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Lost AberdeenThe initial chapters are an odyssey through the early town, from the Green to the Gallowgate, charting the disappearance of the irreplaceable medieval townscape. Moving on to more modern times she traces the evolution and gradual erosion of the Granite City, whose stylish yet restrained architecture once brought visitors from all over the world to see an Aberdeen which they recognised and valued as a unique city. She writes of George Street, originally planned as 'an elegant entrance to the city' and of Union Street, a marvel of early nineteenth century engineering with stunning symmetry, elegant terracing and memorable shops. There is also a requiem for Archibald Simpson's splendid New Market and the sadly missed Northern Co-operative Society Arcade. The final part of Lost Aberdeen recalls vanished mansions, and lost clachans, victims of the city's march westwards. Long gone industrial archaeology is also revisited, the railway stations, mills, shipyards, seafront, tollhouses and boathouse, which slipped away as if they never had existed. In Lost Aberdeen Diane Morgan writes with the same fresh approach to local history that blends careful scholarship with high readability, and authority with humour that has made her 'Villages of Aberdeen' so successful a series.
Lost Aberdeen: The Outskirts
'Lost Aberdeen: The Outskirts' is the companion volume to the highly successful 'Lost Aberdeen' which recorded the demise of many fine buildings of the city centre. In 'Lost Aberdeen: The Outskirts', the lands which encircle the city, spreading seamlessly round its heart like a great fan, are explored and the losses chalked up and discussed. The journey begins at Gilcomston, the city's first suburb, once a little village of cottages and weavers' sheds, with a hidden industrial enclave and a remarkably elegant west end. Alas, Gilcomston is so lost that it is hard to find today, in spite of its proximity to the city centre. Heading north to Berryden where the demise of the Northern Co-operative Society's imposing complex of meal and barley mills and dairies is regretted. The journey continues, with Morgan guiding the reader from faded landmarks to vanished villages through a poignant and evocative trail of the past.
About the Author
After graduating from Aberdeen and Cambridge Universities, Diane Morgan, an Aberdonian born and bred, taught law, freelanced for national and local media and in 1974 founded Aberdeen's quality monthly, Leopard Magazine. She sold the title in 1988 (it still continues), and embarked on a series of popular histories, The Villages of Aberdeen, dealing with areas of the city that once enjoyed a distinctive identity. She is a burgess of Aberdeen and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. In appreciation of her work in raising awareness of the city's cultural and environmental heritage, she has, uniquely, twice received the personal award of Aberdeen Civic Society. She still lives in the city with her husband, a former regional chairman of the Employment Tribunals (Scotland).