Aberdeen

This is where Aberdeen was to go. It would take seven centuries from the granting of the first written royal charter. The dark spire in the foreground is that of the Tollbooth, the old headquarters of the council, built about 1616. The Town House extends from there to the taller tower, built about 1870. The statue is of George, fifth and last Duke of Gordon, as the inscription on the plinth poignantly explains. This is one of the first, if not the first, statue to be carved in granite for over a thousand years.
An extract from from"Aberdeen - A History and Celebration".

The very grand cross is still where it was in this view. The railings and lamps have gone, but similar lamps have recently been installed along the Castlegate. All the buildings shown here still stand. Puritans disapproved of crosses and removed them from market places. After the Restoration, Aberdeen decided that a new Market Cross was needed, although it was 1686 before it was erected. It was worth awaiting, as it is a splendid edifice, decorated with portraits of the Stuart kings and the one tragic Queen of Scots and topped by a long column with, at its summit, the unicorn, holding a shield displaying the lion rampant, the royal beast of Scotland. It has presided over the changing fortunes of the Castlegate for more than three centuries, during which time it has seen the market expand as the city grew more prosperous and populous, and then contract as retailing retreated inside into shops. It has seen the markets removed altogether and the trams running round it, till they also were removed. It has been used as the city’s first post office, till increasing literacy demanded bigger premises. Important proclamations were made from it, with the members of the town council sitting on the raised platform inside. It has been shifted to other parts of the Castlegate and it has been ignored as the centre of commercial activity moved westward to the new streets. It has recently heard the noise of modern electronic sound equipment, as the official ceremonies to bring in a New Year are held.
An extract from from"Aberdeen - A History and Celebration".

The narrowing of the river at this point shows clearly why the bridge was built here. By the time this photograph was taken, the muddy Inches were entirely reclaimed and the growing city occupies all of the horizon. Officially the Wellington Suspension Bridge, it has always been called locally, the Chain Brig.
An extract from from"Aberdeen - A History and Celebration".

Aberdeen is now Scotland’s third largest city. Its charters date back to the 1100s, although St Machar is said to have founded a church here in AD 580. This single-arched stone bridge is situated a few hundred yards to the north of St Machar’s Cathedral, and crosses a gorge of the River Don. It is one of the most ancient bridges in Britain, and was constructed around 1290. The salmon pool underneath is alluded to by Byron in his poem ‘Don Juan’. In the early 1600s Sir Alexander Hay left a legacy for repairing the bridge.
An extract from from"Scotland".

Aberdeen is now Scotland’s third largest city. Its charters date back to c1179, although St Machar is said to have founded a church here in AD 580. This single-span bridge is situated a few hundred yards to the north of St Machar’s Cathedral. It dates from the early 14th century.
An extract from from"Scotland Photographic Memories".