Lost shopfronts of Aberdeen remembered
Window Shopping will take the city back to the golden era of Union Street and the days before the city retail scene was dominated by four separate shopping centres.
George Street also features heavily in the show with images of the Rubber Shop - which sold a cornucopia of wares, from toys to religious clothing - sure to strike a chord with many an Aberdonian.
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Hide AdEsslemont and Macintosh, the department store for the well-to-do of the North East for more than 130 years, is also included. It is now a branch of Jamie’s Italian.
Phil Astley, curator of Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, said: “Obviously, Aberdeen has changed quite a bit and a number of shops that feature in the exhibition, including the Rubber Shop, have disappeared.
“These photographs are really nice social documents. They are very ordinary pictures but they contain some lovely incidental detail, such as what people are wearing and the cars they are driving.
“The show will be a nice stroll along memory lane for many and the pictures provide a snapshot of how the city was. These photos capture a point in time in quite a nice way.”
Many of the images, from the 1950s to the 1980s, are previously unpublished and were given to the city archive by Aberdeen’s planning department.
The display also includes images from the Central Library’s local history collection.
Councillor Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council said: “At a time when we have plans to restore Union Street, the photos featured in this exhibition document the fascinating history of our city centre. “
Window Shopping will open at Seventeen, Belmont Street, today (Friday).