Aberdeen Guild Street
Location type
StationName 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
TerminusExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
09/04/2023
Facilities
Gaelic name: Obar Dheathain
William GuildThe 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
News items
| 27/01/2007 | Work begins at Aberdeen Guild Street |
| 23/01/2007 | Raiths Farm Depot construction begins |
| 28/11/2002 | Aberdeen Guild Street Goods Shed Demolition |
