Building record MAB24000 - UPPER DOCK AND VICTORIA DOCK, ABERDEEN HARBOUR

Harbour, and dock built between 1840 and 1848.

Harbour, and dock built between 1840 and 1848. Evidence for a harbour dates back to 1281 in a charter which mentions a bulwark running south from the foot of Shiprow, placing the medieval harbour in roughly the same location as the nucleus of the later port. There are records of repairs to the quay in the 15th century, an extension to the east in 1450 although these works were reported as being ruinous by 1484. Late medieval improvements included the erection of beacons at the harbour entrance, clearance of obstructions from the channel, further repairs to the quay in 1512 and 1526 and installation of a crane in 1582. Further works were undertaken in the 16th and 17th centuries. A Royal Charter of 8 August 1596 allowed Aberdeen to levy charges on both ships and goods using the harbour in order to pay for shore works and extension of the quay. Works included construction of the South Pier on the south shore of the entrance aimed at redirecting the flow to erode a sand bar in the entrance. The bar was increasingly problematic and in 1773 Smeaton proposed building of a North Pier (NJ90NE0024) to deepen the approach ; subsequently Abercrombie jetty was built to narrow the harbour entrance. Various improvements inside the harbour were recommended in later years. A scheme for a large dock adjoining the north shore was proposed by Telford in 1810. Little was done other than dredging between 1816 and 1829 but an 1831 version of Telford's proposal formed the basis for the Victoria Dock project developed by James Abernethy, whose plans were executed in 1843. The 28 acre Victoria Dock, and an upper dock west of Regent opening bridge, were built by 1848. There were two entrances 60 feet (18.28m) and 70 feet (21.3m) wide, one with a lock for the passage of ships, the other with ebb gates. See also NJ90NE0161 - Pocra Quay.

Period Notes
Built between 1840 and 1848.

GRAHAM, A, 1977, PSAS 108(1976-7) 332-65 (Bibliographic reference). SAB597.

BROGDEN, W, 1986, ABERDEEN, AN ILLUS ARCH GUIDE (Bibliographic reference). SAB94.

Record last edited

Apr 4 2025 12:39PM