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18th Century Shoe Lane cottage to be torn down as council revamps Aberdeen’s Queen Street

Number 6 is the final remnant of Shoe Lane, surviving the demolition of the entire street in past decades.

The Shoe Lane building in Aberdeen could soon be flattened.
The Shoe Lane building in Aberdeen could soon be flattened. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

The final remnants of Aberdeen’s forgotten Shoe Lane could be demolished at a cost of £150,000 as the council revitalises Queen Street.

The 6 Shoe Lane cottage is the street’s last remaining building, having survived the demolition of the entire row amid slum clearances about 100 years ago.

Tucked away behind The Lemon Tree, historians reckon it dates back to the 18th century, and its “traditional character” means it has some significance.

Council regeneration masterminds have been told they will have to justify their plans to flatten it as they reimagine the area.

What happened to Shoe Lane in Aberdeen?

Aberdeen’s Shoe Lane was historically a burial ground, and a collection of coins from the 1500s were unearthed there in the 1840s.

This grey granite cottage at the heart of the new plans is thought to have been built around 1775.

Over the 19th century, it was home to cabinet maker William Tytler, plumber John Stephen and seaman Alexander Muckle.

Shoe Lane in Aberdeen in years past
Aberdeen’s Shoe Lane, off Queen Street, when it was home to the Corner House Bakery offices in 1958. Image: DC Thomson

In the 1920s, hundreds of “insanitary dwellings” were cleared in various narrow lanes including this one.

And it has survived the various changes in the area over the ensuing 100 years too.

A black and white image of Shoe Lane in Aberdeen from 1975 showing an old warehouse
The John Smith and Co’s warehouse in Shoe Lane in 1975. Image: DC Thomson

But the building has now been vacant for about seven years, and the interior was recently stripped out.

In September, engineers were sent to inspect the structure, deeming it to be in overall “fair” condition.

The 6 Shoe Lane cottage in Aberdeen
The Shoe Lane building has seen better days. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

However, they identified “notable diagonal cracking through the masonry walls”, some “defects” with the roof and a few leaks.

They said anyone looking to reuse the building would need to carry out these repairs.

Could it be brought back to life instead?

Before deciding on demolition as the best option, council chiefs looked into some other uses for the Shoe Lane cottage.

Experts from CBRE were consulted too, advising that there was low demand for a house like that without parking attached.

There appears to be little hope for the last remnant of Aberdeen’s Shoe Lane. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

They also ruled out its chances as a shop, said it was too small for a cafe and confirmed that businesses are moving out of old granite buildings rather than into them these days.

What’s more, an office conversion would cost in the range of £350,000.

What are the Queen Street plans?

This area of Aberdeen, linking Broad Street and King Street, is soon to be reimagined.

There will be seating, new gardens created and space for performances carved out along Queen Street under plans to reinvent it as an “urban park”.

Councillors have budgeted for the work to cost £16.8 million.

Planners say this shows the improved pedestrian links in Queen Street as part of the urban park revamp project. Image: Aberdeen City Council/Optimised Environments (Open)
Planners say this shows the improved pedestrian links in Queen Street as part of the urban park project. Image: Aberdeen City Council/Optimised Environments (Open)
an aerial view of the proposed Queen Street revamp
This aerial view shows how the area to the rear of The Lemon Tree could be altered. Image: Aberdeen City Council/Optimised Environments (Open)

Arguing in favour of tearing down the cottage, officials say the surrounding Queen Street area has already seen some dramatic change over the past 50 years.

This, they add, means its “heritage merits” have already been damaged.

Papers add that a “substantial quantity” of historic buildings were cleared as the adjacent police HQ was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Queen Street police station in Aberdeen. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson
Queen Street police station in Aberdeen. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Shoe Lane granite would be reused in Aberdeen urban park project

Documents from Keppie Design say that granite from it could be used for feature walls, seating and raised planters as part of the project.

Papers add: “All the reusable granite and stone from the demolition of these buildings will be utilised within the urban park proposals.”

A building warrant indicates the demolition project would cost £150,000.

The former creche on Shoe Lane in Aberdeen
The old Aberdeen Childcare Services building on Shoe Lane could be torn down too. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Do you think 6 Shoe Lane should be flattened? Let us know in our comments section below


Meanwhile, the former nursery attached at the rear, thought to have been built in the 1960s, would be knocked down as well.

The historians consulted about 6 Shoe Lane say this building is “considered to have no positive visual interest in the street-scene” and actually makes it look worse.

The plans will be decided in due course.


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