(having a purpose)

another one from yesterday :)

Thanks to the guys at Barnados in Falmouth for allowing me to play around with a couple of bits of their stuff today.

The Sir Duncan Rice Library is the main academic library for the University of Aberdeen. It was designed by schmidt hammer lassen architects and completed in 2011. It is named after Duncan Rice, a previous Principal of the university.

The cube-shaped building can be seen prominently from the entire campus and much of the city. It is a seven-storey tower, clad in zebra-like jagged stripes of white and clear glass. The building has a floorspace of 15,500 square metres.

It houses several of the University's historic collections, including more than a quarter of a million ancient and priceless books and manuscripts that have been collected over five centuries since the University's foundation. There is also public exhibition space.

The library replaced the smaller Queen Mother Library as the university's main library.

King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (Collegium Regium Abredonense), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the University of Aberdeen.

Its historic buildings are the centrepiece of the University of Aberdeen's Old Aberdeen campus, often known as the King's or King's College campus.

The focal point of the college, as well as its oldest building, is the late 15th century King's College Chapel. A number of other historic buildings remain, with others being subject to renovation and rebuilding in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the early 20th century, a great deal of expansion saw the university buildings increase around the historic college buildings. In the later 20th century, the university expanded dramatically in size, dominating Old Aberdeen and expanding out from the High Street with a number of other buildings.

King's College was the first university in Aberdeen, the third in Scotland and the fifth in the British Isles. In 1495, William Elphinstone, the relatively newly appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, petitioned Pope Alexander VI on behalf of King James IV to create the facility to cure the ignorance he had witnessed within his parish and in the north generally.

A papal bull was issued in February 1495 (1494 in the calendar of the day) founding the university; a royal charter later that year recognised Aberdeen's status as equal to that of Scotland's two existing universities at Glasgow and St Andrews.

As a former professor at the University of Paris, Elphinstone modelled the university very much on the continental European tradition. Hector Boece, a fellow professor at Paris, was awarded the status of first principal of the new institution.

It would not be until 1509, with the issuance of a charter by Elphinstone, that university life at King's truly began. Construction of the chapel began in 1498; it was consecrated in 1509 and dedicated to St Mary.

By 1514, the university had some forty-two members in the form of both staff and students.

Following the Reformation, King's College was purged of its Roman Catholic staff but remained largely resistant to change in its methods. George Keith, the fifth Earl Marischal, however was a moderniser within the college and supportive of the reforming ideas of Peter Ramus.

In April 1593 Keith founded a second university in the city, Marischal College. Initially, Marischal offered the principal of King's College a role in selecting its academics, however this was refused by the authorities of King's – cited as the first blow in a future rivalry.

In common with Marischal, King's College supported the Jacobite cause and following the defeat of the 1715 rising both were largely purged of their academics and officials.

The building work on the main buildings of the college began in April 1500[2] on marshy land, supported by large oak beams. The chapel is topped with an imperial crown, i.e. a closed crown, which appears to make a claim to imperial status for the Scottish monarchy. The original was lost in a storm in 1633, and the present crown is a recreation. King's College chapel retains more medieval woodwork than any other Scottish church, including the choir stalls and screen.

The Cromwell Tower was a building built during the 1650s-60s during the period of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, although finished after Charles II had been reinstalled as King. It was used for accommodation and had an ornate turret at its top. It continues its function as an observatory to this day.

The 1930 construction of the Elphinstone Hall effectively created a two-quadrangle arrangement, connected to the original King's buildings. The Hall's front faces outwards, with its lawn effectively creating a central open space now bordered on the other sides by Old Aberdeen's High Street and the New Building ("New King's"), constructed in 1913.

King's College is now within the university's main Old Aberdeen campus and retains its original and historic quadrangle which houses a large conference centre and the university's chapel.

Elphinstone Hall is used for functions, dining, and examinations. The rear of King's College is now used as a sports pavilion. Notably the old college buildings now provide a focal point to the wider university campus. While small in comparison with some of the newer constructions and areas, the building maintains a great history , as well as its oldest building, is the late 15th century King's College Chapel.

As soon as you finish a project another gets thrown at you.

This is where I stand, going from project to project.

King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (Collegium Regium Abredonense), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the University of Aberdeen.

Its historic buildings are the centrepiece of the University of Aberdeen's Old Aberdeen campus, often known as the King's or King's College campus.

The focal point of the college, as well as its oldest building, is the late 15th century King's College Chapel. A number of other historic buildings remain, with others being subject to renovation and rebuilding in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the early 20th century, a great deal of expansion saw the university buildings increase around the historic college buildings. In the later 20th century, the university expanded dramatically in size, dominating Old Aberdeen and expanding out from the High Street with a number of other buildings.

King's College was the first university in Aberdeen, the third in Scotland and the fifth in the British Isles. In 1495, William Elphinstone, the relatively newly appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, petitioned Pope Alexander VI on behalf of King James IV to create the facility to cure the ignorance he had witnessed within his parish and in the north generally.

A papal bull was issued in February 1495 (1494 in the calendar of the day) founding the university; a royal charter later that year recognised Aberdeen's status as equal to that of Scotland's two existing universities at Glasgow and St Andrews.

As a former professor at the University of Paris, Elphinstone modelled the university very much on the continental European tradition. Hector Boece, a fellow professor at Paris, was awarded the status of first principal of the new institution.

It would not be until 1509, with the issuance of a charter by Elphinstone, that university life at King's truly began. Construction of the chapel began in 1498; it was consecrated in 1509 and dedicated to St Mary.

By 1514, the university had some forty-two members in the form of both staff and students.

Following the Reformation, King's College was purged of its Roman Catholic staff but remained largely resistant to change in its methods. George Keith, the fifth Earl Marischal, however was a moderniser within the college and supportive of the reforming ideas of Peter Ramus.

In April 1593 Keith founded a second university in the city, Marischal College. Initially, Marischal offered the principal of King's College a role in selecting its academics, however this was refused by the authorities of King's – cited as the first blow in a future rivalry.

In common with Marischal, King's College supported the Jacobite cause and following the defeat of the 1715 rising both were largely purged of their academics and officials.

The building work on the main buildings of the college began in April 1500[2] on marshy land, supported by large oak beams. The chapel is topped with an imperial crown, i.e. a closed crown, which appears to make a claim to imperial status for the Scottish monarchy. The original was lost in a storm in 1633, and the present crown is a recreation. King's College chapel retains more medieval woodwork than any other Scottish church, including the choir stalls and screen.

The Cromwell Tower was a building built during the 1650s-60s during the period of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, although finished after Charles II had been reinstalled as King. It was used for accommodation and had an ornate turret at its top. It continues its function as an observatory to this day.

The 1930 construction of the Elphinstone Hall effectively created a two-quadrangle arrangement, connected to the original King's buildings. The Hall's front faces outwards, with its lawn effectively creating a central open space now bordered on the other sides by Old Aberdeen's High Street and the New Building ("New King's"), constructed in 1913.

King's College is now within the university's main Old Aberdeen campus and retains its original and historic quadrangle which houses a large conference centre and the university's chapel.

Elphinstone Hall is used for functions, dining, and examinations. The rear of King's College is now used as a sports pavilion. Notably the old college buildings now provide a focal point to the wider university campus. While small in comparison with some of the newer constructions and areas, the building maintains a great history , as well as its oldest building, is the late 15th century King's College Chapel.

Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the status of a community council area.

The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things

To the north of Aberdeen city centre, Old Aberdeen was for a long time fairly isolated at the edge of the city, being followed to the north by the River Don, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie hamlet. Since the 1960s, and the North Sea oil boom of the 1970s, however, housing development has surrounded the area, in particular with the nearby Tillydrone development.

History

Old Aberdeen was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural center since the Late Middle Ages. In the 1630s the Covenanters challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for the first battle of the Bishops' Wars, when William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter army of 9000 men over the Causey Mounth to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee, effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.

Character and land use

The central part of the old town is a conservation area rich in historical buildings, some dating to the Middle Ages, and many vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries built in the locally ubiquitous grey granite. A notable feature of the later buildings is the early use of hand-made bricks to build up gables, top garden walls, etc.; this use of brick being rare elsewhere in Scotland before the late 19th century. A number of the streets remain paved with stone setts. There are also several university buildings from the late 20th century.

Old Aberdeen is effectively the main campus of the University of Aberdeen. There are also residential and commercial properties, but many of these are owned by the university or owned by the staff and students of the university. Additionally the area includes a small police station, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office (which has since "moved" into the SPAR shop outside of the Old Aberdeen boundary at the junction of St Machar Drive and King Street). To the north of the university lies St Machar's Cathedral, whose medieval ecclesiastical buildings formed the original Old Aberdeen before the University arrived in 1495.

Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie (14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.

Governance

Old Aberdeen is now fully incorporated into the City of Aberdeen, with its local authority as Aberdeen City Council. Old Aberdeen remains a community council area within the city.[3] For elections to Aberdeen City Council, Old Aberdeen forms part of the 'Tillydrone/ Seaton/Old Aberdeen' electoral ward, which elects three councillors. These are currently Jim Noble (SNP), Ross Grant and Ramsay Milne (both Labour).

For elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Old Aberdeen forms part of the Aberdeen North constituency. The current Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North is Kirsty Blackman. For elections to the Scottish Parliament, it elects a constituency member as part of the Aberdeen Central constituency. The current Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen Central is Kevin Stewart.

Landmarks

King's College and Old Aberdeen campus

The iconic and renowned buildings of King's College are perhaps the dominant structures of Old Aberdeen. The College itself now finds itself surrounded by the wider Old Aberdeen campus of the University of Aberdeen which, since the decline of Marischal College, is now the main focal point of the university. The area boasts two museums, King's Museum, which features changing exhibitions from the stores of the University and the Zoology Museum, home to the natural history collection belonging to the University.

The Old Town House

The Old Town House was the original home of the Burgh's local government, completed in 1789. It was originally the centrepoint for trading in Old Aberdeen (still discernible in the widening of the street to accommodate trading booths), and the mercat cross (head late medieval, shaft more recent) stands outside it. The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade. It was acquired by the university in recent years, and was renovated in 2005. The Old Town House now houses King's Museum.

St Machar's Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of St Machar is the high kirk of the city of Aberdeen and following the Reformation lies in the hands of the Church of Scotland.

Cruickshank Botanic Gardens

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens were gifted to the University of Aberdeen and opened in 1898. The gardens are set over 11 acres (45,000 m2) and are accessible to the public for no charge.

