Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums
Annual Review, 1 June 2023 – 31 May 2024
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums
City Development and Regeneration
Aberdeen City Council
c/o Aberdeen Art Gallery Schoolhill,
Aberdeen AB10 1FQ
www.aagm.co.uk
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums
Who we are: The city’s collection has grown over centuries, and has been shared with the public since 1885, first through Aberdeen Art Gallery, then the wider museums and archives services at Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives, Maritime Museum, Treasure Hub, Provost Skene’s House and Tolbooth Museum. Exploring, re-interpreting and using the collection can help all of us explore our past, share our present and inspire our future, showing the best of Aberdeen to the world.
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums is a public sector organisation and forms part of Aberdeen City Council. The team also provide care for and access to the Aberdeenshire Council’s accumulated archive and strives to achieve the same ambitions for that collection as it does on behalf of Aberdeen City Council.
Our purpose is to share the city’s collection in engaging ways.
To do this we need to care for and understand the collection, create opportunities for people to access the collection and venues, promote and enhance what’s on offer, become more resilient and sustainable, and ensure we are relevant and accessible to all.
Our vision is to be a place for people to explore Aberdeen’s identity and culture, and its connections to the world –making Aberdeen a better place to live, work and visit.
We want to collect contemporary art and craft, objects with meaning and connection, and new and old stories about the city to reflect our city’s culture in its many forms - creating a record of our city and its place in the world for future generations. We aim to contribute to a healthy, safe and prosperous city. We want to open the doors to curiosity, enquiry and discovery, and look after the wonderful cultural collection and historic buildings we have been entrusted with.
319,765 total admissions
223,383 total Art Gallery admissions including Spectra @ Art Gallery
64,314 total admissions to Aberdeen Maritime Museum
31,009 total admissions to Provost Skene’s House
1,059 total admissions to Treasure Hub
83,333 total social media followers
441,528 total web page visits
Global link clicks top 10
1. UK, 3997
2. South Korea, 303
3. US, 223
4. Germany, 60
5. Canada, 55
6. Spain, 52
7. France, 49
8. Netherlands, 28
9. Australia, 25
10. Poland, 20
£166,104 total new grants awarded
£60,318 total donations (in venue and online)
Caring and Sharing
543 new acquisitions
95,798 entries searchable in the online archives catalogue
151,529 records searchable on e-museum
134,637 e-museum visits
1,075 enquiries answered
413 research visits
6 new collection exhibitions
19,050,900 Wikimedia views (276 new records added)
£73,000 external funds supporting new acquisitions and commissions
£59,238 Art Gallery Trusts supporting new acquisitions
£14,000 support from Friends of AAGM for acquisitions
Acquisitions
AAGM’s collections and archives make a major contribution to the cultural identity of Aberdeen. This year, thanks to a combination of donations, bequests, gifts and securing funding, 543 new objects and documents have been acquired.
Highlights include:
- Alan Measles and Claire Under an English Moon, by Sir Grayson Perry. The ceramic pot was purchased with grants from the Art Fund, Aberdeen Art Gallery Trusts, and the National Fund for Acquisitions
- The Second Coming by Ian Howard, purchased with Grants from Aberdeen Art Gallery Trusts and the National Fund for Acquisitions
- a self-portrait by Aberdeen based artist Ade Adesina. Commissioned by AAGM with a grant from the Friends of AAGM
- micro-commissions by Daisy Williamson, Flying Lion and CUSP. The micro-commissions programme, funded by the Friends of AAGM, exists to support local artists
- Winds of Change by artists Heinrich & Palmer. Commissioned by AAGM, supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and premiered as part of Aberdeen’s Spectra Festival 2024
- Tall Ships by Neil Grounds purchased at auction with a grant from the Aberdeen Art Gallery Trusts, depicting the first visit of the Tall Ships to Aberdeen Harbour in 1997
- 19 original plans of His Majesty’s Theatre dating from 1905 drawn by architect Frank Matcham, purchased with financial assistance from the Friends of the National Libraries
Conservation
We care for objects so we can share them today and ensure they remain accessible to future generations. Objects receiving treatment over the last year include:
- the original 1895 Rattray Head lighthouse lens. The mechanism is now fully operational, and regularly lights up the Maritime Museum
- a fragile Perth Prison Register received from the Grampian Police Archive was treated thanks to funding secured from the National Manuscript Conservation Trust. The register contains around 1000 photographs and details of prisoners released from Scotland’s General Prison at Perth between 7 April 1882 - 18 January 1884
- 20 embroidery samplers, the earliest dating from 1755, received expert treatment to ready them for display in Reading Between the Lines, an exhibition opening in the Art Gallery in December 2024
Collection exhibitions
Exhibitions help us to share the remarkable objects and archives in the city’s care and the fascinating stories they hold, with visitors to our venues.
