Aberdeen’s granite gem, a jewel on the city skyline
It is no surprise to learn that the magnificent Marischal College is the second largest granite building in the world. Notable architects Archibald Simpson and Alexander Marshall Mackenzie designed the building in the nineteenth century. It stands proud on Aberdeen’s Broad Street, like an unearthly warrior, spires soaring to the sky like swords of granite. Serenity in stone, Marischal College encompasses the strength and soul of Scotland. It is a building like no other (even with an urban legend that Adolf Hitler aspired to own it).
It actually belongs to University of Aberdeen, however is on lease to the local council who use it as offices, with a public space and customer hub within its entrance.
A statue of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland (by sculptor Alan B Herriot) was erected outside Marischal Colllege in 2011. King Robert delivered a famous charter to Aberdeen in 1319, granting rights to the city burgesses to gain revenue from the town, thus allowing Aberdeen to generate its own wealth and assert its independence. The statue of King Robert holds this important charter.
No visit to Aberdeen would be complete without a glimpse of the awe-inspiring Marischal College.
Across from the ancient building, a more modern construction – Marischal Square – houses restaurants and office space. In-between its columns, find the stunning leopard statue: it is a sight to treasure, a special memory of the city.
By Andy Scott, a Scottish sculptor, the leopard looks down like a king over its subjects. When the sun hits the sculpture, it appears as an angelic beast from heaven.
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