The Powis Gates

Just south of King's College and across the High Street lie the Powis Gates, an impressive and imposing archway with a Near Eastern influence demonstrated in its 'minaret' towers. These were erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, the owner of an estate which formerly lay behind them. The Fraser Leslie Arms are visible on the obverse of the arch, with a shield on the reverse showing the bust of three black men - a link to the family's involvement in a grant of freedom made to their slaves in Jamaica (or possibly impaled arms celebrating a marriage between a member of the Leslie family and a member of the Moir of Scotstoun family). The entrance now leads to the University's Crombie-Johnston and King's Postgraduate Halls of Residence.

Seaton Park

To the north boundary of Old Aberdeen lies Seaton Park, one of the city's largest open spaces. The park itself lies on the banks of the River Don. It is set over twenty-seven hectares and was purchased by the city for public use 1947.

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens in Aberdeen, Scotland, were built on land bequested by Miss Anne Cruickshank to commemorate her brother Dr. Alexander Cruickshank. The 11 acre (45,000 m²) garden is located in a low-lying and fairly sheltered area of Aberdeen, less than 1-mile (1.6 km) from the North Sea.

The Cruickshank Botanic Garden is partly owned and financed by the University of Aberdeen and partly by the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens Trust. The Friends of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden actively promote and support the garden. The Keeper of the Botanic Gardens is currently Professor David Burslem.

The Gardens are maintained on a daily basis by Head Gardener, Richard Walker, and Assistant Gardeners George McKay and Audrey Bews. Each summer vacation the Friends provide a bursary to allow an undergraduate student interested in botany to gain work experience in the gardens.

Although open to the public, the gardens are extensively used for both teaching and research purposes. The Natural History Centre regularly guides school parties round the Garden, and the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Aberdeen holds a reception for graduands and their guests here each July.

Visiting Cruickshank Botanic Garden in Aberdeen Scotland today, came across these two looking wary and nervous, they stayed for 45 secs allowing me to film the moment before they flew off.

Aberdeen University.

Rachel Workman MacRobert, Lady MacRobert (23 March 1884-01 September 1954), commonly known as Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, was a geologist, cattle breeder and an active feminist. Born in Massachusetts to an influential family, she was educated in England and Scotland.

She was elected to Fellowship of the Geological Society of London, one of the first three women admitted. Her scientific studies included petrology and mineralogy in Sweden and her first academic paper was published in 1911.

She married Sir Alexander MacRobert, a wealthy self-made Scottish millionaire, and had three sons with him. He was endowed with a knighthood in 1910 and a baronetcy in 1922 but died later that year.

Lady Rachel's sons all pre-deceased her – the eldest in a flying accident in 1938, and the other two died in action during the Second World War serving with the Royal Air Force. On the death of her husband she became a director of the British India Corporation, the conglomerate he had founded.

To commemorate her sons, Rachel paid for a Short Stirling bomber named 'MacRobert's Reply', and four Hawker Hurricanes. In 1943 she created the MacRobert Trust, a charity that continues to support the RAF among other institutions.

Aberdeen University

The MacRobert Trust is one of the University of Aberdeen's most valued and long-standing supporters. The generosity of the MacRobert family and the Trust have made an exceptional impact on the development of the University and the legacy of their generosity can be seen across campus today. The information below further illustrates the enduring bond between the two organisations.

The MacRobert Trust as it exists today was established in 2001 through the amalgamation of a number of separate trusts established by Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert (1884 - 1954). Much of Lady MacRobert's philanthropic giving was motivated by the death of all three of her sons in aeroplane crashes over the space of just three years. Her eldest Alasdair was killed in a civil flying accident in 1938 and both Roderic and Iain laid down their lives in action during WWII.

Her husband Sir Alexander MacRobert's (1854 - 1922) charitable legacy originated in India where he made his fortune after rising from humble beginnings in Aberdeen - his first job aged 12 was as a floor sweeper at Stoneywood Papermill. Building on this generous legacy Lady MacRobert established a range of trusts to reflect the interests of her late husband.

The family's tremendous support of the University, which continues to this day through the Trust, began in 1906 with a considerable donation of £25,000 to the Medical School for the endowment of the Georgina McRobert Fellowship* which was established in memory of his 1st wife who died of cancer in 1905.

When he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University in 1912, the citation recalled his generosity: "The Fellowship which he has founded in this university for the investigation of the cause, prevention and treatment of cancer is a notable addition to the equipment of our medical school..."

Many exceptionally generous donations have been given since then with more recent support including two donations towards our iconic Sir Duncan Rice Library.

The University is extremely grateful to the MacRobert Trust for its ongoing support of our local and global ambitions.

The MacRobert Baronetcy, of Douneside in the County of Aberdeen, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 5 April 1922 for Alexander MacRobert, a self-made millionaire.

He was succeeded by his eldest son Alasdair in June of that year. Tragedy struck the family again when Alasdair was killed in a flying accident in 1938, and the title passed to his younger brother Roderic. In May 1941 Roderic was killed in action whilst flying a Hawker Hurricane fighter in the Middle East, and just over a month later on 30 June 1941, the title became extinct when the youngest brother Iain, was also killed in action whilst serving with the Royal Air Force.

Their mother, Rachel, Lady MacRobert (1884–1954), gave £25,000 to purchase a Short Stirling bomber, the aircraft was named "MacRobert's Reply" in memory of her three sons. Lady MacRobert believed that her sons had lived up to the family motto Virtutis Gloria Merces – translated as Honour is the Reward of Bravery.

The MacRobert Award, which has been presented every year since 1969 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is named in honour of Lady MacRobert.

The Flight Of The Eaglets

Pipe Major W. Ross composed the slow march (or lament) in memory of Lady MacRobert's three sons in 1944. It is in the Scots Guards Standard Settings Of Pipe Music 1954, page 70. Also played by Angus Grant, the Lochaber Fiddler.

After the deaths of the three Macrobert brothers in RAF service, their mother, Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, wanted to honour and commemorate them. She donated £25,000 to buy a Short Stirling bomber, which was named 'MacRobert's Reply'.

The plane had serial number N6086 and had the MacRobert coat of arms painted on its nose. The plane was handed over to her crew at RAF Wyton on October 10, 1941, with Lady MacRobert attending the naming ceremony. She was assigned to No. 15 Squadron and was given the code "LS-F" ("LS", the squadron code for No. 15 Squadron, and "F for Freddie"). (Some later aircraft of 15 Squadron were named 'MacRobert's Reply', always with code LS-F).

The aircraft flew twelve missions, from October 1941 through January 1942. On 7 February 1942, the plane veered off during take-off at RAF Peterhead, and collided with a damaged Spitfire.

After this accident, a second Short Stirling, serial numberW7531, was named 'MacRobert's Reply'. It was not officially named 'MacRobert's Reply', until after entering service in March 1942. The aircraft was lost during a minelaying raid against the Øresund in May 1942; it was brought down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into Gals Klint Forest, near the town of Middelfart. Only one member of the crew, Donald Jeffs, survived the crash.

Since World War II, three other No. 15 Squadron aircraft have carried the name 'MacRobert's Reply' and borne the MacRobert family crest: a Blackburn Buccaneer and two Panavia Tornados.

The MacRobert Fighters

Lady MacRobert also sponsored four Hawker Hurricanes, three named after her sons and the fourth honouring the fighting spirit of the Russian allies.

They were handed over to No. 94 Squadron RAF, in which Sir Roderic had served, in Egypt on 19 September 1942.

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens in Aberdeen, Scotland, were built on land bequested by Miss Anne Cruickshank to commemorate her brother Dr. Alexander Cruickshank. The 11 acre (45,000 m²) garden is located in a low-lying and fairly sheltered area of Aberdeen, less than 1-mile (1.6 km) from the North Sea.

The Cruickshank Botanic Garden is partly owned and financed by the University of Aberdeen and partly by the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens Trust. The Friends of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden actively promote and support the garden. The Keeper of the Botanic Gardens is currently Professor David Burslem.

The Gardens are maintained on a daily basis by Head Gardener, Richard Walker, and Assistant Gardeners George McKay and Audrey Bews. Each summer vacation the Friends provide a bursary to allow an undergraduate student interested in botany to gain work experience in the gardens.

Although open to the public, the gardens are extensively used for both teaching and research purposes. The Natural History Centre regularly guides school parties round the Garden, and the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Aberdeen holds a reception for graduands and their guests here each July.

Built in 1788-89 and situated in the heart of Old Aberdeen, the Old Town House was the hub of the Burgh and the focal point for a busy trading community. The Old Town House features the best of Scottish architecture and is used as the logo of The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland.

With support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Aberdeen City Council, the University completed restoration work on the Old Town House and today it remains the focal point of Old Aberdeen and is the visitor gateway to both the University and its medieval campus.

The Old Town House plays host to King's Museum with a programme of changing exhibitions displaying material from the University’s Recognised Collections of National Significance. It is also a starting point for the Walking with History self-guided tour of Old Aberdeen.

Initially displayed Kings College 1913, now located on the archway entrance of the same building.

A notice to student's with some simple rules along with the penalty should those rules be broken , I'm sure by today's standards there's probably a more comprehensive list of regulation's .

I revisited Aberdeen University, leaves everywhere in the Autumn sunshine , I captured a few shots I missed on my last visit .

William Elphinstone (1431 – 25 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.

He was born in Glasgow, and educated at the High School of Glasgow and then University of Glasgow, taking the degree of M.A. in 1452. After practising for a short time as a lawyer in the church courts, he was ordained a priest, becoming rector of St. Michael's Church, Trongate, Glasgow, in 1465. Four years later he went to continue his studies at the University of Paris, where he became reader in Canon law, and then, proceeding to Orléans, became lecturer in the university there.

Before 1474 he had returned to Scotland, and was made academic rector of the university, and official of the see of Glasgow. Further promotion followed, but soon more important duties were entrusted to Elphinstone, who was made Bishop of Ross in 1481.

He was a member of the Parliament of Scotland, and was sent by James III of Scotland on diplomatic missions to Louis XI of France and Edward IV of England. In 1483 he was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, although his consecration was delayed for four years; and he was sent on missions to England, both before and after the death of Richard III of England in 1485.

Although he regularly attended the meetings of parliament he continued with his episcopal duties, and maintained the fabric of the cathedral. Early in 1488 he was made Lord High Chancellor, but on the king's death in the following June he left office, and retired to Aberdeen. As a diplomat, his services were quickly required by the new king, James IV of Scotland, in whose interests he visited the kings of England and France, and the German king, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Having been made Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1492, and having arranged a dispute between the Scots and the Dutch, Elphinstone's later years were mainly spent in the foundation of the University of Aberdeen. The papal bull was obtained in 1494, and the royal charter which made Aberdeen the seat of a university is dated 1498. A small endowment was provided by the king. The university, modelled on that of Paris and intended principally as a law school, soon became the most famous and popular of the Scots seats of learning, largely due to the prestige of Elphinstone and his friend, Hector Boece, the first rector. The building of the college of the Holy Virgin in Nativity, now King's College, was completed in 1506. Elphinstone also built the central tower of St Machar's Cathedral, and funded the building of the first stone bridge over the River Dee.

