ROSEMOUNT, SCHOOLHILL & UNION TERRACE GARDENS

The next area of Aberdeen houses some of the most cultural areas of the city. You may have noticed on the previous page, the words ‘Education, Salvation and Damnation’. This is the old local saying for these 3 buildings which are Aberdeen Central Library opened in 1892, St Marks Church opened also in 1892 and His Majesty’s Theatre which opened in 1906. Over the years the buildings have had extensions added on to them, allowing for more room and play an important part in Aberdeen today with the library holding over 15,000 photographs and His Majesties Theatre holding around 1,400 people.

Opposite these buildings we have Union Terrace Gardens which first opened to the public in 1879, the gardens have seen various changes over the decades, with new roads being built and bridges constructed to carry the city over the Denburn valley. However, in 2019 the gardens closed and then reopened to the public in December 2022 after a £28 million redevelopment. This changed the garden to meet the demands of the modern world, it still offers a realm of calm in a busy city centre, however, is now more lit up and is more accessible to wheelchair users and can host events such as the Spectra light show which took place here in February 2023.

Moving across the Rosemount Viaduct, we arrive onto Schoolhill. This is the location of Aberdeen Art Gallery, first opened in 1885 and is home to art from over 700 years ago, the Aberdeen War Memorial and Cowdray Hall.