A HAVEN FOR HISTORY – THE PORT OF ABERDEEN ARCHIVE

 

Unidentified vessel entering harbour c1914

Images from the historical records of the Port of Aberdeen are the focus of an exhibition in gallery 2 at Aberdeen Art Gallery that has been curated by members of the Archive team and which opened on the 8th June. 

A bustling Market Street c1914

Aberdeen railway station c1914

The Port of Aberdeen collection comprises 80 linear metres of records spanning 1800 to 1960 that were transferred to Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives in 2019. It includes financial ledgers, logs of vessels entering and leaving the harbour, correspondence, plans, promotional material and many thousands of photographs. The collection was catalogued during 2020, following a successful bid to the funding stream, Archives Revealed. The blog detailing that cataloguing project can be found here.  

Fraserburgh harbour c1914

Barrels being prepared for shipping c1914

The exhibition concentrates on a sample of 30 amazing images that have been digitised and printed from the older glass negatives spanning the period c.1890-1920. There are five themes within the show: ‘views of Aberdeen harbour’, ‘vessels’, ‘people and work’, ‘other harbours’ and ‘travels with a camera’. 

Pontoon dock c1914

People outside North British Hotel Edinburgh c1914

It is thought that most of the images were taken by Robert Gordon Nicol who was Chief Engineer to Aberdeen Harbour Board during this period as well as an Advising Engineer to the Scottish Fishery Board, which accounts for why there are pictures of a considerable number of other Scottish harbours within the collection. 

Sheer poles 90 ton test c1914

SS Woodfield being towed astern c1914

The exhibition offers a wonderful insight into what Aberdeen harbour was like in the first quarter of the 20th century. Additionally, Robert Gordon Nicol was evidently in the habit of taking the camera on holiday, as some of the images feature family visits to other parts of Scotland and are a wonderful social document of how people relaxed and travelled. 

 

Standing stones, Calanais, Isle of Lewis, c1914

The Braconhill wrecked against the north pier 1913

“A Haven for History – The Port of Aberdeen Archive” is on display in Gallery 2 at Aberdeen Art Gallery from 8th June 2025 until 11th January 2026. 

Visiting Deeside c1916

It should be noted that none of the images shown here feature in the exhibition.