With the arrival in Aberdeen of the Tall Ships Races just weeks away, a new exhibition of historic photographs from the archive of Aberdeen Harbour Board is going on display at the Art Gallery from Sunday (8 June).
The photographs were taken in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Harbour Engineer Robert Gordon Nicol (1858-1934). As well as showing views of the Harbour, the images serve as a record of many other aspects of life around the port, including vessels and people at work.
The Port of Aberdeen, previously known as Aberdeen Harbour Board, is the UK’s oldest existing business. Established by King David I of Scotland in 1136, it has played a vital role in the city’s development and prosperity.
The records of Aberdeen Harbour Board, spanning 1800 to 1960, were transferred to Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives in 2019. The collection is diverse, containing ledgers, correspondence, building plans, salmon sale registers and detailed logbooks of vessels leaving and entering the harbour.
There are thousands of photographs in the archive, including many glass negatives taken by Nicol. He also took his camera on family holidays and on visits he undertook in his capacity as advising engineer to the Scottish Fishery Board. His images convey the importance of these bustling havens to their local communities including Peterhead, Stonehaven, Cullen and Lerwick.
Many of the photographs in the collection include people, which show details of how people dressed and the types of occupations that were frequently seen around the harbour at the beginning of the 20th century. In one image from around 1910, two divers are pictured, probably at Mearns Quay, with Pocra Quay behind. They are with support crew of five men on a diving punt, one holding an air line to the diver.
The range of ships and boats shown illustrates the diversity of trade and goods that came and went from the harbour in the early 20th century. Dredgers, tugs and small fishing boats were a common sight, alongside much larger cargo vessels importing goods such as coal and timber. Exports included woollen goods, granite, beef and salt herring
Bob Sanguinetti, CEO of Port of Aberdeen, said, “Robert Nicol’s photographs of the port provide a fascinating insight into Aberdeen’s rich maritime heritage. Fishing, shipbuilding, textiles and global transportation of stone from the city’s famous quarries all relied on our essential gateway to the North Sea. In years to come we’ll look back on the now expanded Port of Aberdeen and its role supporting today’s industries of energy, trade, and tourism.”
Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesperson, said, “As we prepare to welcome the Tall Ships Races back to Aberdeen, this exhibition is a timely reminder of how central the Harbour has been to the city’s fortunes over the past 800 years. The lives of generations of Aberdonians have been affected and shaped by the Port of Aberdeen and Robert Nicol’s atmospheric photographs are a fascinating record of an earlier era.”
From the Archive: Aberdeen Harbour
Sunday 8 June until 11 January 2026
Aberdeen Art Gallery
Admission free
