNP) and Richard Robertson (Lib Dem).
For elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, Old Aberdeen forms part of the Aberdeen North
constituency. The current Member of Parliament
for Aberdeen North is Frank Doran. For elections to the Scottish Parliament
, it elects a constituency member as part of the Aberdeen Central
constituency. The current Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Aberdeen Central is Lewis Macdonald
.
are perhaps the dominant structures of Old Aberdeen. The College itself now finds itself surrounded by the wider Old Aberdeen campus of the University of Aberdeen
which, since the decline of Marischal College
, is now the main focal point of the university.
(head late medieval, shaft more recent) stands outside it. The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade. It was acquired by the university in recent years, and was renovated in 2005.
The Cathedral Church of St Machar is the high kirk of the city of Aberdeen
and following the Reformation
lies in the hands of the Church of Scotland
.
and opened in 1898. The gardens are set over 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) and are accessible to the public for no charge.
' towers. These were erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, the owner of an estate which formerly lay behind them. The Fraser Leslie Arms are visible on the obverse of the arch, with a shield on the reverse showing the bust of three black men - a link to the family's involvement in a grant of freedom made to their slaves in Jamaica. The entrance now leads to the University's Crombie-Johnston and King's Postgraduate Halls of Residence.
, one of the city's largest open spaces. The park itself lies on the banks of the River Don
. It is set over twenty-seven hectares and was purchased by the city for public use in 1947.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
, which was erected into a burgh of barony
Burgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1891. It retains the status of a community council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
area.
The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things increase").
Location
River Don, Aberdeenshire
The River Don is a river in north-east Scotland. It rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards, through Aberdeenshire, to the North Sea at Aberdeen. The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce...
, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie
Brig o' Balgownie
The Brig o' Balgownie is a 13th century bridge spanning the River Don in Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.Construction of the bridge was begun in the late 13th century by Richard Cementarius, although its completion was not until 1320 at the time of the Scottish War of Independence...
hamlet. Since the 1960s, and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
oil boom of the 1970s, however, housing development has surrounded the area, in particular with the nearby Tillydrone
Tillydrone
Tillydrone is an area of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. Lying north of the city centre and slightly north-west of Old Aberdeen, it is roughly bounded by the River Don, St Machar Drive, and the main Aberdeen-Inverness railway line...
development.
History
Old Aberdeen was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural center since the Late Middle AgesLate Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
. From the 13th century it was the location of the Doctors of Aberdeen
Bishop of Aberdeen
The Bishop of Aberdeen was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Nechtan...
, a powerful group of church bishops, who made many of the executive decisions pertaining to church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
relations. In the 1630s the Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for later military engagements; namely, William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal was a Scottish nobleman and Covenanter. He was the eldest son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal...
and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
army of 9000 men in the first battle of the Civil War in 1639 by marching over the Causey Mounth
Causey Mounth
The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continued to function as the principal route connecting these...
to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee
Bridge of Dee
The Bridge of Dee or Brig o' Dee is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527, the bridge crosses at what was once the City of Aberdeen's southern boundary...
, effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.
Character and land use
The central part of the old town is a conservation area rich in historical buildings, some dating to the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, and many vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries built in the locally ubiquitous grey granite. A notable feature of the later buildings is the early use of hand-made bricks to build up gables, top garden walls, etc.; this use of brick being rare elsewhere in Scotland before the late 19th century. A number of the streets remain paved with stone setts
Sett (paving)
A sett, usually the plural setts and in some places called a Belgian block, often incorrectly called "cobblestone", is a broadly rectangular quarried stone used originally for paving roads, today a decorative stone paving used in landscape architecture...
. There are also several university buildings from the late 20th century.
