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Site of a blockhouse, built in the 15th century, rebuilt in the 16th century and removed in the 19th century. It is shown on the 2nd edition OS map, annotated as In Ruins. The Blockhouse was basically the main stay of medieval Aberdeen's defence for several hundred years. It existed from the 15th to the 19th centuries and saw Aberdeen through fears of English invasion, attack by French troops, American pirates and privateers and many visitations of plague. It has been suggested that the blockhouse was built in some form in 1477. This may not be accurate. The first record of the Blockhouse dates to 1497 when an English invasion was feared, by way of retaliation for Scottish support for Perkin Warbeck's attempted coup against Henry VII. The Blockhouse was rebuilt at some point in the 16th century: several entries appear in Aberdeen City Council's historical records and it may have been re-built in 1513, 1521 and again in 1532. However, what was built in 1532 was described as sixteen foot in length, eight foot in breadth and six foot of thickness in the walls (Stuart, Extracts, p.146). The Blockhouse stored the town's cannons and ammunitions. It was used as the primary means of harbour defence until the eighteenth century. Over the course of its history it had a number of other uses. In the seventeenth century it doubled as a temporary store room for the Council. It was also used as a place of quarantine for several ship's crews who were believed to have the plague. In 1597 a gallows was erected next to it and several pirates were hung there. In 1661 a duel was arranged to be fought behind the Blockhouse, although it is uncertain if this ever happened. Also in 1597 at a time of persecution of so called witches it was alleged that certain notorious witches met and danced with the devil at the Blockhouse. The Blockhouse was eventually superseded by a new battery built on the beach in 1793. After this the buildings of the Blockhouse were leased out to various enterprises including the Greenland Whaling Company, which boiled whale blubber there. The blockhouse survived until about 1867 when it was demolished and a fish workers' tenement and yard erected. These were eventually replaced by an Esso Office in the late twentieth century. See also NJ90NE0062, plaque recording the site of the blockhouse.
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Aberdeen City
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NJ90NE0016 - FOOTDEE