Old Map of Aberdeen in 1851 by Tallis and Rapkin - City Plan and Illustrated Views

John Tallis and John Rapkin produced this map of Aberdeen in 1851 for Tallis's Illustrated Atlas series, a Victorian publishing venture known for wrapping detailed city plans in a border of engraved views. Aberdeen was in the middle of a Victorian building boom when this map was drawn: Scotland's third-largest city and a major granite-built port on the northeast coast, its harbour busy with fishing fleets and its streets lined with the pale grey stone that gave the city its enduring nickname, the Granite City.

The plan traces Aberdeen's street grid with care, from Union Street, the city's grand granite thoroughfare, down to the harbour along the River Dee and the older quarters around Castlegate and the Gallowgate. Both branches of the University of Aberdeen appear on the map, King's College in Old Aberdeen and Marischal College in the city centre, alongside churches, public buildings, and the docks that kept Aberdeen among Britain's leading fishing and shipping ports through the nineteenth century. In keeping with the Illustrated Atlas format, the border around the plan carries fine engraved views of the city's landmarks, giving the sheet a decorative quality that plainer contemporary town plans lacked.

Former residents, current locals, and anyone tracing Aberdonian family history will find plenty to recognise here, from Union Street to the harbour and the two university colleges. It also suits a gift for someone who studied at the University of Aberdeen, worked in the city's fishing or granite trades, or simply enjoys Victorian Scottish town plans. Each print is produced at high resolution to keep the engraved detail of the original Tallis and Rapkin plate crisp, and is available in a range of sizes.