Continuing to participate in public affairs he opposed the policy of hostility towards England which led to the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. He died in Edinburgh.

Elphinstone was partly responsible for the introduction of printing into Scotland, and for the production of the Breviarium Aberdonense. When Bishop Elphinstone died in 1514, his body was taken to King’s College Chapel, where it was buried before the altar. The Bishop’s original tomb however disappeared during the reformation.

On the lead up to 1914, the 400th anniversary of Bishop Elphinstone’s death, it was decided to commission a new monument. The project was beset by delays, most notably the First World War, and was not completed until 1931. While it was originally intended that the new monument would be placed within the chapel, upon completion, it was found to be too large to fit! In 1946, it was finally decided to move the monument to its present location outside the main entrance to the chapel.

Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the status of a community council area.

The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things

To the north of Aberdeen city centre, Old Aberdeen was for a long time fairly isolated at the edge of the city, being followed to the north by the River Don, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie hamlet. Since the 1960s, and the North Sea oil boom of the 1970s, however, housing development has surrounded the area, in particular with the nearby Tillydrone development.

History

Old Aberdeen was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural center since the Late Middle Ages. In the 1630s the Covenanters challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for the first battle of the Bishops' Wars, when William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter army of 9000 men over the Causey Mounth to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee, effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.

Character and land use

The central part of the old town is a conservation area rich in historical buildings, some dating to the Middle Ages, and many vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries built in the locally ubiquitous grey granite. A notable feature of the later buildings is the early use of hand-made bricks to build up gables, top garden walls, etc.; this use of brick being rare elsewhere in Scotland before the late 19th century. A number of the streets remain paved with stone setts. There are also several university buildings from the late 20th century.

Old Aberdeen is effectively the main campus of the University of Aberdeen. There are also residential and commercial properties, but many of these are owned by the university or owned by the staff and students of the university. Additionally the area includes a small police station, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office (which has since "moved" into the SPAR shop outside of the Old Aberdeen boundary at the junction of St Machar Drive and King Street). To the north of the university lies St Machar's Cathedral, whose medieval ecclesiastical buildings formed the original Old Aberdeen before the University arrived in 1495.

Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie (14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.

Governance

Old Aberdeen is now fully incorporated into the City of Aberdeen, with its local authority as Aberdeen City Council. Old Aberdeen remains a community council area within the city.[3] For elections to Aberdeen City Council, Old Aberdeen forms part of the 'Tillydrone/ Seaton/Old Aberdeen' electoral ward, which elects three councillors. These are currently Jim Noble (SNP), Ross Grant and Ramsay Milne (both Labour).

For elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Old Aberdeen forms part of the Aberdeen North constituency. The current Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North is Kirsty Blackman. For elections to the Scottish Parliament, it elects a constituency member as part of the Aberdeen Central constituency. The current Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen Central is Kevin Stewart.

Landmarks

King's College and Old Aberdeen campus

The iconic and renowned buildings of King's College are perhaps the dominant structures of Old Aberdeen. The College itself now finds itself surrounded by the wider Old Aberdeen campus of the University of Aberdeen which, since the decline of Marischal College, is now the main focal point of the university. The area boasts two museums, King's Museum, which features changing exhibitions from the stores of the University and the Zoology Museum, home to the natural history collection belonging to the University.

The Old Town House

The Old Town House was the original home of the Burgh's local government, completed in 1789. It was originally the centrepoint for trading in Old Aberdeen (still discernible in the widening of the street to accommodate trading booths), and the mercat cross (head late medieval, shaft more recent) stands outside it. The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade. It was acquired by the university in recent years, and was renovated in 2005. The Old Town House now houses King's Museum.

St Machar's Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of St Machar is the high kirk of the city of Aberdeen and following the Reformation lies in the hands of the Church of Scotland.

Cruickshank Botanic Gardens

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens were gifted to the University of Aberdeen and opened in 1898. The gardens are set over 11 acres (45,000 m2) and are accessible to the public for no charge.

The Powis Gates

Just south of King's College and across the High Street lie the Powis Gates, an impressive and imposing archway with a Near Eastern influence demonstrated in its 'minaret' towers. These were erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, the owner of an estate which formerly lay behind them. The Fraser Leslie Arms are visible on the obverse of the arch, with a shield on the reverse showing the bust of three black men - a link to the family's involvement in a grant of freedom made to their slaves in Jamaica (or possibly impaled arms celebrating a marriage between a member of the Leslie family and a member of the Moir of Scotstoun family). The entrance now leads to the University's Crombie-Johnston and King's Postgraduate Halls of Residence.

Seaton Park

To the north boundary of Old Aberdeen lies Seaton Park, one of the city's largest open spaces. The park itself lies on the banks of the River Don. It is set over twenty-seven hectares and was purchased by the city for public use 1947.

I revisited Aberdeen University, leaves everywhere in the Autumn sunshine , I captured a few shots I missed on my last visit .

William Elphinstone (1431 – 25 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.

He was born in Glasgow, and educated at the High School of Glasgow and then University of Glasgow, taking the degree of M.A. in 1452. After practising for a short time as a lawyer in the church courts, he was ordained a priest, becoming rector of St. Michael's Church, Trongate, Glasgow, in 1465. Four years later he went to continue his studies at the University of Paris, where he became reader in Canon law, and then, proceeding to Orléans, became lecturer in the university there.

Before 1474 he had returned to Scotland, and was made academic rector of the university, and official of the see of Glasgow. Further promotion followed, but soon more important duties were entrusted to Elphinstone, who was made Bishop of Ross in 1481.

He was a member of the Parliament of Scotland, and was sent by James III of Scotland on diplomatic missions to Louis XI of France and Edward IV of England. In 1483 he was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, although his consecration was delayed for four years; and he was sent on missions to England, both before and after the death of Richard III of England in 1485.

Although he regularly attended the meetings of parliament he continued with his episcopal duties, and maintained the fabric of the cathedral. Early in 1488 he was made Lord High Chancellor, but on the king's death in the following June he left office, and retired to Aberdeen. As a diplomat, his services were quickly required by the new king, James IV of Scotland, in whose interests he visited the kings of England and France, and the German king, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Having been made Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1492, and having arranged a dispute between the Scots and the Dutch, Elphinstone's later years were mainly spent in the foundation of the University of Aberdeen. The papal bull was obtained in 1494, and the royal charter which made Aberdeen the seat of a university is dated 1498. A small endowment was provided by the king. The university, modelled on that of Paris and intended principally as a law school, soon became the most famous and popular of the Scots seats of learning, largely due to the prestige of Elphinstone and his friend, Hector Boece, the first rector. The building of the college of the Holy Virgin in Nativity, now King's College, was completed in 1506. Elphinstone also built the central tower of St Machar's Cathedral, and funded the building of the first stone bridge over the River Dee.

Continuing to participate in public affairs he opposed the policy of hostility towards England which led to the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. He died in Edinburgh.

Elphinstone was partly responsible for the introduction of printing into Scotland, and for the production of the Breviarium Aberdonense. When Bishop Elphinstone died in 1514, his body was taken to King’s College Chapel, where it was buried before the altar. The Bishop’s original tomb however disappeared during the reformation.

On the lead up to 1914, the 400th anniversary of Bishop Elphinstone’s death, it was decided to commission a new monument. The project was beset by delays, most notably the First World War, and was not completed until 1931. While it was originally intended that the new monument would be placed within the chapel, upon completion, it was found to be too large to fit! In 1946, it was finally decided to move the monument to its present location outside the main entrance to the chapel.

I visit the university grounds when I can, today this scene caught my eye .

The University of Aberdeen is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is an ancient university founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen, petitioned Pope Alexander VI on behalf of James IV, King of Scots to establish King's College, making it Scotland's third-oldest university and the fifth-oldest in the English-speaking world.

The university as it is today was formed in 1860 by a merger between King's College and Marischal College, a second university founded in 1593 as a Protestant alternative to the former. Today, Aberdeen is consistently ranked among the top 200 universities in the world and is one of two universities in the city, the other being the Robert Gordon University.

The university's iconic buildings act as symbols of wider Aberdeen, particularly Marischal College in the city centre and the spire of King's College in Old Aberdeen. There are two campuses; the predominantly utilised King's College campus dominates the section of the city known as Old Aberdeen, which is approximately two miles north of the city centre.

Although the original site of the university's foundation, most academic buildings were constructed in the 20th century during a period of significant expansion. The university's Foresterhill campus is next to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and houses the School of Medicine and Dentistry as well as the School of Medical Sciences.

Aberdeen has approximately 13,500 students from undergraduate to doctoral level, including many international students. An abundant range of disciplines are taught at the university, with 650 undergraduate degree programmes offered in the 2012-13 academic year.

Many important figures in the field of theology were educated at the university, particularly in its earlier history, giving rise to the Aberdeen doctors in the 17th century and prolific enlightenment philosopher Thomas Reid in the 18th. Five Nobel laureates have since been associated with Aberdeen.

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens in Aberdeen, Scotland, were built on land bequested by Miss Anne Cruickshank to commemorate her brother Dr. Alexander Cruickshank. The 11 acre (45,000 m²) garden is located in a low-lying and fairly sheltered area of Aberdeen, less than 1-mile (1.6 km) from the North Sea.

The Cruickshank Botanic Garden is partly owned and financed by the University of Aberdeen and partly by the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens Trust. The Friends of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden actively promote and support the garden. The Keeper of the Botanic Gardens is currently Professor David Burslem.

The Gardens are maintained on a daily basis by Head Gardener, Richard Walker, and Assistant Gardeners George McKay and Audrey Bews. Each summer vacation the Friends provide a bursary to allow an undergraduate student interested in botany to gain work experience in the gardens.

Although open to the public, the gardens are extensively used for both teaching and research purposes. The Natural History Centre regularly guides school parties round the Garden, and the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Aberdeen holds a reception for graduands and their guests here each July.

I revisited Aberdeen University, leaves everywhere in the Autumn sunshine , I captured a few shots I missed on my last visit .

William Elphinstone (1431 – 25 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.

He was born in Glasgow, and educated at the High School of Glasgow and then University of Glasgow, taking the degree of M.A. in 1452. After practising for a short time as a lawyer in the church courts, he was ordained a priest, becoming rector of St. Michael's Church, Trongate, Glasgow, in 1465. Four years later he went to continue his studies at the University of Paris, where he became reader in Canon law, and then, proceeding to Orléans, became lecturer in the university there.

