Union Terrace Gardens (UTG) opened two days before Christmas Eve.
Long overdue public access was restored – meeting the council’s own deadline and beating Santa to the Granite City.
To track progress, we launched our UTG-themed advent calendar to see how far through December we would get before its gates opened.
With turf not being laid until the spring, all that remained at the start of the month was cladding beneath the new walkways along Union Terrace.
UTG opening long-awaited for Aberdeen die hards
For some, peering down into the sunken Victorian gardens has been like a glimpse into St Nicholas’s workshop at the North Pole.
The council’s contractor (or elves if we are really running with this) Balfour Beatty was expected to finish the work last summer.
Coronavirus, war in Ukraine, supply issues and bad weather have been blamed for their continued presence.
A ‘soft opening’ was abandoned at the last minute in April. It was another blow to those excited to enjoy the new-look UTG.
We have been covering the ups and downs of this unlikely Christmas tale since March, originally counting down to that ill-fated April date.
Miracle Below Union Street: UTG open by Christmas
But, as all stories of Christmas miracles go, everything came good by December 25.
When November came and went, so too was the promise of opening being a “matter of weeks” from October 6.
Gates opened on December 22.
We hope this advent calendar provides some news, light-hearted snapshots of the gardens through the years and winter-warming nostalgia.
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