Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

Old Aberdeen Market Cross, outside Old Town House, High Street, Old AberdeenLB20000

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
B
Date Added
12/01/1967
Last Date Amended
11/06/2018
Local Authority
Aberdeen
Planning Authority
Aberdeen
Burgh
Aberdeen
NGR
NJ 93903 8393
Coordinates
393903, 808393

Description

A market cross was erected in Old Aberdeen when it became a Burgh of Barony in the late 15th century. The surviving original parts of this cross suggest that it may date to the first quarter of the 16th century.

The only remaining original part of the 16th-century cross is the knop, decorated with four coats of arms including that of Bishop Gavin Dunbar (1518-32) surmounted by the remains of crouching beasts. The shaft was renewed in 1951, and the stepped base is modern.

Statement of Special Interest

In 1724 the market cross was described as having an image of the Virgin engraved on the north and south sides of the top of the cross as well as having coats of arms of the kings of Scotland and three Bishops; Dunbar, Stewart and Gordon. The Council of Old Aberdeen sold the cross in 1788-9, but a fragment was discovered in a smithy in Old Aberdeen in 1841. In 1951 this fragment was erected on top of a shaft in front of St Mary's Church, High Street, by the University of Aberdeen. It was transferred back to its current and original location in 1993. Part of its special interest is that it incorporates a significant architectural fragment of the original 16th-century market cross of Old Aberdeen, erected by Bishop Gavin Dunbar (1518-32), whose other building works, including the Greyfriars and the heraldic ceiling in St Machar's cathedral, are still evident in the city.

Statutory Address revised in 2018. Previously listed as 'MARKET CROSS OF OLD ABERDEEN, WITHIN FORECOURT OF LECTURE HALL OF GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENTS, HIGH STREET'.

References

Bibliography

Ordnance Survey (Name Book. Object Name Books of the Ordnance Survey (6 inch and 1/2500 scale). Page(s): Book No.1, 13.

Small, J W. (1900) Scottish market crosses. Stirling

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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Printed: 28/03/2024 18:02