This year’s highlights include:
- Making a Splash! A Century of Women’s Beachwear, exploring how seaside fashions have been influenced by social and political change, the Hollywood film industry and innovations in design and materials
- Aberdeen Ships, Empire and Trade, based on research into the records of Aberdeen-built ships and their connections with the history of the British Empire. This exhibition focuses on the voyages made by vessels connected to Aberdeen, the people, and goods they transported and the products of Empire they brought into the city
Also new for 2023/24 were the exhibitions Miniature Marvels exploring how artists have envisaged the universe in miniature, Celebrating Printmaking at Peacock to mark 50 years of the Aberdeen institution’s role in the cultural and artistic life of the city, Wreck & Rescue, a survey of disasters and improvements in life-saving at sea, and William Gillies and the Scottish Landscape, highlighting the art of slow looking
Loans
Loans to other museums and galleries build Aberdeen’s profile nationally and internationally. This year we have loaned 23 objects and artworks including:
- Francis Bacon’s Pope I to Sotheby’s exhibition London: An Artistic Crossroads. Over six weeks, this brought together a dozen masterpieces from UK museums by an international array of artists connected to and influenced by the UK’s capital city to celebrate 200 years of the National Gallery
- Pre-Raphaelite paintings and sculpture to San Domenico Museums, Italy
- clothing once owned by the fabulous Frances Farquharson to the V&A Dundee for their exhibition Tartan. The exhibition, will set off on an international tour later in 2024
116,462 admissions, San Domenico Museums
74,896 admissions, V&A Dundee
24,000 admissions, Sotheby’s, London
Online access
Providing online access to our collections and research means we can support engagement with the collections on a global scale.
Online visitors to the museum collections can now:
- search all 2079 prints in the Peacock Archive
- view images of 3313 newly digitised collection objects
We have also participated in national digital access initiatives:
- preparing around 100 collections for the Scottish Council on Archives new Your Scottish Archives portal. This will enable researchers to search across the archives and records of local authorities, universities, businesses, as well as heritage and community groups
- being one of the first contributors to the Museum Data Service – a free new service that aims to connect and share all the object records across all UK museums
Cultural life in the city
16 special exhibitions and temporary displays
8,191 Quentin Blake Summer: Illustrating Verse and Book Covers exhibition visitors
12,000 Louise Bourgeois exhibition visitors
15,337 total participants in public programme events
18 lunchtime talks
555 lunchtime talks attendees
5,157 lunchbreak concert attendees
28,642 gallery visits during Spectra festival
250 discovery tour attendees
“Absolutely loved Louise Bourgeois, will be back again and will tell everyone I know about it."
Gallery visitor feedback
“The Constructed Narratives exhibition by three Aberdonians was breathtaking in its depth, scale and ambition.”
Gallery visitor feedback
Through the activities we programme and the vibrant mix of festivals and events our venues host AAGM makes a significant contribution to cultural life in Aberdeen attracting new and repeat visitors into the city centre.
Special exhibitions
The programme featured major touring exhibitions:
- Where Ideas are Born – with the celebrated Magnum Photos agency sharing the work of over 20 photographers, including Inge Morath, Eve Arnold, and Robert Capa, capturing internationally-renowned artists in their studios including Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ai Weiwei and Yajoi Kusama.
