Northeast Scotland - The Rough Guide to Scotland - page 364

by Scottish architect Alexander Marshall Mackenzie. You enter via the airy Centre
Court , dominated by Barbara Hepworth's central fountain and thick pillars running
down from the upper balcony, each hewn from a different local marble. he walls
highlight the policy of acquiring contemporary art, with British work to the fore. he
Side Court contains Jungled , a garish, erotic spin on stained-glass windows by Gilbert
and George, and works gifted by the Saatchi collection. he Memorial Court , a calming,
white-walled circular room under a skylit dome, serves as the city's principal war
memorial. It also houses the Lord Provost's book of condolence for the 167 people who
died in the 1988 Piper Alpha oil rig disaster. he upstairs rooms house the main body
of the gallery's painting collection.

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Belmont and Little Belmont streets
Opposite the gallery is Aberdeen's answer to a Bohemian quarter: cobbled Belmont and
Little Belmont streets feature a number of the city's more interesting bars, shops and
restaurants, and farmers' markets take place on the last Saturday of each month
(9am-5pm).

Union Terrace Gardens and around
West of Belmont Street and Denburn Road, the sunken Union Terrace Gardens are a
welcome relief from the hubbub of Union Street. From here there are views across to
the three domes of the Central Library, St Mark's Church and His Majesty's heatre,
traditionally referred to as “Education, Salvation and Damnation”. Outside the theatre
itself stands a hulking statue of William “Braveheart” Wallace, erected in 1888. he
crumbling red-brick spire at the other end of the viaduct tops Triple Kirks. Built in 1843
and one of Archibald Simpson's most famous creations, it was Scotland's only example
of a single building hosting three churches for three denominations.

The West End
he West End , the area around the westernmost part of Union Street, begins more or less
at the great granite columns of the city's Music Hall . A block north is Golden Square - a
misnomer as the trim houses, pubs and restaurants surrounding the statue of the Duke
of Gordon are uniformly grey. he city has invested much in gentrifying the area north
of Union Street, resulting in neat cobbles, old-fashioned lamps, a growing restaurant
scene and a string of somewhat stuffy designer boutiques around histle Street.

Bon Accord Square
To the south of Union Street, wedged between Bon Accord Street and Bon Accord
Terrace, Bon Accord Square is a typical, charming Aberdeen square. A grassy centre
surrounds a huge solid block of granite commemorating Archibald Simpson , architect
of much of nineteenth-century Aberdeen.

The harbour
Aberdeen's harbour , at the mouth of the River Dee, is one of the busiest ports in the
country. From the eastern end of Union Street, cobbled Shiprow winds downhill,
passing the Maritime Museum on the right-hand side. he cobbles stop on Market
Street , which runs the length of the harbour with its brightly painted oil-supply vessels,
sleek cruise ships and peeling fishing boats.

The Maritime Museum and Provost Ross's House
Shiprow • Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-3pm • Free • W aagm.co.uk
On Shiprow, peering towards the harbour through a striking glass facade, is the
Maritime Museum , which combines a modern, airy museum with the aged labyrinthine