It is now a street more commonly associated with a night out, but these images show Aberdeen’s Belmont Street was not always lined with bars.
From the Mini, Vauxhall Vivi, Austin Maxi and other classic vehicles driving up the now-pedestrianised road, to the long-gone shops selling fishing tackle and offering electrical repairs, the picture shows just how much the area has changed over the decades.
The photograph is just one of a collection now on permanent display at the Academy Shopping Centre, as part of a project to “instil a sense of pride” in the city’s history for businesses and stores.
Iconic images from as early as the 30s, which were picked from the city archives, are now on display around the shopping centre.
John Macfarlane, shopping centre manager, and his team carefully selected the pictures, which range from bustling crowds at the Beach Baths to classic cars negotiating the city’s streets.
He said: “We get a wide range of clientele through the Academy, which is in itself a historical building, and we really hope the photographs prove to be a good talking point for people of all ages.
“We tried to get as many of the Belmont area as we could for the display, but we also found loads of the beach and other areas of the city throughout the 30s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
“We’re getting a lot of people stopping to look, and anybody around my age is going on about recognising this or that, or ‘I used to own that car’.
“The photos are everywhere in the Academy, along all the corridors and entrances, so you can’t miss them.”
The project has been funded by Aberdeen Inspired.
Allan Henderson, from the organisation added: “We want to help instil a sense of pride in the city centre, and helping businesses enhance their image is a fantastic way of doing this.
“We would urge businesses to take advantage of this scheme, as every improvement made adds to what we are trying to achieve in Aberdeen.”