Also featured in the exhibition was a digital display of local artists’ creative spaces produced in collaboration with Aberdeen Artists Society
- A Quentin Blake Summer: Illustrating Verse and Book Covers – celebrating the unique talent of Quentin Blake, the UK’s best-loved illustrator. The associated programme engaged with 402 children
- Constructed Narratives - a major exhibition of new work by three of Scotland’s foremost artists, Lennox Dunbar, Ian Howard, and Arthur Watson. An edited version of the exhibition went on to show at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh from 29 June until 28 July 2024
- work by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois who is widely recognised as one the most important and influential figures of modern and contemporary art. Working with ARTIST ROOMS, Tate and National Galleries of Scotland we hosted the only Scottish showing of these works attracting 12,000 visitors
Partnership projects
Each year an exciting range of projects are made possible by partnership working. This year we collaborated with:
- the David and June Gordon Trust and Haddo Arts to produce Gordon Contemporaries, an exhibition of new work by artists with strong North East connections. All were previous winners of the David and June Gordon Memorial Trust Award at the Royal Scottish Academy New Contemporaries exhibition in Edinburgh
- the Aberdeen City Heritage Trust to produce the exhibition Voices from the Granite Industry, sharing recorded memories of the last generation of the industries apprentices featuring films from local quarries brought to life with objects from AAGM’s collections. Supported by Historic Environment Scotland
- Peacock, Aberdeen’s renowned printmaking studio to celebrate their 50th anniversary with an exhibition of prints by seven international artists entitled the New Aberdeen Bestiary
We also worked with our local cultural partners to deliver Gunpowder, Tattoos and Transportation as part of Aberdeen Performing Arts’ crime writing festival Granite Noir 2024, with Citymoves to host a curated selection of dance films as part of DanceLive 2023, and soundfestival to share Rolf Hind’s latest work with our Lunchbreak Concert audience.
A love of music
The enjoyment of and participation in the making of music in our venues helps us to reach new audiences and stay connected with old friends. This year’s high ‘notes’ include:
- 80 senior pupils from secondary schools around Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire visiting Aberdeen Art Gallery as part of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s ‘Production Pathways’ event to learn about career pathways in production design, applied arts and technical theatre
- partnering with Aberdeen Jazz Festival, Haddo Arts, soundfestival and University of Aberdeen to deliver our weekly free Lunchbreak Concerts - highlighting national and international talent, as well as offering a platform for emerging performers
City festivals and events
We are a major contributor to the city’s vibrant events programme:
This year we:
- participated in the 10th anniversary of Aberdeen’s Spectra festival, attracting 28,642 visitors into the Art Gallery over the course of the 4-night festival
- launched a programme of over 50 sea-themed events scheduled to run across Aberdeen city in summer 2024 as part of the inaugural Festival of the Sea - a precursor to the much-anticipated visit of the Tall Ships in July 2025
Find your own story
1,258 pupils visited Aberdeen Art Gallery
962 pupils visited Aberdeen Maritime Museum
180 pupils visited Provost Skene’s House
173 pupils visited Aberdeen Treasure Hub
328 children and 213 adults enjoyed family fun events
138 children and 101 adults enjoyed Guthrie’s Goslings events for ages 2-5 and their adults
350 visitors enjoyed three Hub Open Days
“My twelve months at Aberdeen Archives, Gallery, and Museums has equipped me for the workforce after University. I now fully intend to build my career in the museums and galleries field. I felt supported and encouraged throughout by the whole team, my placement supervisor, Ilona Butter, was nothing short of fantastic.”
Calelan Austin, AAGM intern
“I liked the exploration of queerness within the different artworks. I enjoyed the different interpretations of different artworks and the group discussions.”
Let’s Talk about Art, participant quote
We develop informal activities and host educational visits and training opportunities designed to help everyone find their own story.
This year’s highlights include:
- supporting the transition of Primary 7 pupils to Northfield Academy. We hosted 173 pupils over 14 sessions at the Treasure Hub. The pupils were encouraged to explore and respond creatively to the theme of ‘treasure’
- supporting a 12-month internship for Robert Gordon’s University student Caelan Austin, to develop a strategy for AAGM’s social media presence. Focussing on trend based light-hearted content, TikTok followers had risen from 23 to 1182 by March 2024, and video likes from 100 to 8000!!!