Old Aberdeen is effectively the main campus of the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
. There are also residential and commercial properties, but many of these are owned by the university or owned by the staff and students of the university. Additionally the area includes a small police station, a bank, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office (which has since "moved" into the SPAR
SPAR
Spar , trades from approximately 12400 stores in 34 countries worldwide and is the world's largest independent voluntary retail trading chain. Spar was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by retailer Adriaan Van Well and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European...
shop outside of the Old Aberdeen boundary at the junction of St Machar Drive and King Street). To the north of the university lies St Machar's Cathedral, whose medieval ecclesiastical buildings formed the original Old Aberdeen before the University arrived in 1495.
Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...
Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently-restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie
Brig o' Balgownie
The Brig o' Balgownie is a 13th century bridge spanning the River Don in Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.Construction of the bridge was begun in the late 13th century by Richard Cementarius, although its completion was not until 1320 at the time of the Scottish War of Independence...
(14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.
Governance
Old Aberdeen is now fully incorporated into the City of Aberdeen, with its local authority as Aberdeen City CouncilAberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City Council represents the Aberdeen City council area of Scotland.The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. Act 1994...
. Old Aberdeen remains a community council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
area within the city. For elections to Aberdeen City Council, Old Aberdeen forms part of the 'Tillydrone/ Seaton/Old Aberdeen' electoral ward, which elects three councillors. These are currently Norman Collie (Labour), Jim Noble (SNP) and Richard Robertson (Lib Dem).
For elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, Old Aberdeen forms part of the Aberdeen North
Aberdeen North (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen North is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency. The current Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Aberdeen North is Frank Doran. For elections to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, it elects a constituency member as part of the Aberdeen Central
Aberdeen Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen Central is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election and is one of nine constituencies in the North East Scotland electoral region...
constituency. The current Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
for Aberdeen Central is Lewis Macdonald
Lewis Macdonald
Lewis Macdonald is a Scottish Labour regional list Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland, from 2011. He was MSP for the Aberdeen Central constituency from 1999 until 2011.-Background:...
.
King's College and Old Aberdeen campus
The iconic and renowned buildings of King's CollegeKing's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...
are perhaps the dominant structures of Old Aberdeen. The College itself now finds itself surrounded by the wider Old Aberdeen campus of the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
which, since the decline of Marischal College
Marischal College
Marischal College is a building and former university in the centre of the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. The building is owned by the University of Aberdeen and used for ceremonial events...
, is now the main focal point of the university.
The Old Town House
The Old Town House was the original home of the Burgh's local government, completed in 1789. It was originally the centrepoint for trading in Old Aberdeen (still discernible in the widening of the street to accommodate trading booths), and the mercat crossMercat cross
A mercat cross is a market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life. It was originally a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements and proclamations...
(head late medieval, shaft more recent) stands outside it. The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade. It was acquired by the university in recent years, and was renovated in 2005.
St Machar's Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Machar is the high kirk of the city of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and following the Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
lies in the hands of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
.
Cruickshank Botanic Gardens
The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens were gifted to the University of AberdeenUniversity of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
and opened in 1898. The gardens are set over 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) and are accessible to the public for no charge.
The Powis Gates
Just south of King's College and across the High Street lie the Powis Gates, an impressive and imposing archway with a Near Eastern influence demonstrated in its 'minaretMinaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
' towers. These were erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, the owner of an estate which formerly lay behind them. The Fraser Leslie Arms are visible on the obverse of the arch, with a shield on the reverse showing the bust of three black men - a link to the family's involvement in a grant of freedom made to their slaves in Jamaica. The entrance now leads to the University's Crombie-Johnston and King's Postgraduate Halls of Residence.
Seaton Park
To the north boundary of Old Aberdeen lies Seaton ParkSeaton Park
Seaton Park is located in Aberdeen, Scotland and is one of the city's biggest parks. It was bought by the city for use as a public park in 1947 from Major Hay.The River Don passes along the edge of the park...
, one of the city's largest open spaces. The park itself lies on the banks of the River Don
River Don, Aberdeenshire
The River Don is a river in north-east Scotland. It rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards, through Aberdeenshire, to the North Sea at Aberdeen. The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce...
. It is set over twenty-seven hectares and was purchased by the city for public use in 1947.