Before 1474 he had returned to Scotland, and was made academic rector of the university, and official of the see of Glasgow. Further promotion followed, but soon more important duties were entrusted to Elphinstone, who was made Bishop of Ross in 1481.

He was a member of the Parliament of Scotland, and was sent by James III of Scotland on diplomatic missions to Louis XI of France and Edward IV of England. In 1483 he was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, although his consecration was delayed for four years; and he was sent on missions to England, both before and after the death of Richard III of England in 1485.

Although he regularly attended the meetings of parliament he continued with his episcopal duties, and maintained the fabric of the cathedral. Early in 1488 he was made Lord High Chancellor, but on the king's death in the following June he left office, and retired to Aberdeen. As a diplomat, his services were quickly required by the new king, James IV of Scotland, in whose interests he visited the kings of England and France, and the German king, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Having been made Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1492, and having arranged a dispute between the Scots and the Dutch, Elphinstone's later years were mainly spent in the foundation of the University of Aberdeen. The papal bull was obtained in 1494, and the royal charter which made Aberdeen the seat of a university is dated 1498. A small endowment was provided by the king. The university, modelled on that of Paris and intended principally as a law school, soon became the most famous and popular of the Scots seats of learning, largely due to the prestige of Elphinstone and his friend, Hector Boece, the first rector. The building of the college of the Holy Virgin in Nativity, now King's College, was completed in 1506. Elphinstone also built the central tower of St Machar's Cathedral, and funded the building of the first stone bridge over the River Dee.

Continuing to participate in public affairs he opposed the policy of hostility towards England which led to the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. He died in Edinburgh.

Elphinstone was partly responsible for the introduction of printing into Scotland, and for the production of the Breviarium Aberdonense. When Bishop Elphinstone died in 1514, his body was taken to King’s College Chapel, where it was buried before the altar. The Bishop’s original tomb however disappeared during the reformation.

On the lead up to 1914, the 400th anniversary of Bishop Elphinstone’s death, it was decided to commission a new monument. The project was beset by delays, most notably the First World War, and was not completed until 1931. While it was originally intended that the new monument would be placed within the chapel, upon completion, it was found to be too large to fit! In 1946, it was finally decided to move the monument to its present location outside the main entrance to the chapel.

Aberdeen University.

Rachel Workman MacRobert, Lady MacRobert (23 March 1884-01 September 1954), commonly known as Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, was a geologist, cattle breeder and an active feminist. Born in Massachusetts to an influential family, she was educated in England and Scotland.

She was elected to Fellowship of the Geological Society of London, one of the first three women admitted. Her scientific studies included petrology and mineralogy in Sweden and her first academic paper was published in 1911.

She married Sir Alexander MacRobert, a wealthy self-made Scottish millionaire, and had three sons with him. He was endowed with a knighthood in 1910 and a baronetcy in 1922 but died later that year.

Lady Rachel's sons all pre-deceased her – the eldest in a flying accident in 1938, and the other two died in action during the Second World War serving with the Royal Air Force. On the death of her husband she became a director of the British India Corporation, the conglomerate he had founded.

To commemorate her sons, Rachel paid for a Short Stirling bomber named 'MacRobert's Reply', and four Hawker Hurricanes. In 1943 she created the MacRobert Trust, a charity that continues to support the RAF among other institutions.

Aberdeen University

The MacRobert Trust is one of the University of Aberdeen's most valued and long-standing supporters. The generosity of the MacRobert family and the Trust have made an exceptional impact on the development of the University and the legacy of their generosity can be seen across campus today. The information below further illustrates the enduring bond between the two organisations.

The MacRobert Trust as it exists today was established in 2001 through the amalgamation of a number of separate trusts established by Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert (1884 - 1954). Much of Lady MacRobert's philanthropic giving was motivated by the death of all three of her sons in aeroplane crashes over the space of just three years. Her eldest Alasdair was killed in a civil flying accident in 1938 and both Roderic and Iain laid down their lives in action during WWII.

Her husband Sir Alexander MacRobert's (1854 - 1922) charitable legacy originated in India where he made his fortune after rising from humble beginnings in Aberdeen - his first job aged 12 was as a floor sweeper at Stoneywood Papermill. Building on this generous legacy Lady MacRobert established a range of trusts to reflect the interests of her late husband.

The family's tremendous support of the University, which continues to this day through the Trust, began in 1906 with a considerable donation of £25,000 to the Medical School for the endowment of the Georgina McRobert Fellowship* which was established in memory of his 1st wife who died of cancer in 1905.

When he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University in 1912, the citation recalled his generosity: "The Fellowship which he has founded in this university for the investigation of the cause, prevention and treatment of cancer is a notable addition to the equipment of our medical school..."

Many exceptionally generous donations have been given since then with more recent support including two donations towards our iconic Sir Duncan Rice Library.

The University is extremely grateful to the MacRobert Trust for its ongoing support of our local and global ambitions.

The MacRobert Baronetcy, of Douneside in the County of Aberdeen, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 5 April 1922 for Alexander MacRobert, a self-made millionaire.

He was succeeded by his eldest son Alasdair in June of that year. Tragedy struck the family again when Alasdair was killed in a flying accident in 1938, and the title passed to his younger brother Roderic. In May 1941 Roderic was killed in action whilst flying a Hawker Hurricane fighter in the Middle East, and just over a month later on 30 June 1941, the title became extinct when the youngest brother Iain, was also killed in action whilst serving with the Royal Air Force.

Their mother, Rachel, Lady MacRobert (1884–1954), gave £25,000 to purchase a Short Stirling bomber, the aircraft was named "MacRobert's Reply" in memory of her three sons. Lady MacRobert believed that her sons had lived up to the family motto Virtutis Gloria Merces – translated as Honour is the Reward of Bravery.

The MacRobert Award, which has been presented every year since 1969 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is named in honour of Lady MacRobert.

The Flight Of The Eaglets

Pipe Major W. Ross composed the slow march (or lament) in memory of Lady MacRobert's three sons in 1944. It is in the Scots Guards Standard Settings Of Pipe Music 1954, page 70. Also played by Angus Grant, the Lochaber Fiddler.

After the deaths of the three Macrobert brothers in RAF service, their mother, Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, wanted to honour and commemorate them. She donated £25,000 to buy a Short Stirling bomber, which was named 'MacRobert's Reply'.

The plane had serial number N6086 and had the MacRobert coat of arms painted on its nose. The plane was handed over to her crew at RAF Wyton on October 10, 1941, with Lady MacRobert attending the naming ceremony. She was assigned to No. 15 Squadron and was given the code "LS-F" ("LS", the squadron code for No. 15 Squadron, and "F for Freddie"). (Some later aircraft of 15 Squadron were named 'MacRobert's Reply', always with code LS-F).

The aircraft flew twelve missions, from October 1941 through January 1942. On 7 February 1942, the plane veered off during take-off at RAF Peterhead, and collided with a damaged Spitfire.

After this accident, a second Short Stirling, serial numberW7531, was named 'MacRobert's Reply'. It was not officially named 'MacRobert's Reply', until after entering service in March 1942. The aircraft was lost during a minelaying raid against the Øresund in May 1942; it was brought down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into Gals Klint Forest, near the town of Middelfart. Only one member of the crew, Donald Jeffs, survived the crash.

Since World War II, three other No. 15 Squadron aircraft have carried the name 'MacRobert's Reply' and borne the MacRobert family crest: a Blackburn Buccaneer and two Panavia Tornados.

The MacRobert Fighters

Lady MacRobert also sponsored four Hawker Hurricanes, three named after her sons and the fourth honouring the fighting spirit of the Russian allies.

They were handed over to No. 94 Squadron RAF, in which Sir Roderic had served, in Egypt on 19 September 1942.

Aberdeen University.

Rachel Workman MacRobert, Lady MacRobert (23 March 1884-01 September 1954), commonly known as Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, was a geologist, cattle breeder and an active feminist. Born in Massachusetts to an influential family, she was educated in England and Scotland.

She was elected to Fellowship of the Geological Society of London, one of the first three women admitted. Her scientific studies included petrology and mineralogy in Sweden and her first academic paper was published in 1911.

She married Sir Alexander MacRobert, a wealthy self-made Scottish millionaire, and had three sons with him. He was endowed with a knighthood in 1910 and a baronetcy in 1922 but died later that year.

Lady Rachel's sons all pre-deceased her – the eldest in a flying accident in 1938, and the other two died in action during the Second World War serving with the Royal Air Force. On the death of her husband she became a director of the British India Corporation, the conglomerate he had founded.

To commemorate her sons, Rachel paid for a Short Stirling bomber named 'MacRobert's Reply', and four Hawker Hurricanes. In 1943 she created the MacRobert Trust, a charity that continues to support the RAF among other institutions.

Aberdeen University

The MacRobert Trust is one of the University of Aberdeen's most valued and long-standing supporters. The generosity of the MacRobert family and the Trust have made an exceptional impact on the development of the University and the legacy of their generosity can be seen across campus today. The information below further illustrates the enduring bond between the two organisations.

The MacRobert Trust as it exists today was established in 2001 through the amalgamation of a number of separate trusts established by Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert (1884 - 1954). Much of Lady MacRobert's philanthropic giving was motivated by the death of all three of her sons in aeroplane crashes over the space of just three years. Her eldest Alasdair was killed in a civil flying accident in 1938 and both Roderic and Iain laid down their lives in action during WWII.

Her husband Sir Alexander MacRobert's (1854 - 1922) charitable legacy originated in India where he made his fortune after rising from humble beginnings in Aberdeen - his first job aged 12 was as a floor sweeper at Stoneywood Papermill. Building on this generous legacy Lady MacRobert established a range of trusts to reflect the interests of her late husband.

The family's tremendous support of the University, which continues to this day through the Trust, began in 1906 with a considerable donation of £25,000 to the Medical School for the endowment of the Georgina McRobert Fellowship* which was established in memory of his 1st wife who died of cancer in 1905.

When he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University in 1912, the citation recalled his generosity: "The Fellowship which he has founded in this university for the investigation of the cause, prevention and treatment of cancer is a notable addition to the equipment of our medical school..."

Many exceptionally generous donations have been given since then with more recent support including two donations towards our iconic Sir Duncan Rice Library.

The University is extremely grateful to the MacRobert Trust for its ongoing support of our local and global ambitions.

The MacRobert Baronetcy, of Douneside in the County of Aberdeen, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 5 April 1922 for Alexander MacRobert, a self-made millionaire.

He was succeeded by his eldest son Alasdair in June of that year. Tragedy struck the family again when Alasdair was killed in a flying accident in 1938, and the title passed to his younger brother Roderic. In May 1941 Roderic was killed in action whilst flying a Hawker Hurricane fighter in the Middle East, and just over a month later on 30 June 1941, the title became extinct when the youngest brother Iain, was also killed in action whilst serving with the Royal Air Force.