- collaborating with the University of Aberdeen on the Let’s Talk about Art summer sessions, a series of Gallery based university style seminars for young people aged 15+
- delivering Constructed Narratives Portfolio Workshop, a free one-day workshop, to senior school students from Aberdeen Grammar School and Northfield Academy
- receiving £30,000 over 2 years to participate in Science in Your World - a new partnership programme with Science Museum Group to support AAGM staff to promote science learning across our venues
- supporting 3D Design students from Gray’s School of Art to show their final designs in pop-up display Editions at Shop at the Top in the Art Gallery
- hosting two Doctoral internships from the Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities (SGSAH) to complete research projects focussing on AAGM collections
We support audiences to engage with our venues and collections in a variety of ways, this year we have:
- launched 10 Things To Do on Your Visit, a printed trail for younger Art Gallery visitors
- introduced Discover Aberdeen Maritime Museum tours
- created a profile for Aberdeen Maritime Museum on the Bloomberg Connects app, enabling users to explore the extraordinary story of Aberdeen’s maritime heritage at any time day or night
Open days and outreach
Open days and outreach activities are a vital way to connect with our communities and promote the city’s history and arts assets. This year:
- the archives team delivered a series of talks at Aberdeenshire libraries, supported Doors Open Day at Old Aberdeen House, and a Port of Aberdeen open day
- the collections team have taken over 350 people behind the scenes at the Treasure Hub during free open days
- history curators led an event for Scottish Archaeology Month attracting over 380 visitors to explore Aberdeen’s medieval past
- art curators delivered sessions with groups of students from NESCOL on object handling, careers in museums and the fashion designer Bill Gibb
Listen and Learn
Our lecture programme provides audiences with access to high-profile artists, diverting discussions and some of the latest academic research in the North east. This year we hosted:
- artists Arthur Watson, Lennox Dunbar and Ian Howard, Heinrich & Palmer, and Gordon Burnett as part of the Guest @ Gray’s series. Attracting around 160 people per talk.
- British-Indian photographer Arpita Shah in conversation with Catriona McAra, Art Historian at the University of Aberdeen about Shah’s series Nalini, an exploration of her grandmother through the medium of photography and the inherited object.
- an in-conversation event, with Dr Joanne Anderson and Professor Miri Rubin, exploring the visual legacy of the feminine with reference to artworks in the AAGM collection. Part of the Gifford Lecture Series, the event was presented in partnership with the University of Aberdeen and introduced by the Principle of the University, Professor George Boyne.
In addition, AAGM curators, partners, and guests, including Nuart, GREC, RNLI and the RSPB presented 18 lunchtime talks at the Art Gallery and Maritime Museum attracting 555 guests.
Welcoming spaces open to all
“I would like to say a huge thank you to all the gallery staff - reception, cafe and especially Bill - everyone has been so welcoming and helpful.”
Musical Memories volunteer
“A great time for the kids - especially those with additional needs! Super patient staff and really cool equipment.”
Visitor comment, Soundplay Projects
706 Musical Memories attendees
987 Soundplay attendees
47 Our Aberdeen attendees
We are committed to ensuring all our venues are welcoming, inclusive, safe, and free to enter for everyone.
To support this, we have been:
- working with Soundplay Projects to offer Accessible Digital Play for Everyone. The Art Gallery based programme welcomes families and children with complex additional support needs
- partnering with volunteer-run Musical Memories, a friendly singing group for those affected by dementia. A festive sing-along took place in December at the Cowdray Hall in the Art Gallery. Members of the group were also invited to an afternoon tea with the Lord and Lady Provost in recognition of their contributions to the community
- developing a D/deaf-led tour in collaboration with D/deaf presenter Trudi Collier. We will hold our first tour at Aberdeen Treasure Hub in August 2024
- collaborating with Grampian Hospital Arts Trust to bring Artroom to the Art Gallery. Led by professional artists, this weekly programme welcomes adults of all abilities to experiment with art making using a variety of materials
- training more of the AAGM team to develop detailed visual descriptions of collection items and lead tours for people with sight loss and visual impairment – the first tour was delivered in Spring 2024
- expanding the Our Aberdeen offer to include more themes and museum objects. These relaxed dementia friendly sessions are supported by a community of volunteers passionate about bringing people together to share stories
- 20 volunteers have worked to appraise, list, catalogue, index, and re-pack archives collections, making 6316 items searchable for the first time
“The (team) were so friendly and welcoming and provided such a knowledgeable descriptive tour that was rich and detailed. Their passion for art and the exhibits on display was obvious. I personally felt it really added something to the visit to hear from four different curators as they each brought their own thoughts, personalities and humour to their descriptions.”
Visual description tour feedback
Celebrating our volunteers
“Thank you for having me volunteer for you today, it was something new for me and it was lots of fun, I hope I can do it again sometime.”
Volunteer at NESCol Fashion Show at the Maritime Museum
“Invaluable volunteer support has helped fast-track the cataloguing of a new acquisition of a private collection of 480 studio ceramics.”
AAGM curator
“Working with our most dedicated volunteers, on the McBey library project has been very rewarding and the way they bring their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm is really infectious and inspiring.”
AAGM curator
“I really enjoy volunteering with AAGM. It’s different every time and you never know what to expect. The time just flies by!”
Family Fun volunteer
160 registered volunteers
23 new volunteers
73 active volunteers
3,078 hours contributed by volunteers
Volunteers are a valued and essential part of our workforce. The delivery of many of our projects relies on the time and skills they donate.
This year:
- 3 newly recruited Digitisation Volunteers have improved access to Aberdeen-built Ships material and images, increasing the amount and variety of content searchable via e-museum
- a core team of 8 volunteers has provided support at the popular Aberdeen Treasure Hub open days
- Aberdeen-built Ships volunteer, Dr Colin Helling, has researched connections between ships built in Aberdeen and the British Empire resulting in the new exhibition Aberdeen Ships: Empire and Trade, in the Maritime Museum
Our dedicated volunteers have continued to work over a range of projects including cataloguing the plans of the St Helena, the last ship built in Aberdeen, supporting a review of the wedding dress collection, reviewing over 3000 books and publications in the Art Gallery McBey library, and participating in our events programme, welcoming visitors, and supporting tours.
The city’s economy and sustainable future
£48,579 corporate hire net income
158 venues hires
£2,615 venue tour income
£539 travel trade income
£5,291 filming, photography and image sales income
28,642 visitors to Gallery over the Spectra weekend
5,678 visitors to Gallery over two Tea Green market weekends
The venues we open to the public and the activities we run offer income generation opportunities. These help to secure a more sustainable future for the city’s archives, museums, and gallery service. Our activities also contribute towards the wider city economy helping to make Aberdeen a vibrant and exciting place to visit.
Support for the city’s economy
We have developed our venue hire profile, attracting major corporate and civic clients to book the Art Gallery and Maritime Museum for events, celebrations, and networking sessions.
We have cemented our position within the city’s successful events programme, acting as a key location for the Spectra festival and NUART.
Support for the creative community
We have provided commercial opportunities for artists and the local creative community, including hosting selling exhibitions Constructed Narratives and Gordon Contemporaries, and two Tea Green market weekends. AAGM curators successfully applied to Aberdeen Art Gallery Trusts and the National Fund for Acquisitions to acquire items for the collections from both exhibtions and craft fairs.
Support for special exhibitions
We have responded to the Art Gallery’s special exhibitions programme by re-vamping the Shop at the Top with themed stock, in particular products linked to Where Ideas Are Born and ever popular Quentin Blake and Roald Dahl goods during A Quentin Blake Summer.
Purchases from the Tea Green market in November 2023 supported by the Friends of AAGM:
Aberdeen Kilt Pin, Islay Spalding
Silver spoon, Scott Smith
Green Cells Pedestal Pot, Pinstripe Vase and Red Cells Vase, Ceri White
Man Pin, Islay Spalding and Louise Forbes
£242,108 total retail income (net of VAT)
104,147 total Art Gallery cafe customers
£10.97 average retail transaction
8.45% conversion of visitors to customers across venues
“The shop is a treasure trove of all things sea-related and a challenge to resist, I loved it.”
Tripadvisor visitor feedback on Maritime Museum shop
“Coffee at the top was great and lovely service too.”
Gallery visitor feedback
And more!
The winner is...
