The Green Trail - Aberdeen City Council

101 The Green in Prehistory p32 Site of Whitefriars or Carmelites p43 Site of Hadden’s Mill p54 Site of Bow Brig p65 Peter Williamson p76 Site of Aedie’s House p87 Site of the ‘Mannie’ p138 Site of Archibald Simpson Market Buildings p149 Site of Red Friars or Trinitarians p1510 Site of Trades’ Hall p1611 Trinity Church 12 Catholic Apostolic Church p1713 Tivoli p1811

Beneath granite wallsSecret rivers flowWhere silent fishes swim& seagulls swoop & scream1/83/8Quines, Loons- Fresh slivers of silverStraight from the sea4/85/8AnotherPhantom grey winterThe friar’s rosary turnsHush!Take your seatsLet Thalia & MelpomeneBegin2/8Mind the lickOf the whip- Swift judgementAwaits6/8Listen!On wings of wavesThe callOf the Captain’s bellFeet on settsShort-cuts in stoneStill lives move 7/88/8Little boy lostFrom North-East lightGranite grey memory7 Site of the ‘Mannie’The Mannie in theGreen, 1934.Today the statue known as the Mannie sits in the Castlegate but for over a century it wasin the Green. The Mannie is the only example of leaden sculpture in the city. In 1706 workbegan on laying lead water pipes from outside the city to a new fountain in theCastlegate. The statue itself was added to the top of the fountain some time after 1710. Awooden statue had originally been planned but the carver never executed the work andso a lead sculpture was erected.The Mannie was originally located in the Castlegate, where the Mercat Cross sits today,but it was moved to the Green in 1852. It was not until the early 1970s that the Manniewas moved back to the Castlegate, not to its original location but to a new site across theroad from the Tolbooth. In fact when it was moved back to the Castlegate it and theMercat Cross had swapped positions. But for well over a hundred years the Mannie was akey part of life in the Green, and to this day the statue is affectionately known byAberdonians as ‘the Mannie in the Green’.1213

8 Market BuildingsThis was designed by Archibald Simpsonworking with his long time rival JohnSmith. Aberdeen Market came near theend of Simpson’s life: he died at the ageof 57 just five years after its completion in1842. Markets had been held in the Greenfor some time and this effectivelybrought them under cover in a bowendedhall over 100 metres long, with anarcaded upper level containing shops. Itwas seriously damaged by fire in 1882and then rebuilt with a wrought iron roof.Not only did it sell a wide range of goodsbut it also continued the Green markettradition of being a meeting place forfarmers. Simpson’s buildings weredemolished in the early 1970s andreplaced with the current marketbuildings.iMusick Scoolek Correction HouseWynd or Lanel Correction Housem Towns Hospitalln Aidies Wyndo Bow Bridgep The Greene orBow BridgeStreeteq The Crofts orTradsmensHospitallNew Market after the fire, 1882.Key to Parson Gordon’s mapr The Tarnty Millt Midd mill in theGreenv Neither Kirk gatePortex Streete call’d theNeither kirk gate11 Shippraw Porte12 Saint KatherinsHillRight The Green,reproduced fromParson Gordon’smap of 1661.9 Redfriars or TrinitariansThe Redfriars were one of four orders offriars in medieval Aberdeen, two of whichwere based in the Green (the others werethe Whitefriars, see no 2). Friars aremembers of a religious order who live bystrict rules in large urban populations inorder to minister to the needs of the poor.The Redfriars’ primary duty was to raisemoney to pay ransoms demanded onChristians taken hostage either onpilgrimage, trade or crusade to the HolyLand. It has been said that their friary wasfounded in 1211 by King William the Lion,who gifted to them his ‘palace’ in the Green.Whilst there is no evidence to back this up itis quite likely that the Redfriars had been inthe Green since the 13th century.Although friars and friaries were notsupposed to own land or be wealthy, theydid establish very close relations withsome of the prominent and importantfamilies in the town, including thepowerful Menzies of Pitfodels family whodominated burgh politics from the 15thcentury onwards. By these means theTrinitarians did become a rich institutionwith considerable interest in lands in andaround Aberdeen, in particular in theFerryhill area.The friary came to an end at theReformation, which reached Aberdeen inJanuary 1560. The City Council’s recordsreveal that mobs came into the town fromAngus and Mearns and attacked the friary.It is said that the friary was burned to theground and that one friar died during theattack. A portrait of the alleged martyr, withthe inscription ‘Saint Francis of Aberdeen.Martyred, 4th December, 1559’ survives in achurch in Majorca. There is no evidence toback this story up and it seems that theReformation in Aberdeen was a largelypeaceful affair. There is no record of anydeaths as a direct result. The friary buildingswere still standing in 1661, when the firstmap of thetown wasdrawn and nolaterdocumentsshow that thefriary had beenburned. Thefate of theindividual friarsis less clear:many of themwere simplypensioned offby thegovernment,someconverted toProtestantismand someremainedCatholic butleft for theContinent.1415