Their mother, Rachel, Lady MacRobert (1884–1954), gave £25,000 to purchase a Short Stirling bomber, the aircraft was named "MacRobert's Reply" in memory of her three sons. Lady MacRobert believed that her sons had lived up to the family motto Virtutis Gloria Merces – translated as Honour is the Reward of Bravery.

The MacRobert Award, which has been presented every year since 1969 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is named in honour of Lady MacRobert.

The Flight Of The Eaglets

Pipe Major W. Ross composed the slow march (or lament) in memory of Lady MacRobert's three sons in 1944. It is in the Scots Guards Standard Settings Of Pipe Music 1954, page 70. Also played by Angus Grant, the Lochaber Fiddler.

After the deaths of the three Macrobert brothers in RAF service, their mother, Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, wanted to honour and commemorate them. She donated £25,000 to buy a Short Stirling bomber, which was named 'MacRobert's Reply'.

The plane had serial number N6086 and had the MacRobert coat of arms painted on its nose. The plane was handed over to her crew at RAF Wyton on October 10, 1941, with Lady MacRobert attending the naming ceremony. She was assigned to No. 15 Squadron and was given the code "LS-F" ("LS", the squadron code for No. 15 Squadron, and "F for Freddie"). (Some later aircraft of 15 Squadron were named 'MacRobert's Reply', always with code LS-F).

The aircraft flew twelve missions, from October 1941 through January 1942. On 7 February 1942, the plane veered off during take-off at RAF Peterhead, and collided with a damaged Spitfire.

After this accident, a second Short Stirling, serial numberW7531, was named 'MacRobert's Reply'. It was not officially named 'MacRobert's Reply', until after entering service in March 1942. The aircraft was lost during a minelaying raid against the Øresund in May 1942; it was brought down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into Gals Klint Forest, near the town of Middelfart. Only one member of the crew, Donald Jeffs, survived the crash.

Since World War II, three other No. 15 Squadron aircraft have carried the name 'MacRobert's Reply' and borne the MacRobert family crest: a Blackburn Buccaneer and two Panavia Tornados.

The MacRobert Fighters

Lady MacRobert also sponsored four Hawker Hurricanes, three named after her sons and the fourth honouring the fighting spirit of the Russian allies.

They were handed over to No. 94 Squadron RAF, in which Sir Roderic had served, in Egypt on 19 September 1942.

King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (Collegium Regium Abredonense), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the University of Aberdeen.

Its historic buildings are the centrepiece of the University of Aberdeen's Old Aberdeen campus, often known as the King's or King's College campus.

The focal point of the college, as well as its oldest building, is the late 15th century King's College Chapel. A number of other historic buildings remain, with others being subject to renovation and rebuilding in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the early 20th century, a great deal of expansion saw the university buildings increase around the historic college buildings. In the later 20th century, the university expanded dramatically in size, dominating Old Aberdeen and expanding out from the High Street with a number of other buildings.

King's College was the first university in Aberdeen, the third in Scotland and the fifth in the British Isles. In 1495, William Elphinstone, the relatively newly appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, petitioned Pope Alexander VI on behalf of King James IV to create the facility to cure the ignorance he had witnessed within his parish and in the north generally.

A papal bull was issued in February 1495 (1494 in the calendar of the day) founding the university; a royal charter later that year recognised Aberdeen's status as equal to that of Scotland's two existing universities at Glasgow and St Andrews.

As a former professor at the University of Paris, Elphinstone modelled the university very much on the continental European tradition. Hector Boece, a fellow professor at Paris, was awarded the status of first principal of the new institution.

It would not be until 1509, with the issuance of a charter by Elphinstone, that university life at King's truly began. Construction of the chapel began in 1498; it was consecrated in 1509 and dedicated to St Mary.

By 1514, the university had some forty-two members in the form of both staff and students.

Following the Reformation, King's College was purged of its Roman Catholic staff but remained largely resistant to change in its methods. George Keith, the fifth Earl Marischal, however was a moderniser within the college and supportive of the reforming ideas of Peter Ramus.

In April 1593 Keith founded a second university in the city, Marischal College. Initially, Marischal offered the principal of King's College a role in selecting its academics, however this was refused by the authorities of King's – cited as the first blow in a future rivalry.

In common with Marischal, King's College supported the Jacobite cause and following the defeat of the 1715 rising both were largely purged of their academics and officials.

The building work on the main buildings of the college began in April 1500[2] on marshy land, supported by large oak beams. The chapel is topped with an imperial crown, i.e. a closed crown, which appears to make a claim to imperial status for the Scottish monarchy. The original was lost in a storm in 1633, and the present crown is a recreation. King's College chapel retains more medieval woodwork than any other Scottish church, including the choir stalls and screen.

The Cromwell Tower was a building built during the 1650s-60s during the period of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, although finished after Charles II had been reinstalled as King. It was used for accommodation and had an ornate turret at its top. It continues its function as an observatory to this day.

The 1930 construction of the Elphinstone Hall effectively created a two-quadrangle arrangement, connected to the original King's buildings. The Hall's front faces outwards, with its lawn effectively creating a central open space now bordered on the other sides by Old Aberdeen's High Street and the New Building ("New King's"), constructed in 1913.

King's College is now within the university's main Old Aberdeen campus and retains its original and historic quadrangle which houses a large conference centre and the university's chapel.

Elphinstone Hall is used for functions, dining, and examinations. The rear of King's College is now used as a sports pavilion. Notably the old college buildings now provide a focal point to the wider university campus. While small in comparison with some of the newer constructions and areas, the building maintains a great history , as well as its oldest building, is the late 15th century King's College Chapel.

Evolutionary Loop 517, a monumental six-metre bronze sculpture by the London-based contemporary artist, Nasser Azam, will be unveiled on the 27th May at the University of Aberdeen. The sculpture was commissioned for the Sir Duncan Rice Library, and is a new defining landmark for the University campus. The Library was officially opened in September 2012 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Azam worked closely with the architect of the library, Morten Schmidt, a founding Partner of the award-winning Scandinavian architectural practice schmidt/hammer/lassen architects, who have designed some of Europe’s most ground breaking library buildings. The sculptural forms of Evolutionary Loop 517 thus establish a strong rapport with the surrounding buildings and landscape. Azam commented: “The project has been most rewarding as I was involved with the architects from the outset.Evolutionary Loop 517 to me reflects the visually striking interior design of the library and the use of bronze cements a strong connectivity between the historic relevance and traditions of the university, and the bold and beautiful statement of the contemporary library building.”

The sculpture was named following a competition launched by Aberdeen University, in collaboration with the artist. The winning entry came from Chemistry Professor Marcel Jaspars, who explained his choice: “I came up with the name as I felt this is a very organic piece, and the intertwined forms connect in a loop, which reminded me of the evolutionary process, with continuous change and connection. It reflects the fact that students, academics and staff are constantly evolving in their experiences and connections at the University of Aberdeen, to show the organic nature of the sculpture in symbiosis with the research carried out at the University and to represent the age of the University when this sculpture was made. In a diverse way, we will all have a connection with the University of Aberdeen just by looking at the sculpture. In future years, maybe people will simply say ’Let’s meet at the Loop’.”

Chris Banks, Aberdeen University Librarian and Director of Library Special Collections and Museums, commented: “I am thrilled that the sculpture is now taking pride of place in front of the library. We are extremely grateful to the donor who commissioned the piece and to Nasser who has created this stunning piece of art for us.”

The £57 million Sir Duncan Rice Library provides an advanced learning environment in which the latest learning technology adds value to a magnificent collection of over one million books and journals. It also safeguards the University’s internationally-significant archive of historic books, manuscripts and works of art within the Special Collection Centre and Loop provides another important addition to these collections. The Library is not only a magnificent and inspirational building – it is a hugely important institutional and regional asset which will benefit students, scholars and communities for decades to come.

Alongside the sculpture, Azam has finished a large painting, titled Loop, reflecting on the relationship between sculpture and architecture. Loop has entered the collection of the University, and will be hung in the new library building.

Other major commissions of Nasser Azam’s career to date include the sculpture Athena, commissioned for the entrance to London City Airport, and unveiled on 5th July 2012 to coincide with the 2012 London Olympics. Athena is the UK’s tallest bronze sculpture. Azam also created the large bronze sculpture The Dance, unveiled on the South Bank on 21 February 2008, as well as work for the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, in Dublin.

Between 2008 and 2010 he participated in a number of high-profile ‘Performance painting’ projects including; Life In Space, a project that took place on board a Russian parabolic aircraft, where he completed two triptychs as an homage to Francis Bacon in zero gravity; and the widely reported Antarctica project, where the artist endured severe weather conditions, to create a series of large oil canvases on an ice desert of the frozen Tundra. Nasser Azam was born in Pakistan in 1963 and spent several years in Japan, before settling in London where he has a studio. He has projects coming up in New York, London and Rio de Janeiro.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Founded in 1495, the University of Aberdeen is one of the UK’s most internationally distinguished ancient universities. It has a student population of around 16,000 and a large international community of students drawn from 120 different countries. The University, which is Scotland’s third oldest, is at the forefront of teaching, learning and discovery, as it has been for over 500 years. As the ‘global university of the north’, it has consistently sent pioneers and ideas outward to every part of the world. Aberdeen is an ambitious, research-driven university with a global outlook, committed to excellence in everything it does. It is committed to providing excellent support services and facilities and has made an unprecedented multi-million pound investment to provide its students with some of the very best facilities available in the UK including the Sir Duncan Rice Library.

TIMINGS AND LOCATION OF UNVEILING

The unveiling of the sculpture will take place on 27th May will be between 11am-1pm

The address of the Library is: The Sir Duncan Rice Library, University of Aberdeen,

William Elphinstone (1431 – 25 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.

He was born in Glasgow, and educated at the High School of Glasgow and then University of Glasgow, taking the degree of M.A. in 1452. After practising for a short time as a lawyer in the church courts, he was ordained a priest, becoming rector of St. Michael's Church, Trongate, Glasgow, in 1465. Four years later he went to continue his studies at the University of Paris, where he became reader in Canon law, and then, proceeding to Orléans, became lecturer in the university there.

Before 1474 he had returned to Scotland, and was made academic rector of the university, and official of the see of Glasgow. Further promotion followed, but soon more important duties were entrusted to Elphinstone, who was made Bishop of Ross in 1481.

He was a member of the Parliament of Scotland, and was sent by James III of Scotland on diplomatic missions to Louis XI of France and Edward IV of England. In 1483 he was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, although his consecration was delayed for four years; and he was sent on missions to England, both before and after the death of Richard III of England in 1485.