In September 2023 Aberdeen Art Gallery was named as Best Visitor Attraction 2023 at Aberdeen City and Shire Thistle Awards.
Visiting Vessie
In November, Sheila and Carl Bug visited from North Carolina to see James McBey’s portrait Vessie Owens. They were close friends with Vessie’s sister Nancy. Nancy had died the year before, shortly after finding out that the portrait of her sister, painted in 1940, existed.
Royal visit
In January 2024, we welcomed Her Majesty Queen Camilla to Aberdeen Art Gallery to unveil a newly commissioned artwork You Are Not the Darkness You Are the Light by Shelagh Swanson, made in memory of victims lost to domestic abuse and to reflect and celebrate the strength of survivors.
Hidden treasures!
In March, auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull hosted a public valuation event at the Art Gallery. Over 180 family heirlooms, hidden treasures and curiosities were assessed by the team of professional auctioneers.
French connections
Also in March, welcomed Her Excellency Madame Hélène Duchêne, French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, on a visit to the ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Life’s a beach
In May AAGM staff and family members, working with East Grampian Coastal Partnership collected over 50kgs of rubbish from Aberdeen beach.
Master-Phil
Recently, Phil Astley, Team Leader, Archives, was awarded the honorary degree of Master of the University (MUniv.) by the University of Aberdeen.
‘Bee’n buzzy
We have ‘bee’n buzzy re-housing two beehives and creating a wildflower meadow at the Treasure Hub. The team has worked in their own time to help secure a future for species at risk of regional extinction, protecting them for future generations.
Famous faces
This year nestled in amongst over 300,000 visitors we managed to spot a few famous faces, including Michael Gove, Annie Lennox, Frances Walker, Pet Shop Boys, and Gordon Brown.
What you said
Tripadvisor feedback
Art Gallery
Very comfortable and informative gallery/museum
Jun 2023
Nice eclectic collection of art. Various mediums and ages. Easy flow through the galleries. Informative information and inviting space. Very friendly and helpful staff. Voluntary entry/use donation fee. I really enjoyed the entire visit.
New favourite art gallery
Jul 2023
Oh this is wonderful. I’ve always had the Samsung Leeham as my favourite gallery for its curation, now having visited here for the first time I would say it is equally as good. Joint top spot. Keep doing what you do so sublimely well.
Best Art Gallery I have ever been to
Nov 2023
I often visit art galleries but Aberdeen’s was so well set out with every room or exhibit being interesting. I don’t think I have been to a gallery which was better layed out. I went to the ground and first floor and enjoyed every section. There is a top floor to explore too which I can explore another time. I loved the ceramics and the modern art, the older Paintings were next to sculpture and information which brought the art to life.
I’d recommend visiting
Jan 2024
Great clean place, with friendly staff and interactive activities as well. I especially love the spot wherein you can make your own drawings. I have been to the art gallery many times since I moved to Aberdeen last Sept, and I love it.
Excellent exhibitions & welcoming staff
26 Mar 2024
Only had a short time to visit so we limited what we saw. Lots of interesting exhibitions but I particularly enjoyed the ones about women and the comparisons between French & Scottish Impressionists. Really well done & informative.
Great gallery with diverse range of art, a lot of local artists and art themed around the city there too.
Apr 2024
Anyone with interest in art or the city and can appreciate getting a sense of its history and character through art should definitely go there for an hour or two!
A wonderful space in the heart of Aberdeen
9 May 2024
What a great place to visit. Well laid out and varied, eclectic collection of art covering different mediums and ages. Informative and lovely airy space. Very friendly and helpful staff. Free entry but please donate if you can. I really enjoyed the visit and highly recommend. Cafes on ground and second floor and you can step outside on the second floor. Louise Bourgeois exhibition was great. Well done!
Don’t miss this gem
4 Jun 2024
Well curated exhibits. Easy to understand and appreciate by all ages. Loved the gallery devoted to women’s empowerment.
Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Interesting and informative
Jun 2023
Small, well managed museum. A lot of information packed into a multi-level space. Very helpful staff. Great displays. Very much enjoyed the visit.
