Visitors to Aberdeen’s historic Provost Skene’s House in Marischal Square can enhance their experience with a new digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and cultural app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The guide is available in more than 25 languages, including Scots Gaelic, and includes images and audio recordings by Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museum staff.
Users of the guide can enjoy a brief history of Provost Skene’s House, which dates back to 1545, making it the oldest surviving townhouse in Aberdeen. The building is named after one of its owners, Sir George Skene (1619-1709), a wealthy merchant and Provost of Aberdeen from 1676 to 1685. The house was used by Hanoverian troops as a billet during the Jacobite rebellion and the Duke of Cumberland stayed here on his way to the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
The guide also tells the story of the room known as the Painted Gallery. The painted ceiling and walls date back to 1626 and were commissioned by Matthew Lumsden, a merchant who came from a prominent Catholic family. It is thought that he later radically changed his views to become a Protestant Covenanter. The paintwork, showing scenes from the life of Christ, provides evidence of Lumsden’s early beliefs. It is a rare survival and was only discovered in the 1950s, having been boarded over for some 300 years.
Today Provost Skene’s House celebrates the pioneering people of Aberdeen and the North East who have note only shaped the city but have also helped transform the world. Everyone featured was born, has lived or worked in Aberdeen or the North-East. The free Bloomberg Connects digital guide highlights some of the remarkable achievements of these individuals, including biochemist and discoverer of insulin, John Macleod; poet and folk singer Stanley Robertson; sporting champions including athlete and Scottish strongman, Donald Dinnie; and stars of stage and screen such as percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.
The digital guide to Provost Skene’s House is the latest addition by Aberdeen Archives Gallery & Museums to the Bloomberg Connects app. The guides to Aberdeen Art Gallery and Aberdeen Maritime Museum were launched in 2023 have been used over 4,800 times since they were introduced in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Councillor Martin Greig, said: “The Bloomberg Connects app is a great way to share information about Aberdeen’s many cultural treasures. The inclusion of Provost Skene’s House alongside the Art Gallery and Maritime Museum makes it easy to access layers of history and hear about many people who have contributed towards the story of our amazing city. It is a great opportunity to explore and rediscover our local history. The international dimension is especially welcome. The app links Aberdeen to over 60 museums and culture organisations around the world. It also helps the increasing number of tourists to enjoy their visit to Aberdeen in various languages.”
Image caption: Museum Assistant Karen Henderson and Cllr Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesperson, try out the new guide to Provost Skene’s House on the Bloomberg Connects app