Although he regularly attended the meetings of parliament he continued with his episcopal duties, and maintained the fabric of the cathedral. Early in 1488 he was made Lord High Chancellor, but on the king's death in the following June he left office, and retired to Aberdeen. As a diplomat, his services were quickly required by the new king, James IV of Scotland, in whose interests he visited the kings of England and France, and the German king, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Having been made Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1492, and having arranged a dispute between the Scots and the Dutch, Elphinstone's later years were mainly spent in the foundation of the University of Aberdeen. The papal bull was obtained in 1494, and the royal charter which made Aberdeen the seat of a university is dated 1498. A small endowment was provided by the king. The university, modelled on that of Paris and intended principally as a law school, soon became the most famous and popular of the Scots seats of learning, largely due to the prestige of Elphinstone and his friend, Hector Boece, the first rector. The building of the college of the Holy Virgin in Nativity, now King's College, was completed in 1506. Elphinstone also built the central tower of St Machar's Cathedral, and funded the building of the first stone bridge over the River Dee.

Continuing to participate in public affairs he opposed the policy of hostility towards England which led to the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. He died in Edinburgh.

Elphinstone was partly responsible for the introduction of printing into Scotland, and for the production of the Breviarium Aberdonense. When Bishop Elphinstone died in 1514, his body was taken to King’s College Chapel, where it was buried before the altar. The Bishop’s original tomb however disappeared during the reformation.

On the lead up to 1914, the 400th anniversary of Bishop Elphinstone’s death, it was decided to commission a new monument. The project was beset by delays, most notably the First World War, and was not completed until 1931. While it was originally intended that the new monument would be placed within the chapel, upon completion, it was found to be too large to fit! In 1946, it was finally decided to move the monument to its present location outside the main entrance to the chapel.

by echories

Visiting Cruickshank Botanic Garden in Aberdeen Scotland today, came across these two looking wary and nervous, they stayed for 45 secs allowing me to film the moment before they flew off.

Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the status of a community council area.

The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things

To the north of Aberdeen city centre, Old Aberdeen was for a long time fairly isolated at the edge of the city, being followed to the north by the River Don, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie hamlet. Since the 1960s, and the North Sea oil boom of the 1970s, however, housing development has surrounded the area, in particular with the nearby Tillydrone development.

History

Old Aberdeen was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural center since the Late Middle Ages. In the 1630s the Covenanters challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for the first battle of the Bishops' Wars, when William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter army of 9000 men over the Causey Mounth to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee, effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.

Character and land use

The central part of the old town is a conservation area rich in historical buildings, some dating to the Middle Ages, and many vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries built in the locally ubiquitous grey granite. A notable feature of the later buildings is the early use of hand-made bricks to build up gables, top garden walls, etc.; this use of brick being rare elsewhere in Scotland before the late 19th century. A number of the streets remain paved with stone setts. There are also several university buildings from the late 20th century.

Old Aberdeen is effectively the main campus of the University of Aberdeen. There are also residential and commercial properties, but many of these are owned by the university or owned by the staff and students of the university. Additionally the area includes a small police station, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office (which has since "moved" into the SPAR shop outside of the Old Aberdeen boundary at the junction of St Machar Drive and King Street). To the north of the university lies St Machar's Cathedral, whose medieval ecclesiastical buildings formed the original Old Aberdeen before the University arrived in 1495.

Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie (14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.

Governance

Old Aberdeen is now fully incorporated into the City of Aberdeen, with its local authority as Aberdeen City Council. Old Aberdeen remains a community council area within the city.[3] For elections to Aberdeen City Council, Old Aberdeen forms part of the 'Tillydrone/ Seaton/Old Aberdeen' electoral ward, which elects three councillors. These are currently Jim Noble (SNP), Ross Grant and Ramsay Milne (both Labour).

For elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Old Aberdeen forms part of the Aberdeen North constituency. The current Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North is Kirsty Blackman. For elections to the Scottish Parliament, it elects a constituency member as part of the Aberdeen Central constituency. The current Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen Central is Kevin Stewart.

Landmarks

King's College and Old Aberdeen campus

The iconic and renowned buildings of King's College are perhaps the dominant structures of Old Aberdeen. The College itself now finds itself surrounded by the wider Old Aberdeen campus of the University of Aberdeen which, since the decline of Marischal College, is now the main focal point of the university. The area boasts two museums, King's Museum, which features changing exhibitions from the stores of the University and the Zoology Museum, home to the natural history collection belonging to the University.

The Old Town House

The Old Town House was the original home of the Burgh's local government, completed in 1789. It was originally the centrepoint for trading in Old Aberdeen (still discernible in the widening of the street to accommodate trading booths), and the mercat cross (head late medieval, shaft more recent) stands outside it. The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade. It was acquired by the university in recent years, and was renovated in 2005. The Old Town House now houses King's Museum.

St Machar's Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of St Machar is the high kirk of the city of Aberdeen and following the Reformation lies in the hands of the Church of Scotland.

Cruickshank Botanic Gardens

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens were gifted to the University of Aberdeen and opened in 1898. The gardens are set over 11 acres (45,000 m2) and are accessible to the public for no charge.

The Powis Gates

Just south of King's College and across the High Street lie the Powis Gates, an impressive and imposing archway with a Near Eastern influence demonstrated in its 'minaret' towers. These were erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, the owner of an estate which formerly lay behind them. The Fraser Leslie Arms are visible on the obverse of the arch, with a shield on the reverse showing the bust of three black men - a link to the family's involvement in a grant of freedom made to their slaves in Jamaica (or possibly impaled arms celebrating a marriage between a member of the Leslie family and a member of the Moir of Scotstoun family). The entrance now leads to the University's Crombie-Johnston and King's Postgraduate Halls of Residence.

Seaton Park

To the north boundary of Old Aberdeen lies Seaton Park, one of the city's largest open spaces. The park itself lies on the banks of the River Don. It is set over twenty-seven hectares and was purchased by the city for public use 1947.

Latin inscription reads " Not For Himself But His Country"

Aberdeen University.

Rachel Workman MacRobert, Lady MacRobert (23 March 1884-01 September 1954), commonly known as Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, was a geologist, cattle breeder and an active feminist. Born in Massachusetts to an influential family, she was educated in England and Scotland.

She was elected to Fellowship of the Geological Society of London, one of the first three women admitted. Her scientific studies included petrology and mineralogy in Sweden and her first academic paper was published in 1911.

She married Sir Alexander MacRobert, a wealthy self-made Scottish millionaire, and had three sons with him. He was endowed with a knighthood in 1910 and a baronetcy in 1922 but died later that year.

Lady Rachel's sons all pre-deceased her – the eldest in a flying accident in 1938, and the other two died in action during the Second World War serving with the Royal Air Force. On the death of her husband she became a director of the British India Corporation, the conglomerate he had founded.

To commemorate her sons, Rachel paid for a Short Stirling bomber named 'MacRobert's Reply', and four Hawker Hurricanes. In 1943 she created the MacRobert Trust, a charity that continues to support the RAF among other institutions.

Aberdeen University

The MacRobert Trust is one of the University of Aberdeen's most valued and long-standing supporters. The generosity of the MacRobert family and the Trust have made an exceptional impact on the development of the University and the legacy of their generosity can be seen across campus today. The information below further illustrates the enduring bond between the two organisations.

The MacRobert Trust as it exists today was established in 2001 through the amalgamation of a number of separate trusts established by Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert (1884 - 1954). Much of Lady MacRobert's philanthropic giving was motivated by the death of all three of her sons in aeroplane crashes over the space of just three years. Her eldest Alasdair was killed in a civil flying accident in 1938 and both Roderic and Iain laid down their lives in action during WWII.

Her husband Sir Alexander MacRobert's (1854 - 1922) charitable legacy originated in India where he made his fortune after rising from humble beginnings in Aberdeen - his first job aged 12 was as a floor sweeper at Stoneywood Papermill. Building on this generous legacy Lady MacRobert established a range of trusts to reflect the interests of her late husband.

The family's tremendous support of the University, which continues to this day through the Trust, began in 1906 with a considerable donation of £25,000 to the Medical School for the endowment of the Georgina McRobert Fellowship* which was established in memory of his 1st wife who died of cancer in 1905.

When he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University in 1912, the citation recalled his generosity: "The Fellowship which he has founded in this university for the investigation of the cause, prevention and treatment of cancer is a notable addition to the equipment of our medical school..."

Many exceptionally generous donations have been given since then with more recent support including two donations towards our iconic Sir Duncan Rice Library.

The University is extremely grateful to the MacRobert Trust for its ongoing support of our local and global ambitions.

The MacRobert Baronetcy, of Douneside in the County of Aberdeen, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 5 April 1922 for Alexander MacRobert, a self-made millionaire.

He was succeeded by his eldest son Alasdair in June of that year. Tragedy struck the family again when Alasdair was killed in a flying accident in 1938, and the title passed to his younger brother Roderic. In May 1941 Roderic was killed in action whilst flying a Hawker Hurricane fighter in the Middle East, and just over a month later on 30 June 1941, the title became extinct when the youngest brother Iain, was also killed in action whilst serving with the Royal Air Force.

Their mother, Rachel, Lady MacRobert (1884–1954), gave £25,000 to purchase a Short Stirling bomber, the aircraft was named "MacRobert's Reply" in memory of her three sons. Lady MacRobert believed that her sons had lived up to the family motto Virtutis Gloria Merces – translated as Honour is the Reward of Bravery.

The MacRobert Award, which has been presented every year since 1969 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is named in honour of Lady MacRobert.

The Flight Of The Eaglets

Pipe Major W. Ross composed the slow march (or lament) in memory of Lady MacRobert's three sons in 1944. It is in the Scots Guards Standard Settings Of Pipe Music 1954, page 70. Also played by Angus Grant, the Lochaber Fiddler.

After the deaths of the three Macrobert brothers in RAF service, their mother, Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, wanted to honour and commemorate them. She donated £25,000 to buy a Short Stirling bomber, which was named 'MacRobert's Reply'.

The plane had serial number N6086 and had the MacRobert coat of arms painted on its nose. The plane was handed over to her crew at RAF Wyton on October 10, 1941, with Lady MacRobert attending the naming ceremony. She was assigned to No. 15 Squadron and was given the code "LS-F" ("LS", the squadron code for No. 15 Squadron, and "F for Freddie"). (Some later aircraft of 15 Squadron were named 'MacRobert's Reply', always with code LS-F).

The aircraft flew twelve missions, from October 1941 through January 1942. On 7 February 1942, the plane veered off during take-off at RAF Peterhead, and collided with a damaged Spitfire.

