Harbour Memories

“Most of the men worked in the shipyards….. I mean, it was like a sea of men when they came to the door.” 

Aberdeen’s harbour sits at the heart of its city centre and maintains a strong physical and psychological presence to all those who live, work and visit the city. 

Many people in Aberdeen have a story to tell, or a connection to make, with the city’s harbour whose history stretches across fishing, ship building, the granite trade that depended on access to the sea and the oil and gas industry which currently defines our city and region. 

Thanks to funding from ACVO we’ve recently had the privilege of hosting a series of Harbour Memories Coffee Mornings. There are many memories and lived experiences associated with Aberdeen harbour that are in danger of being lost. We aimed for this project to capture some of them while we can. 

We hosted sessions in Fittie, Torry and at Aberdeen Maritime Museum and listened to the most amazing stories. We’ve heard that the ground shook when the Torry Coo went off, that each department at Hall Russell Ship Builders had their own football team and that ‘everybody knew everybody’ in Old Torry. 

We’ve now launched a short series of Harbour Memories podcasts to reflect some of the conversations and written up many more. 

Thank you to all those who came along and generously shared their stories. 

Episode One: Margaret Wright

In this first episode of our Harbour Memories series, Margaret Wright shares insights on growing up in the Torry area of Aberdeen and the influence of the fishing industry and maritime life on the community.