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Duthie Park Restoration

Everyone hould have access to a well maintained public park...

Introduction

Aberdeen City Council has been successful in its bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration and improvement of Duthie Park. Through their Parks for People programme, the Heritage Lottery Fund provide a range of funding to improve and restore parks throughout the country. They have demonstrated how high quality local environments can make a real difference to people’s lives and how important it is for communities to feel pride in their local area.

History

Duthie Park is both regionally and nationally important, as it is one of the best purposely designed public parks in Scotland. Despite many changes over the course of its history, Duthie Park remains a park of national significance with sufficient heritage merit to be considered for grant funding.

Lord Provost Jamieson informed the Town Council on 5th July 1880 that the City was to be presented with a public park by Miss Elizabeth Crombie Duthie of Ruthrieston. Miss Duthie wished that the park would provide a worthy memorial to her uncle, Mr Walter Duthie, a well-known Writer to the Signet in Edinburgh, and her brother Mr Alexander Duthie a respected member of the Society of Advocates of Aberdeen.

Influenced by Sir Joseph Paxton and his followers, W.R.McKelvie’s design and layout for the park represents a model of late 19th century philanthropic acts, providing high quality public open space for the people of Aberdeen.

The Vision

It is intended that the works at Duthie Park will restore many of the historic features of the original park design, and reinstate the quality of a number of original important Victorian features. The park and its living heritage will be conserved for future generations.

The visitor experience will be enhanced through new education and interpretation facilities. Play areas will be improved for children of all age groups, with an emphasis on children and the family being able access and understand the entire park.

The proposed Visitor Facilities will also enrich the visitor experience to both the park and Winter Gardens, by providing information and additional guidance to visitors.

The proposals will make the park more sustainable and ensure that the park retains its heritage significance for years to come

Proposals

The Mound

The Mound, west of the David Welch Winter Gardens, will be restored to its original design and will be topped by a reconstructed viewing area and flagstaff. The original spiral footpath up the mound and the footpath layout will also re-created, to McKelvie’s original designs.

The Riverside Components

Whilst the existing rectangular model boating lake will remain, the original circular pond and water feature will be rebuilt, along with improvements to the setting of the McGrigor monument. The Victorian embankment terrace will be restored along with the seating area above the boating lake with its elevated views of the River Dee.

The footpaths around the park will be improved, to ensure that families and those with physical disabilities may more easily use the park.

The Linked Lakes

The lakes will be restored to working order, with the rockery dams reinstated. Paddle boat hire will be reintroduced to the upper lake during holiday periods. The middle lake will be reconstructed as a Scottish Lochan to provide an educational resource such as pond dipping for class visits. The Lower lake will be entirely rebuilt to provide a safe accessible area, with a water recirculation system. As part of the lake restoration, the shelter at the upper lake will be restored, with a decorative pediment and castellation originally built.

The Bowling Green and Tennis Courts

The Bowling Pavilion will be converted to provide park ranger facilities, whist the green itself will be used to hold community events. The tennis courts will be converted into community gardens and the 1920’s rockery rebuilt and re-planted.

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