After this accident, a second Short Stirling, serial numberW7531, was named 'MacRobert's Reply'. It was not officially named 'MacRobert's Reply', until after entering service in March 1942. The aircraft was lost during a minelaying raid against the Øresund in May 1942; it was brought down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into Gals Klint Forest, near the town of Middelfart. Only one member of the crew, Donald Jeffs, survived the crash.

Since World War II, three other No. 15 Squadron aircraft have carried the name 'MacRobert's Reply' and borne the MacRobert family crest: a Blackburn Buccaneer and two Panavia Tornados.

The MacRobert Fighters

Lady MacRobert also sponsored four Hawker Hurricanes, three named after her sons and the fourth honouring the fighting spirit of the Russian allies.

They were handed over to No. 94 Squadron RAF, in which Sir Roderic had served, in Egypt on 19 September 1942.

My autumn/winter outfit for uni

Visiting Cruickshank Botanic Garden in Aberdeen Scotland today, came across these two looking wary and nervous, they stayed for 45 secs allowing me to film the moment before they flew off.

Visiting Cruickshank Botanic Garden in Aberdeen Scotland today, came across these two looking wary and nervous, they stayed for 45 secs allowing me to film the moment before they flew off.

Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the status of a community council area.

The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things

To the north of Aberdeen city centre, Old Aberdeen was for a long time fairly isolated at the edge of the city, being followed to the north by the River Don, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie hamlet. Since the 1960s, and the North Sea oil boom of the 1970s, however, housing development has surrounded the area, in particular with the nearby Tillydrone development.

History

Old Aberdeen was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural center since the Late Middle Ages. In the 1630s the Covenanters challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for the first battle of the Bishops' Wars, when William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter army of 9000 men over the Causey Mounth to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee, effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.

Character and land use

The central part of the old town is a conservation area rich in historical buildings, some dating to the Middle Ages, and many vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries built in the locally ubiquitous grey granite. A notable feature of the later buildings is the early use of hand-made bricks to build up gables, top garden walls, etc.; this use of brick being rare elsewhere in Scotland before the late 19th century. A number of the streets remain paved with stone setts. There are also several university buildings from the late 20th century.

Old Aberdeen is effectively the main campus of the University of Aberdeen. There are also residential and commercial properties, but many of these are owned by the university or owned by the staff and students of the university. Additionally the area includes a small police station, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office (which has since "moved" into the SPAR shop outside of the Old Aberdeen boundary at the junction of St Machar Drive and King Street). To the north of the university lies St Machar's Cathedral, whose medieval ecclesiastical buildings formed the original Old Aberdeen before the University arrived in 1495.

Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie (14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.

Governance

Old Aberdeen is now fully incorporated into the City of Aberdeen, with its local authority as Aberdeen City Council. Old Aberdeen remains a community council area within the city.[3] For elections to Aberdeen City Council, Old Aberdeen forms part of the 'Tillydrone/ Seaton/Old Aberdeen' electoral ward, which elects three councillors. These are currently Jim Noble (SNP), Ross Grant and Ramsay Milne (both Labour).

For elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Old Aberdeen forms part of the Aberdeen North constituency. The current Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North is Kirsty Blackman. For elections to the Scottish Parliament, it elects a constituency member as part of the Aberdeen Central constituency. The current Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen Central is Kevin Stewart.

Landmarks

King's College and Old Aberdeen campus

The iconic and renowned buildings of King's College are perhaps the dominant structures of Old Aberdeen. The College itself now finds itself surrounded by the wider Old Aberdeen campus of the University of Aberdeen which, since the decline of Marischal College, is now the main focal point of the university. The area boasts two museums, King's Museum, which features changing exhibitions from the stores of the University and the Zoology Museum, home to the natural history collection belonging to the University.

The Old Town House

The Old Town House was the original home of the Burgh's local government, completed in 1789. It was originally the centrepoint for trading in Old Aberdeen (still discernible in the widening of the street to accommodate trading booths), and the mercat cross (head late medieval, shaft more recent) stands outside it. The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade. It was acquired by the university in recent years, and was renovated in 2005. The Old Town House now houses King's Museum.

St Machar's Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of St Machar is the high kirk of the city of Aberdeen and following the Reformation lies in the hands of the Church of Scotland.

Cruickshank Botanic Gardens

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens were gifted to the University of Aberdeen and opened in 1898. The gardens are set over 11 acres (45,000 m2) and are accessible to the public for no charge.

The Powis Gates

Just south of King's College and across the High Street lie the Powis Gates, an impressive and imposing archway with a Near Eastern influence demonstrated in its 'minaret' towers. These were erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, the owner of an estate which formerly lay behind them. The Fraser Leslie Arms are visible on the obverse of the arch, with a shield on the reverse showing the bust of three black men - a link to the family's involvement in a grant of freedom made to their slaves in Jamaica (or possibly impaled arms celebrating a marriage between a member of the Leslie family and a member of the Moir of Scotstoun family). The entrance now leads to the University's Crombie-Johnston and King's Postgraduate Halls of Residence.

Seaton Park

To the north boundary of Old Aberdeen lies Seaton Park, one of the city's largest open spaces. The park itself lies on the banks of the River Don. It is set over twenty-seven hectares and was purchased by the city for public use 1947.

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens in Aberdeen, Scotland, were built on land bequested by Miss Anne Cruickshank to commemorate her brother Dr. Alexander Cruickshank. The 11 acre (45,000 m²) garden is located in a low-lying and fairly sheltered area of Aberdeen, less than 1-mile (1.6 km) from the North Sea.

The Cruickshank Botanic Garden is partly owned and financed by the University of Aberdeen and partly by the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens Trust. The Friends of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden actively promote and support the garden. The Keeper of the Botanic Gardens is currently Professor David Burslem.

The Gardens are maintained on a daily basis by Head Gardener, Richard Walker, and Assistant Gardeners George McKay and Audrey Bews. Each summer vacation the Friends provide a bursary to allow an undergraduate student interested in botany to gain work experience in the gardens.

Although open to the public, the gardens are extensively used for both teaching and research purposes. The Natural History Centre regularly guides school parties round the Garden, and the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Aberdeen holds a reception for graduands and their guests here each July.

William Elphinstone (1431 – 25 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.

He was born in Glasgow, and educated at the High School of Glasgow and then University of Glasgow, taking the degree of M.A. in 1452. After practising for a short time as a lawyer in the church courts, he was ordained a priest, becoming rector of St. Michael's Church, Trongate, Glasgow, in 1465. Four years later he went to continue his studies at the University of Paris, where he became reader in Canon law, and then, proceeding to Orléans, became lecturer in the university there.

Before 1474 he had returned to Scotland, and was made academic rector of the university, and official of the see of Glasgow. Further promotion followed, but soon more important duties were entrusted to Elphinstone, who was made Bishop of Ross in 1481.

He was a member of the Parliament of Scotland, and was sent by James III of Scotland on diplomatic missions to Louis XI of France and Edward IV of England. In 1483 he was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, although his consecration was delayed for four years; and he was sent on missions to England, both before and after the death of Richard III of England in 1485.

Although he regularly attended the meetings of parliament he continued with his episcopal duties, and maintained the fabric of the cathedral. Early in 1488 he was made Lord High Chancellor, but on the king's death in the following June he left office, and retired to Aberdeen. As a diplomat, his services were quickly required by the new king, James IV of Scotland, in whose interests he visited the kings of England and France, and the German king, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Having been made Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1492, and having arranged a dispute between the Scots and the Dutch, Elphinstone's later years were mainly spent in the foundation of the University of Aberdeen. The papal bull was obtained in 1494, and the royal charter which made Aberdeen the seat of a university is dated 1498. A small endowment was provided by the king. The university, modelled on that of Paris and intended principally as a law school, soon became the most famous and popular of the Scots seats of learning, largely due to the prestige of Elphinstone and his friend, Hector Boece, the first rector. The building of the college of the Holy Virgin in Nativity, now King's College, was completed in 1506. Elphinstone also built the central tower of St Machar's Cathedral, and funded the building of the first stone bridge over the River Dee.

Continuing to participate in public affairs he opposed the policy of hostility towards England which led to the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. He died in Edinburgh.

Elphinstone was partly responsible for the introduction of printing into Scotland, and for the production of the Breviarium Aberdonense. When Bishop Elphinstone died in 1514, his body was taken to King’s College Chapel, where it was buried before the altar. The Bishop’s original tomb however disappeared during the reformation.

On the lead up to 1914, the 400th anniversary of Bishop Elphinstone’s death, it was decided to commission a new monument. The project was beset by delays, most notably the First World War, and was not completed until 1931. While it was originally intended that the new monument would be placed within the chapel, upon completion, it was found to be too large to fit! In 1946, it was finally decided to move the monument to its present location outside the main entrance to the chapel.

Evolutionary Loop 517, a monumental six-metre bronze sculpture by the London-based contemporary artist, Nasser Azam, will be unveiled on the 27th May at the University of Aberdeen. The sculpture was commissioned for the Sir Duncan Rice Library, and is a new defining landmark for the University campus. The Library was officially opened in September 2012 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Azam worked closely with the architect of the library, Morten Schmidt, a founding Partner of the award-winning Scandinavian architectural practice schmidt/hammer/lassen architects, who have designed some of Europe’s most ground breaking library buildings. The sculptural forms of Evolutionary Loop 517 thus establish a strong rapport with the surrounding buildings and landscape. Azam commented: “The project has been most rewarding as I was involved with the architects from the outset.Evolutionary Loop 517 to me reflects the visually striking interior design of the library and the use of bronze cements a strong connectivity between the historic relevance and traditions of the university, and the bold and beautiful statement of the contemporary library building.”

The sculpture was named following a competition launched by Aberdeen University, in collaboration with the artist. The winning entry came from Chemistry Professor Marcel Jaspars, who explained his choice: “I came up with the name as I felt this is a very organic piece, and the intertwined forms connect in a loop, which reminded me of the evolutionary process, with continuous change and connection. It reflects the fact that students, academics and staff are constantly evolving in their experiences and connections at the University of Aberdeen, to show the organic nature of the sculpture in symbiosis with the research carried out at the University and to represent the age of the University when this sculpture was made. In a diverse way, we will all have a connection with the University of Aberdeen just by looking at the sculpture. In future years, maybe people will simply say ’Let’s meet at the Loop’.”

Chris Banks, Aberdeen University Librarian and Director of Library Special Collections and Museums, commented: “I am thrilled that the sculpture is now taking pride of place in front of the library. We are extremely grateful to the donor who commissioned the piece and to Nasser who has created this stunning piece of art for us.”

The £57 million Sir Duncan Rice Library provides an advanced learning environment in which the latest learning technology adds value to a magnificent collection of over one million books and journals. It also safeguards the University’s internationally-significant archive of historic books, manuscripts and works of art within the Special Collection Centre and Loop provides another important addition to these collections. The Library is not only a magnificent and inspirational building – it is a hugely important institutional and regional asset which will benefit students, scholars and communities for decades to come.

Alongside the sculpture, Azam has finished a large painting, titled Loop, reflecting on the relationship between sculpture and architecture. Loop has entered the collection of the University, and will be hung in the new library building.

Other major commissions of Nasser Azam’s career to date include the sculpture Athena, commissioned for the entrance to London City Airport, and unveiled on 5th July 2012 to coincide with the 2012 London Olympics. Athena is the UK’s tallest bronze sculpture. Azam also created the large bronze sculpture The Dance, unveiled on the South Bank on 21 February 2008, as well as work for the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, in Dublin.

Between 2008 and 2010 he participated in a number of high-profile ‘Performance painting’ projects including; Life In Space, a project that took place on board a Russian parabolic aircraft, where he completed two triptychs as an homage to Francis Bacon in zero gravity; and the widely reported Antarctica project, where the artist endured severe weather conditions, to create a series of large oil canvases on an ice desert of the frozen Tundra. Nasser Azam was born in Pakistan in 1963 and spent several years in Japan, before settling in London where he has a studio. He has projects coming up in New York, London and Rio de Janeiro.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Founded in 1495, the University of Aberdeen is one of the UK’s most internationally distinguished ancient universities. It has a student population of around 16,000 and a large international community of students drawn from 120 different countries. The University, which is Scotland’s third oldest, is at the forefront of teaching, learning and discovery, as it has been for over 500 years. As the ‘global university of the north’, it has consistently sent pioneers and ideas outward to every part of the world. Aberdeen is an ambitious, research-driven university with a global outlook, committed to excellence in everything it does. It is committed to providing excellent support services and facilities and has made an unprecedented multi-million pound investment to provide its students with some of the very best facilities available in the UK including the Sir Duncan Rice Library.

TIMINGS AND LOCATION OF UNVEILING

The unveiling of the sculpture will take place on 27th May will be between 11am-1pm

The address of the Library is: The Sir Duncan Rice Library, University of Aberdeen,

Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the status of a community council area.

The town's motto is "concordia res parvae crescunt" ("through harmony, small things

To the north of Aberdeen city centre, Old Aberdeen was for a long time fairly isolated at the edge of the city, being followed to the north by the River Don, Seaton Park and the small Brig o' Balgownie hamlet. Since the 1960s, and the North Sea oil boom of the 1970s, however, housing development has surrounded the area, in particular with the nearby Tillydrone development.

History

Old Aberdeen was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural center since the Late Middle Ages. In the 1630s the Covenanters challenged the Doctors of Aberdeen by holding a meeting in Muchalls Castle and responding to certain letters issued by the doctors, thus setting the stage for the first battle of the Bishops' Wars, when William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and the Marquess of Montrose led a Covenanter army of 9000 men over the Causey Mounth to attack forces at the Bridge of Dee, effectively gaining control of Old Aberdeen.

Character and land use

The central part of the old town is a conservation area rich in historical buildings, some dating to the Middle Ages, and many vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries built in the locally ubiquitous grey granite. A notable feature of the later buildings is the early use of hand-made bricks to build up gables, top garden walls, etc.; this use of brick being rare elsewhere in Scotland before the late 19th century. A number of the streets remain paved with stone setts. There are also several university buildings from the late 20th century.

Old Aberdeen is effectively the main campus of the University of Aberdeen. There are also residential and commercial properties, but many of these are owned by the university or owned by the staff and students of the university. Additionally the area includes a small police station, a pub, a bakery, and until recently its own Post Office (which has since "moved" into the SPAR shop outside of the Old Aberdeen boundary at the junction of St Machar Drive and King Street). To the north of the university lies St Machar's Cathedral, whose medieval ecclesiastical buildings formed the original Old Aberdeen before the University arrived in 1495.

Major historic buildings in Old Aberdeen include: the late 15th Century King's College Chapel, one of two surviving Scottish medieval churches with open "crown" spires, and which has the largest surviving collection of medieval woodcarving in any Scottish building; St Machar's Cathedral itself; the recently restored Old Town House (early 18th century); and the Brig o' Balgownie (14th Century), now pedestrianised, and which is a contender for the title of Scotland's oldest surviving bridge.

Governance

Old Aberdeen is now fully incorporated into the City of Aberdeen, with its local authority as Aberdeen City Council. Old Aberdeen remains a community council area within the city.[3] For elections to Aberdeen City Council, Old Aberdeen forms part of the 'Tillydrone/ Seaton/Old Aberdeen' electoral ward, which elects three councillors. These are currently Jim Noble (SNP), Ross Grant and Ramsay Milne (both Labour).

For elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Old Aberdeen forms part of the Aberdeen North constituency. The current Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North is Kirsty Blackman. For elections to the Scottish Parliament, it elects a constituency member as part of the Aberdeen Central constituency. The current Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen Central is Kevin Stewart.

Landmarks

King's College and Old Aberdeen campus

The iconic and renowned buildings of King's College are perhaps the dominant structures of Old Aberdeen. The College itself now finds itself surrounded by the wider Old Aberdeen campus of the University of Aberdeen which, since the decline of Marischal College, is now the main focal point of the university. The area boasts two museums, King's Museum, which features changing exhibitions from the stores of the University and the Zoology Museum, home to the natural history collection belonging to the University.

The Old Town House

The Old Town House was the original home of the Burgh's local government, completed in 1789. It was originally the centrepoint for trading in Old Aberdeen (still discernible in the widening of the street to accommodate trading booths), and the mercat cross (head late medieval, shaft more recent) stands outside it. The building is built of granite and is of restrained but elegant early Georgian design, with a fine cupola above the façade. It was acquired by the university in recent years, and was renovated in 2005. The Old Town House now houses King's Museum.

St Machar's Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of St Machar is the high kirk of the city of Aberdeen and following the Reformation lies in the hands of the Church of Scotland.

Cruickshank Botanic Gardens

The Cruickshank Botanic Gardens were gifted to the University of Aberdeen and opened in 1898. The gardens are set over 11 acres (45,000 m2) and are accessible to the public for no charge.

The Powis Gates

Just south of King's College and across the High Street lie the Powis Gates, an impressive and imposing archway with a Near Eastern influence demonstrated in its 'minaret' towers. These were erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, the owner of an estate which formerly lay behind them. The Fraser Leslie Arms are visible on the obverse of the arch, with a shield on the reverse showing the bust of three black men - a link to the family's involvement in a grant of freedom made to their slaves in Jamaica (or possibly impaled arms celebrating a marriage between a member of the Leslie family and a member of the Moir of Scotstoun family). The entrance now leads to the University's Crombie-Johnston and King's Postgraduate Halls of Residence.

Seaton Park

To the north boundary of Old Aberdeen lies Seaton Park, one of the city's largest open spaces. The park itself lies on the banks of the River Don. It is set over twenty-seven hectares and was purchased by the city for public use 1947.

Located at the archway entrance to Kings College Aberdeen University Scotland.

A few meter's away is the tomb of Bishop William Elphinstone on the Kings Lawn .

William Elphinstone (1431 – 25 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.

He was born in Glasgow, and educated at the High School of Glasgow and then University of Glasgow, taking the degree of M.A. in 1452. After practising for a short time as a lawyer in the church courts, he was ordained a priest, becoming rector of St. Michael's Church, Trongate, Glasgow, in 1465. Four years later he went to continue his studies at the University of Paris, where he became reader in Canon law, and then, proceeding to Orléans, became lecturer in the university there.

Before 1474 he had returned to Scotland, and was made academic rector of the university, and official of the see of Glasgow. Further promotion followed, but soon more important duties were entrusted to Elphinstone, who was made Bishop of Ross in 1481.

He was a member of the Parliament of Scotland, and was sent by James III of Scotland on diplomatic missions to Louis XI of France and Edward IV of England. In 1483 he was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen, although his consecration was delayed for four years; and he was sent on missions to England, both before and after the death of Richard III of England in 1485.

Although he regularly attended the meetings of parliament he continued with his episcopal duties, and maintained the fabric of the cathedral. Early in 1488 he was made Lord High Chancellor, but on the king's death in the following June he left office, and retired to Aberdeen. As a diplomat, his services were quickly required by the new king, James IV of Scotland, in whose interests he visited the kings of England and France, and the German king, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Having been made Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1492, and having arranged a dispute between the Scots and the Dutch, Elphinstone's later years were mainly spent in the foundation of the University of Aberdeen. The papal bull was obtained in 1494, and the royal charter which made Aberdeen the seat of a university is dated 1498. A small endowment was provided by the king. The university, modelled on that of Paris and intended principally as a law school, soon became the most famous and popular of the Scots seats of learning, largely due to the prestige of Elphinstone and his friend, Hector Boece, the first rector. The building of the college of the Holy Virgin in Nativity, now King's College, was completed in 1506. Elphinstone also built the central tower of St Machar's Cathedral, and funded the building of the first stone bridge over the River Dee.

Continuing to participate in public affairs he opposed the policy of hostility towards England which led to the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. He died in Edinburgh.

Elphinstone was partly responsible for the introduction of printing into Scotland, and for the production of the Breviarium Aberdonense. When Bishop Elphinstone died in 1514, his body was taken to King’s College Chapel, where it was buried before the altar. The Bishop’s original tomb however disappeared during the reformation.

On the lead up to 1914, the 400th anniversary of Bishop Elphinstone’s death, it was decided to commission a new monument. The project was beset by delays, most notably the First World War, and was not completed until 1931. While it was originally intended that the new monument would be placed within the chapel, upon completion, it was found to be too large to fit! In 1946, it was finally decided to move the monument to its present location outside the main entrance to the chapel.

Photography: Frank Sartori

Hair & Makeup: Mish Bratsos

Modelling & Retouching: Kelly Kooper

I've just booked my underwater shoot for early December. I would LOVE to do it earlier but my studies are taking priority for the next 6 weeks until then. #unilife

James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879)

Born - 13 June 1831 Edinburgh, Scotland

Died - 5 November 1879 (aged 48)

Cambridge, England

Resting place - Parton, Dumfries and Galloway

55.006693°N 4.039210°W

Nationality - Scottish

Citizenship - British

Spouse(s) - Katherine Clerk Maxwell

Awards - FRS FRSE

Smith's Prize (1854)

Adams Prize (1857)

Rumford Medal (1860)

Keith Prize (1869–71)

Scientific career

Fields - Physics and mathematics

Institutions - Marischal College, Aberdeen

King's College, London

University of Cambridge

Academic advisors - William Hopkins

Notable students - George Chrystal

Horace Lamb, John Henry Poynting

Influences

Sir Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday

Influenced - Albert Einstein