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The Green in Aberdeen, a cobbled street between old granite buildings below Union Street.
Aberdeen

The Green

One of the oldest corners of Aberdeen, a cobbled street below Union Street where people lived 8,000 years ago, and where friars later built two friaries and markets were held.

Welcome

Below the grand granite of Union Street, down the cobbled lane of Correction Wynd or a flight of steps, lies the Green, one of the oldest corners of Aberdeen.

Most visitors walk straight over it without knowing it is there.

Its story goes back a very long way. Archaeologists digging here found the remains of flint working from some eight thousand years ago, among the oldest traces of people in the city. In the Middle Ages the Green was the road into the town from the south, across the little Bow Brig over the Denburn, and the heart of one of its four quarters, with two friaries, a market, craftsmen and brewers.

When Union Street was built across the valley on great arches, the Green was left in its shadow. Today it is a quiet cobbled street of old granite buildings, cafés and street art, where a new market hall, named Flint after those first toolmakers, is being built, due to open in 2027.

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The Daily for 1 November, from Scotland with love. A misty lane runs past slate-roofed cottages toward a wooded hillside.
Round the cornerMai's Vietnamese KitchenA Vietnamese restaurant on Back Wynd in Aberdeen, cooking the food of Hanoi, from 24-hour beef pho to bun cha, and bring your own bottle.Under a mileSee itA bowl of beef pho at Mai's Vietnamese Kitchen, with sliced beef, a beef ball, spring onions and herbs in clear broth, the restaurant's name on the bowl.
Before you go

A city street, there at any time.

Where
Below Union Street, off Correction Wynd.
People here
8,000 years ago.
Medieval
Two friaries.

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Where it is

In the centre of Aberdeen, below the south side of Union Street, reached down Correction Wynd or the steps from Union Street.

Close byAberdeen.
  1. Plates of seafood at Bistro Verde seen from above on a wooden table: langoustines with salad, scallops, smoked salmon bites and a bowl of fries.Bistro VerdeAn independent seafood restaurant on the Green in the centre of Aberdeen, for oysters, Shetland mussels and its own bouillabaisse.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. The granite front of Cup on Little Belmont Street, with hanging baskets and window boxes of flowers.Cup Tea SalonA tea room on cobbled Little Belmont Street in Aberdeen, for loose teas, brunch and afternoon tea.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. Weathered statue and gravestones in a churchyard framed by autumn leavesKirk of St NicholasThe Mither Kirk just above.1 mile 4 min by road
  4. Gothic granite façade with pointed arched windows beside Aberdeen Maritime Museum's glass entranceAberdeen Maritime MuseumThe sea, along Shiprow.1 mile 4 min by road
  5. Aberdeen's Mercat Cross stands beneath storm clouds with birds circling above the Town House towersCrime and Punishment TourThe dark-history walk comes this way.2 miles 5 min by road
Directions
A bowl of beef pho at Mai's Vietnamese Kitchen, with sliced beef, a beef ball, spring onions and herbs in clear broth, the restaurant's name on the bowl.RestaurantsMai's Vietnamese KitchenA step away
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 GooseA step away
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 FuegoA 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.RestaurantsKulturaA step away
The granite front of the Craftsman Company on the corner of Guild Street, its door open and its name in the windows.CafeThe Craftsman CompanyA step away
The bar at Glenhouse, lit in amber under a wall of bottles, with red leather stools and a round marble table.RestaurantsGlenhouse0.2 miles
Contour Cafe front with wooden outdoor tables on a cobbled laneCafeContour Cafe0.2 miles
Runners gathered at the door of Out & Back's granite shopfront in Aberdeen.ShoppingOut & Back0.2 miles
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 Terrace0.2 miles

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What we have written about it and more in Aberdeen.

ArticleWhere to go for coffee in Aberdeen and AberdeenshireArticleA food guide to The Green in Aberdeen
More in Aberdeen
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .