Rollerland and other archive photos of February days in Aberdeen

If you were a teenager in Aberdeen during the 1980s, you might have enjoyed spending a Saturday afternoon skating around Rollerland rink.

The American-style skating rink was the brainchild of Kincorth man George Dowdles, who wanted to bring Stateside fun to the Granite City in 1981.

Rollerland brought Stateside fun to teens in Aberdeen

He applied to the council to turn the second-floor hall of the Buffaloes’ Institute at 5 Bon-Accord Terrace into a rink aimed at entertaining 12-18-year-olds.

George learned to roller-skate as a youngster on a rink his parents ran at Aberdeen’s beach carnival, and wanted to bring the same joy to the next generation.

He had a nomadic upbringing with a mobile fairground where his mother sold toffee and his father ran a roller-skating rink.

1983: The chain gang – a crowd of youngsters get together to snake round the floor at Rollerland on a Saturday afternoon in February. Image: DC Thomson

He travelled to Los Angeles to see exactly how the American roller discos were run.

“We hope that we will be providing something new for the kids,” said George.

“At the moment there is very little else to do in Aberdeen, so many kids just end up in the pubs.”

George partnered with electrician and engineer Jim McPhee to help with the American-style lighting and decoration inside.

Rollerland was an instant hit, and parents keen to get in on the action had the opportunity to join in during a special family all-night roller disco fundraiser in June 1981.

1983: Putting on the style is 16-year-old Calum McDonald who does a spectacular back flip. Image: DC Thomson

Dons’ star John McMaster opened the roller dance marathon, which was raising funds for the Evening Express Laser Line appeal to buy new laser cancer equipment for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Craze for roller discos had waned by 1986

Rollerland proved to be a popular city-centre hangout for Aberdeen’s youth until 1986, when George said the craze for roller discos was “over”.

He described himself as “just a kid at heart” and a teetotaller, and said he showed that you didn’t need alcohol to have “a good laugh and a good time”.

However, he wasn’t down about closing the roller rink, adding “it will be a craze again in about 20 years”.

Shona Robertson, left, and Lisa Duncan get ready for the dancefloor in February 1983. Image: DC Thomson

Instead he set his sights on Harpers empty car showroom at the corner of Holburn Street with Justice Mill Lane.

Here the theme shifted from LA to Happy Days, with a 1960s-inspired junior leisure and recreation centre.

George was still keen to keep kids flooding in – and keep them off the streets in Aberdeen.

Happy Days again for teenagers as new entertainment centre opened

The new teenage entertainment bonanza was called Up the Junction, and was a soda pop and burger cafe modelled on the cult TV series Happy Days.

1982: Engineer Jim McPhee helped install the decor and lighting at Rollerland on Bon-Accord Terrace. Image: DC Thomson

It also contained George’s pride and joy: a reproduction 1960s jukebox with a glass-domed top that played records from the era.

George said: “Kids between the ages of 12 and 16 are just dying to get out and enjoy themselves.

“It has got to be better than lounging around outside when it’s raining.”

Inside, the interior was pink and blue, there was a dance floor, pool tables and fast-food bar, all themed around the Fonz and his fresh-faced friends.

1996: Angela Kemp serves drinks to a parrot, Morag Sinclair, at the Granary on Holburn Street when it opened in February 1996. As you do. Image: DC Thomson

But the business wasn’t successful and the venue was transformed again a year later into a rink known as Rollerland Mark II.

It was a watery end for Rollerland, but venue saw success as pub

On April 1, 1989 – and definitely not an April Fool – it was announced that Cove Rangers FC had taken over the roller rink and renamed it ‘Wheels Leisure Centre’.

But despite an investment of £15,000 on new equipment, the rink closed within three months.

The football club cited high rents and rates, and chairman Alan McRae added he was disappointed the council hadn’t reduced the rates to make it more viable.

1996: Finishing touches were being added to a formerly dark corner of Aberdeen. The Granary pub, on the corner of Justice Mill Lane and Holburn Street, opened in February 1996. Image: DC Thomson

Aberdeen District Council then took over the premises in July 1989, however, the venue closed for good when water damage made the floor too dangerous to skate on.

The cost of repair was too high, and the building sat empty until it was hit by a fire in 1995.

But it wasn’t the end for the beleaguered venue, it was leased by a pub group who reopened it as The Granary pub, and it’s still going strong today as The Foundry.