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The granite front of Aberdeen Central Library, steps rising to an arched door beside blue iron lamp standards.
Aberdeen

Aberdeen Central Library

Aberdeen's granite public library on Rosemount Viaduct, opened by Andrew Carnegie in 1892, one of the three buildings the city calls Education, Salvation and Damnation.

Welcome

On Rosemount Viaduct, three granite buildings stand side by side above the railway: a library, a church and a theatre.

Aberdonians have long called them Education, Salvation and Damnation, and the Central Library is the first of the three.

It opened in 1892, after a public campaign to build it, and it was opened by Andrew Carnegie himself, who gave £2,000 of its £10,000 cost. The front is a fine piece of Neo-Renaissance granite, with steps up to a round-arched door and a row of ornate blue iron lamps along the balustrade, cast at the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow.

It is a working library, free to walk into, and a good place for anyone tracing a family: its local collection holds maps, newspapers, records and more than fifteen thousand photographs of the city. From the steps, look along the viaduct to the green dome of St Mark's and the theatre beyond.

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The Daily for 9 November, from Scotland with love. an autumn-wooded loch reflected in still water, rocks breaking the surface in the foreground
Round the cornerTarragon on the TerraceA relaxed restaurant on Union Terrace in Aberdeen with views over Union Terrace Gardens, the sister of Tarragon in Rosemount.Under a mileSee itThe dining room of Tarragon on the Terrace, with velvet chairs, marble-topped tables and a leather banquette, and tall windows looking out to the trees of Union Terrace Gardens.

Before you go

Open Monday to Saturday from 9am, to 8pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and to 5pm on other days; closed Sunday, in Google's current record.

Where
Rosemount Viaduct, AB25 1GW.
Opened
1892, by Andrew Carnegie.
Closed
Sundays.

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Where it is

On Rosemount Viaduct, beside St Mark's Church and His Majesty's Theatre, AB25 1GW.

Close byAberdeen.
  1. The glass pavilion of Common Sense Coffee House and Bar on the terrace above Union Terrace Gardens, with tables outside.Common Sense Coffee HouseUnder a mile as the crow flies
  2. A bowl of avocado, roasted tomatoes, red cabbage, artichoke and mange tout at BioCafe, seen from above.BioCafeUnder a mile as the crow flies
  3. Aberdeen Art GalleryAberdeen Art GalleryArt on Schoolhill.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Juniper shop front beside a stone church with a rose windowBelmont StreetCafés on the cobbles.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Granite spires and clock tower of Aberdeen's Town House against pale skyAberdeen Town HouseThe city's tall granite tower.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
The dining room of Tarragon on the Terrace, with velvet chairs, marble-topped tables and a leather banquette, and tall windows looking out to the trees of Union Terrace Gardens.RestaurantsTarragon on the TerraceA step away
The Bread Maker's coffee house on Rosemount Viaduct on a sunny day, with a dark awning, tables on the pavement and a chalkboard by the door.CafeThe Bread MakerA step away
Kultura's front on Belmont Street, its wooden sign reading Filipino Restaurant & Bar above open doors in a granite wall, with potted bay trees by the step.RestaurantsKultura0.2 miles
The long bar at Casa del Fuego under a red wall and a neon sign reading Viva la Fiesta, with high stools and tables on a patterned tiled floor.BarsCasa del Fuego0.2 miles
The upstairs room at Wild Goose, all pale wood, with globe lights and trailing plants hanging from the ceiling, wooden tables and a counter at the far end.RestaurantsWild Goose0.2 miles
Granite steps lead up to a statue and His Majesty's Theatre in AberdeenAttractionsUnion Terrace Gardens0.2 miles
A sugared cinnamon bun on a white plate at Grounded.CafeGrounded0.2 miles
Aberdeen Art Gallery's granite facade topped with a bronze-slatted extension at duskCafeArt Gallery Café0.2 miles
Wooden boards with cured meats, olives, bread and dipping saucesRestaurantsMi Amore0.2 miles

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