{"id":851,"date":"2025-01-14T12:37:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T12:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/connectedaberdeen.org\/woodside\/?p=851"},"modified":"2025-01-14T12:37:57","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T12:37:57","slug":"wallace-tower-salvation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/connectedaberdeen.org\/woodside\/2025\/01\/14\/wallace-tower-salvation\/","title":{"rendered":"Wallace Tower Salvation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I can mind when Wallace in the City spent an hoor<\/em><\/p>

I even wint for a pint wi\u2019 him<\/em><\/p>

Intil the Wallace To\u2019er<\/em><\/p>

Harry Gordon The Auldest Aberdonian<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Aberdeen has its fair share of quirky buildings, but few as strange as the Wallace Tower. As you follow the twists and turns of its convoluted past, from well-to-do town house in the 16th<\/sup> century, to lodging house and then to a famous pub, you are tempted to consider the place as Aberdeen\u2019s answer to Terminator 2. <\/em>It just keeps coming back to you, transformed.<\/p>

In fact, The Wallace Tower was lucky to survive the horrors of sixties corporate vandalism at all. The Guest Row, a jewel of inner-city Scotland, was flattened to make way for St\u2019 Nicholas House. The Tower\u2019s \u00a0neighbour, the yet more famous Provost Skene\u2019s House, only escaped the bulldozer at the behest of Queen Elizabeth. Marks and Spencer had its beady eye on the area around the Wallace Tower, but was finally shamed into moving it brick by brick (just like Arnie\u2019s cyborg) to its present location in Seaton Park, at the edge of Tillydrone. There it became the city\u2019s most unusual council house, until finally being boarded up and falling into neglect, a fate all too common to many of Aberdeen\u2019s historic buildings.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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And now it\u2019s about to be transformed again. There have been several plans to do something with the building down the years. The Tillydrone Community Development Trust have been instrumental in getting things going and but finally the builders have moved in. The idea is to turn the ground floor into a caf\u00e9, with an extension at the back.\u00a0 The restoration will keep as many of the original features as possible and flagstones and walls will be retained. The upper floors will be used as community and office spaces. The surrounding natural environment will also be taken into consideration.<\/p>

All this is great news for Tillydrone and Woodside, as well as the thousands of people who use Seaton Park, considered one of the most beautiful parks in Scotland. That whole part of the city has few community facilities, so this new development is to be welcomed. One question though, will the caf\u00e9 be licensed? Because I, for one, would like to spend an hoor wi\u2019 Wallace at the Wallace Tower. \u00a0<\/p>

Dougie Thomson<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can mind when Wallace in the City spent an hoor I even wint for a<\/p>\n