20 vivid snapshots of historic Aberdeen at the dawn of the 1970s
Scotland’s third city is a progressive metropolis built on solid foundations.
See the evolution of Aberdeen from ancient settlement to modern metropolis in this colourful 1970 educational film.
1. Welcome to Aberdeen, the Granite City, famed for its shining stone and bracing sea air.
2. St Machar’s Cathedral. According to legend, St Machar, who brought Christianity to the region, was told in a dream to build a church where the bend of the River Don was shaped like a shepherd’s crook.
3. Detailed records of the city’s history have been kept since the days of William Wallace in the 12th century. This statue of Wallace was erected in 1888.
4. Aberdeen’s coat of arms was bestowed upon the city by King Robert the Bruce, in recognition of its citizens’ services against the English.
5. The Bridge of Dee, which dates back to 1527.
6. King’s College, founded in 1495 by Bishop William Elphinstone.
7. A second university, Marischal College, was established after the Reformation in 1593. In 1860, the two colleges were merged to become the University of Aberdeen we know today.
8. Aberdeen Grammar School, founded in 1257. Once attended by Lord Byron, it’s one of the UK’s oldest grammar schools.
9. We’re not sure this 1970 swimming lesson would comply with modern health and safety legislation.
10. At the time of filming, the city was widely admired for its pioneering, progressive school system.
11. Aberdeen is also renowned for its fishing industry. Here at the Torry Research Station, different methods of chilling, smoking, dehydrating and deep freezing are experimented with.
12. Aberdeen granite, used to cobble the streets of London in the 18th century and build much of the handsome city we see in this film.
13. Elegant Albyn Place, laid out by Sir Alexander Anderson at a time when planting trees in streets was a novel idea.
14. Few modern buildings are made completely of granite, and an expanding city makes building upwards a necessity.
15. Queen Victoria, commemorated here in bronze, was a frequent visitor to Aberdeen.
16. Balmoral Castle, the royal family’s humble little holiday pad, is located around 50 miles west of the city centre.
17. Hordes of holidaymakers enjoy Aberdeen’s natural sandy beaches each year. Doesn’t look all that warm, but it’s probably great for the circulation.
18. Enjoy a round of golf with a view at Hazlehead Park. This spectacular expanse of land was given to the city by Robert the Bruce.
19. Aberdeen Zoo, opened in 1966, was a major family attraction at the time of filming. Sadly it closed in 1977 due to financial difficulties.
20. “The people of Aberdeen”, our narrator concludes, “are warm and proud. And generous, despite popular belief.” His words, not ours!
The film and stills on this page are taken from Britain on Film, a digital archive of UK places that mean the world to you. 10,000 film and TV titles from 1895 to now will be digitised and can be watched for free on BFI Player.
Britain on Film is funded by the National Lottery funding and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Aberdeen is courtesy of Moving Image Archive, National Library of Scotland.