13 TivoliGuild Street looking towardsthe Tivoli, late 19th century.Although generallyknown as the Tivolithis theatre wasopened in 1872 as HerMajesty’s Theatre andOpera House, to thedesign of architectsJames Matthews ofAberdeen and C BPhipps, a Londonbased architectbrought in as aconsultant. It was built at a cost of £8400 and is credited with being the first theatre inScotland to use concrete on any considerable scale. The inaugural play was LordLytton’s ‘Lady of Lyons’. The auditorium was rebuilt in 1897 by the famous theatrearchitect Frank Matcham, but then closed temporarily following the opening of thelarger His Majesty’s Theatre on Rosemount Viaduct. This theatre was extensivelyreconstructed in 1909, again by Matcham, and opened in July 1910 as the Tivoli. TheTivoli was refurbished again in 1938, but eventually fell foul of changing tastes and theadvent of TV. It became a bingo hall in 1966 and by the 1990s over 500 players enteredits doors daily. The impact of the National Lottery and the beginnings of internetbasedbingo with larger jackpots brought its closure in 1997. This much loved buildingwas then at the centre of many calls for it to be re-opened. A grant from the GreenTownscape Heritage Initiative in 2010 has allowed works to make the building safe toreopen to the public.Tivoli Theatre in 1880s.Helping to Restore the Historic Heart of the CityTownscape Heritage Initiatives use funds made available by the Heritage Lottery Fundand a range of partner bodies, to tackle problems of neglect of the built environment andother social and economic needs in conservation areas. It’s a grant-giving programmethat aims to regenerate the historic environment in towns and cities across the UnitedKingdom.The Green THI is working to carry out repairs to buildings, enhancement works andcommunity activities with the aim of using heritage as a catalyst for regeneration andimproving the quality of life for those who live, work or visit the Green. In short, to giveThe Green back not just the best of its historic buildings but also to rekindle its historicsense of adventure, enterprise and confidence.It is a 5 year programme, 2009 to 2013, that is investing £2.8m of grant funding into thebuilt fabric of the Green, including major improvements to the streetscape. But there isalso a ‘softer’ side to the work : supporting the local business community in thedevelopment of the Merchant Quarter, developing educational opportunities for childrenand university students to improve their awareness and understanding of the historicbuilt environment, to promote a broader understanding of the historic environmentthrough publications such as the Green Heritage Trail, and with building owners to instil agreater appreciation of the importance of maintenance and repairs to a high standard.Full details of the work of the Green THI can be obtained at :www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/greenthiThe Green THI is a partnership between1819

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Aberdeen City Council – 100023401 – 2012Green Heritage Trail Booklet is one of a series ofthemed trails being developed around the City.Further details about these trails can be found at:www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/trails& at www.aagm.co.ukThe Green Townscape Heritage Initiative:www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/greenthiFor further information contactChris Croly (Historian)on 01224 337706or visit www.aberdeencity.gov.ukAberdeen Visitor Information Centre01224 288828www.aberdeen-grampian.comFor public transport information contact Travel Lineon 0870 608 2608or visit www.travelinescotland.comFor a large text version contact01224 52207020