A walking history of Aberdeen
Four intrepid apprentices set out on a lovely summers day to discover the history past and present
of the Granite City.
We met with Rick (our American guide) who told us he had lived in the Granite City since 1983 and
had been doing the walking tours for many years.
We started at the Mercat Cross in the Castlegate and our guide regaled us with stories of Aberdeen
Castle, Robert the Bruce and William Wallace and their connections to Aberdeen.
Mercat Cross itself was at the heart of the city and most of the trading and markets were in that
area during that time.
Moving in to Union street and the Tolbooth and Sherriff Court area , we were shown the stones
where the posts were inserted for hangings and for lesser crimes which resulted in floggings or
whippings.
In Guild Street next to the magnificent granite built Marischal College we saw the last piece of
granite taken from Rubislaw Quarry in 1975 .
From there we walked across the road to Provost Skenes house and the Denis law statue for a bit of
past and present history.
We then travelled to Greyfriars Graveyard where Rick showed us the grave of The Wizard of the
North , John Henry Anderson who took street magic to the theatre and was a hero of Harry
Houdini
When Houdini visited the City he performed various magic tricks and illusions after visiting his idol’s
grave , to increase his profile and boost ticket sales for his shows if were being very cynical.
Our final stop off point was the Denburn looking on to Union Bridge , Denburn was the birthplace
of the famous Mary Slessor who was a missionary and worked in Nigeria for over 30 years .
Union Bridge was also the the largest single arc bridge in the world as Rick finished his interesting
chat .
There were lots more interesting facts about Aberdeen that Rick mentioned , all our apprentices
enjoyed the tour and finding out about the City we live in .
Here are their highlights
Susan – Really enjoyed looking at Marischal college and Provost Skene.s house they were beautiful
Joe – I liked finding out about Aberdeens gruesome past and the Mercat cross
Davey – Really interesting tour especially the Castlegate and the Graveyard
Jeanette – I didn’t know there was a Castle in Aberdeen and it was great to find out about its
history.