A fascinating museum
9 Jul 2023
This is a stunning gallery and gives a very good overview of life on an oil rig. I learned a lot about the issues surrounding oil exploration and the decommissioning of rigs.
If you came to this museum only for the ship models, you would be blown away. This is the greatest collection of ship models in the world. The rest of this museum is fascinating also. The detailed movie on the history of shipping in this area was just amazing. I learned a lot from fishing to oil. This industry was a hard job for not only the fishermen but the whole family. It is definitely worth a visit.
Aberdeens maritime history is extensive and this museum does it proud. From very early fishing to todays oil industry, it’s all here with lots of well-described exhibits and plenty of kid-friendly stuff too. It’s not as large as some maritime museums but it is in the city centre so easy to get too. And free!
Both building and content were a mixture of history and the present. The museum is free, which is very important for everyone to have the same opportunity to take part in history. I think it was both interesting and impressive what they have achieved.
Great Maritime Museum!
16 Mar 2024
What a gem! Firstly, it was free, donations accepted. We took the lift to the top floor and worked our way around the museum and down the circular stairs! Learning about the very interesting history of Aberdeen, from fishing port to oil over the centuries, with many interactive features. Staff on each floor to assist with enquiries, we spent a very enjoyable 1.5 hours on a damp Thursday morning in March.
Definitely worth a visit.
Fact-filled, friendly and free!
24 Mar 2024
Great for a free family outing.
Overlooking the harbour and close to rail and bus station, it is situated on the history-steeped Shiprow.
Well laid out, with masses of information about the history, importance and influence of Aberdeen’s past, present and its gateway to the future.
The staff were all so helpful and friendly.
The shop is a treasure trove of all things sea-related and a challenge to resist, I loved it.
Excellent maritime museum
April 2024
Excellent maritime museum. Brilliant museum that covers a huge range of maritime topics. It has an interesting layout that makes the experience feel more authentic. A great way to spend a few hours on a rainy day!
Provost Skene’s House
A Wonderful Museum to Learn About Historical Aberdeen Figures Who Made a Difference 13 Aug 2023
Great exhibition of Aberdeens people and inventions in a lovely building
29 Aug 2023
A thoughtful and well-laid out exhibition detailing everyone who’s anyone and has come from or lived in Aberdeen. Certainly, the role-call of famous names and inventions heralding from this city are quite breath-taking. Some kid-friendly exhibits too.
Very interesting - learned a lot about Aberdeen. Definitely made me proud I have a relative studying at an Aberdeen university.
Provost Skene House, Aberdeen
12 Nov 2023
Great place to visit and steeped in Aberdeen history. Excellent staff who are very friendly and knowledgeable. Karen was a brilliant guide who knows the house, area and the historical people involved intimately.
Great Place to Visit with Snippets of Secrets
12 Nov 2023
Friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Very educational on Aberdeen’s history and Karen provided a tour filled with secrets of the Skene’s house one would not have known about by just walking through the place. Its amazing how the house has survived through centuries and conserved so well!
Visiting Aberdeen ... What to see on your visit
17 Nov 2023
First rate introduction and description of history and what to look for in Provost Skene’s house given to us by Karen. Her information made our visit informative and enjoyable.
Amazing hidden gem @ Provost Skene’s House
5 Dec 2023
Absolutely fantastic hidden gem in the heart of Aberdeen City. Free admission, there’s lots to see and interact with and is steeped in local history. Would also like to mention Karen, (one of the tour guides) was just an absolute pleasure to speak to! Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about her work at Provost Skene’s House and was happy to share her insights with us. 100% would recommend!
Provost Skene and Karen!
12 Feb 2024
Lovely old house in the centre of Aberdeen, the oldest in the city. Fascinating exhibition on the famous and important residents of the city throughout the house culminating in the painted ceiling of the top floor, hidden for 300 years but the highlight was guide and historian Karen who brought the place to life with her passion and enthusiasm! Pity you had to close! Anyway, a must see if you’re in this beautiful city!
Fascinating visit and beautiful building
28 Feb 2024
What a find, a beautiful 16C townhouse in itself and the presentations on so many Aberdeen pioneers and contributors (including many of their artefacts) in all fields was fascinating and amazing. Could have stayed much longer and will definitely be back!
