Aberdeen Guild Street

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Aberdeen Guild Street (1854-1867)

Opened on the Aberdeen Railway.

Description

This was the northern terminus of the Aberdeen Railway. A short lived terminus Aberdeen Ferryhill existed near Ferryhill Junction to the south before the last portion of the line opened.


Terminus


This was a single storey station with a trainshed. The entrance and ticket office were on Guild Street. Waiting rooms, refreshment rooms and offices were on the east side of the station. The main platform was on the east side and to the west was an island platform. There were three platform faces. On the west side were carriage sidings.

The Ordnance Survey Name Book described the station, just after its replacement, thus
A large Station with offices etc. now disused as passenger station.

Approach to the station required much land reclamation, this work leading to the temporary Aberdeen Ferryhill terminus. The station frontage was on Guild Street.

The goods yard was on the east side with some lines continuing into the harbour.

In particular, some lines carried round the Aberdeen Victoria Dock to the Aberdeen Waterloo Quay where an interconnection was made with the lines of the Great North of Scotland Railway at its Aberdeen Waterloo terminus. This is the famously poor connection between the companies which led to the development of Aberdeen Joint and the Denburn Valley line. Apparently the GNSR station's gates would be closed against late arriving connecting passengers from the south (although quite why the GNSR would wish to deny itself revenue from the connecting traffic is not obvious).

It closed after the opening of Aberdeen Joint station (now Aberdeen) on the Denburn Valley connection to the Great North of Scotland Railway.


Goods Yard


After 1867 the entire site became a large goods yard with lines running east to the quaysides at Aberdeen Harbour's Aberdeen Victoria Dock and Aberdeen Albert Basin docks.

Before realignment of the River Dee the entry into the goods yard had a tight curve. Once the Dee was realigned, land reclaimed, and Aberdeen Albert Basin opened this curve remained although new carriage and storage sidings (for the Great North of Scotland Railway) were opened on reclaimed land south of the goods yard.

The goods yard and its approach were rebuilt around the time the approach from Ferryhill Junction was enlarged. This considerably eased the curve and resulted in a single group of sidings. A very large goods shed opened replacing the existing building.

The very large goods shed was built in 1900. The building was two storeys high, 320 ft long by 260 ft wide, and had large granite walls and partly glazed roof. It was 'B' listed.

Following closure to goods the site became a car park.

In recent years the yard has been closed and its site redeveloped. Union Square now occupies much of the site of the former station and goods yard.

Tags

Terminus

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
09/04/2023

Facilities

Gaelic name: Obar Dheathain




Nearby stations
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Waterloo
Schoolhill
Aberdeen Ferryhill
Hutcheon Street
Holburn Street
Aberdeen Kittybrewster
Kittybrewster [1st]
Kittybrewster [2nd]
Ruthrieston
Don Street
Bridge of Don
Woodside [GNSR]
Persley
Pitfodels Halt
Aberdeen Guild Street Goods
Aberdeen Trinity Quay
Deeside Goods
Aberdeen Jamieson^s Quay
Clayhills Yard
Aberdeen Regent Bridge
Aberdeen Regent Quay
Aberdeen Blaikie^s Quay
Aberdeen South Signal Box
Aberdeen Albert Quay
Tourist/other
Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Palace Hotel [Aberdeen]
Union Terrace Gardens
Aberdeen Art Gallery
Aberdeen Victoria Dock
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


William Guild


The name of Guild Street commemorates Dr. William Guild, 1586â??1657. He was a minister, prolific writer and the first patron of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen (Hammermen, Bakers, Wrights and Coopers, Tailors, Shoemakers, Weavers and Fleshers).

Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen - Our History


Chronology Dates

  /  /1850Great North of Scotland Railway
Authorisation to extend the line from Aberdeen Kittybrewster to Aberdeen Guild Street given. This was allowed to lapse.
02/08/1854Aberdeen Railway
Extension of the line to the new Aberdeen Guild Street terminus from the temporary terminus Aberdeen Ferryhill, which closed.
01/04/1856Great North of Scotland Railway
Kittybrewster [1st] to Aberdeen Waterloo opened completely (with horse tramway to the Aberdeen Railway's terminus at Aberdeen Guild Street). Kittybrewster [1st] and Aberdeen Waterloo stations opened. Original Aberdeen Kittybrewster terminus closed.
  /  /1864Aberdeen Railway
Authorisation to close Aberdeen Guild Street to passengers when replaced by Aberdeen Joint, except for Deeside Railway traffic.
23/06/1864Aberdeen Joint (Caledonian Railway)Denburn Valley Line (Great North of Scotland Railway)
Denburn Valley line to connect the Great North of Scotland Railway at Kittybrewster [2nd] to the Scottish North Eastern Railway (from 1866 Caledonian Railway) at Aberdeen Guild Street authorised. South of the new Aberdeen Joint will be SNER owned and north will be GNSR owned. The Deeside Railway is authorised to use the station, details to be agreed.
04/11/1867Aberdeen Joint (Caledonian Railway) Denburn Valley Line (Great North of Scotland Railway)
Kittybrewster [2nd] to Aberdeen Joint to Denburn Junction opened. Aberdeen Joint and Kittybrewster [2nd] were both new stations on the new Denburn line. Aberdeen Waterloo, Aberdeen Guild Street and Kittybrewster [1st] station were to close.
04/11/1867Aberdeen Railway
Aberdeen Guild Street closed replaced by Aberdeen Joint.
13/12/1910Aberdeen Railway
Alterations to Aberdeen Guild Street goods authorised.
13/12/1910Aberdeen Railway
Authorisation for further sidings at Craiginches Yard and remodelling of Aberdeen Guild Street Goods.
  /  /1921Aberdeen Railway Aberdeen Harbour Trustees Tramway
Caledonian Railway authorised to build line from Aberdeen Guild Street goods to Aberdeen Corporation Electricity Works.

News items

27/01/2007Work begins at Aberdeen Guild Street
23/01/2007Raiths Farm Depot construction begins
28/11/2002Aberdeen Guild Street Goods Shed Demolition

Books


A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The North of Scotland v. 15 (Regional railway history series)

Aberdeen 1900: Aberdeenshire Sheet 75.11 (Old O.S. Maps of Aberdeenshire)

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire: 40 Coast and Country Walks

Aberdeen City Centre History Tour

Aberdeen City Centre Through Time

Aberdeen in Old Picture Postcards

Aberdeen in the Fifties and Sixties

Aberdeen Remembered: By Aberdeen City Libraries and Museums

Aberdeen, Inverurie and Pitmedden (OS Landranger Map)

Aberdeen: An Illustrated Architectural Guide (RIAS illustrated architectural guides to Scotland)

Aberdeenshire: South and Aberdeen (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Scotland)

Aberdeenshire's Lost Railways

Angus and Kincardineshire's Lost Railways

BR Steam in Colour: London to Aberdeen from the Bill Reed Collection

Bradshaw's Guide Scotland's Railways East Coast Berwick to Aberdeen & Beyond: Volume 6

Brechin 1901: Forfarshire Sheet 28.13 (Old O.S. Maps of Forfarshire)

British Railways Steam - King's Cross to Aberdeen: From the Bill Reed Collection

Bygone Montrose: With Inverkeilor, Lunan Bay, Rossie, Usan, Ferryden, Bridge of Dun, Hillside, Dubton and Craigo

Caledonian Routes 1: Aberdeen, Strathmore Line & Branches

Cock o' the North: Aberdeen to Kyle of Lochalsh - Study in Diesel Power Through Its Various Stages

Great North Memories: Aberdeen No. 2: Scenes of the North East's Own Railway

Hidden Aberdeen: History on Your Doorstep and Under Your Feet

Joint Station: Aberdeen Station, 1867-1992

Landranger (54) Dundee & Montrose, Forfar & Arbroath (OS Landranger Map)

Memories of Steam from Glasgow to Aberdeen

Memories of Steam from Glasgow to Aberdeen

Memories of Steam from Glasgow to Aberdeen

Montrose The Postcard Collection

Montrose Through Time
National Series of Waterway, Tramway and Railway Atlases: Aberdeen v. 1m
On Either Side, 1939: The Train between London King's Cross & Edinburgh Waverley, Fort William, Inverness & Aberdeen (Old House)

OS Explorer Map (389) Forfar, Brechin and Edzell (OS Explorer Paper Map) (OS Explorer Active Map)

Railways Of Scotland 4: Aberdeen And The Grampians DVD - Cinerail

Railways Of Scotland 7: Perth To Kinnaber Junction DVD - Cinerail

The Montrose & Bervie Railway: A Study of Transport in South-East Kincardineshire 1770-1966

The Railways of Aberdeen: 150 Years of History: One Hundred and Fifty Years of History
The Railways of Strathmore (Perth, Forfar and Brechin)The 'Subbies': The story of Aberdeen's suburban trains 1887-1987