Aberdeen History Trail

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Aberdeen is bursting full of history! From its ancient origins to medieval burghs and King Robert The Bruce, from the Jacobite connections to the expansion in the Edwardian and Victorian times, the ‘Silver City by the Golden Sands’ has a long, important, and interesting history with many of its people contributing to the wider world. The city started out as three separate royal burghs – Old Aberdeen, New Aberdeen and Torry plus the parish of Woodside – which expanded and merged together to form the city as a whole. There was a major expansion in the Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian eras as the city made its first fortunes based on fishing, granite quarrying and shipbuilding and many of the grand buildings were built during these times. It also included the main thoroughfare, Union Street, which was raised up away from the mud and dirt and built on a series of bridges – it was such a major project it almost bankrupted the city!

Enjoy exploring our beautiful city and finding out about its history! Click here to view The Aberdeen History Trail and map.