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Basic Site Details
| Name: | The Beach Ballroom |
| Town, district or village: | Sea Beach |
| City or county: | Aberdeen |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Parish: | |
| Status: | B listed |
| Grid ref: | |
| Notes: | To increase the amenities and attractiveness of the beach, Aberdeen Town Council invited competitive designs for a beach improvement scheme including the erection of a dance hall to accommodate 500 and a restaurant to seat 250. It is not absolutely certain that the work done by Gardner was on this building - it may have been a quite separate structure. Star Ballroom probably by George Keith City Architect, 1961-4; renovated 1970s. 'It was built as part of the 'Beach Improvement Scheme', at a cost of £50,000, to the winning design in a competition held by Aberdeen Town Council. It replaced an 1882 timber pavilion, perhaps the inspiration for the unusual roof design. The official opening on 23 May 1929 took the form of a masked ball and carnival with costumes ranging from Louis XIV's Court to Sioux Indians and shepherdesses. During World War II, the building was commandeered by the Admiralty, and re-opened at Christmas 1946. The ballroom floor, which floats on 1400 steel springs, was originally made of maple and was replaced in 1955.' (HS) |
Alternative Names
| The following alternative names are associated with this building/design: | |||
| Name | Current name? | Notes | |
 | Beach pavilion | ||
Street Addresses
| The following street addresses are associated with this building: | |||
| Address | Main entrance? | Notes | |
| Esplanade | Yes | |
Events
| The following date-based events are associated with this building: | ||||
| From | To | Event type | Notes | |
| 1926 | Competiton held and building constructed | ||
| 1929 | Opened | Formal opening | |
| Before 1954 | Alterations? | ||
| 1961 | 1964 | Addition | Star Ballroom added |
People
Design and Construction
| The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column. | ||||||
| Name | Role | Partnership Group | From | To | Notes | |
| John Keppie | Architect | 1926 | Aberdeen Beach Improvement Scheme | ||
| Thomas Roberts | Architect | A | 1926 | Won competition to secure job | |
| Thomas Roberts and Hume | Architectural practice | A | 1926 | Won competition to secure job | |
| William Hume | Architect | A | 1926 | Won competition to secure job | |
| Alexander Buchanan Gardner | Architect | Before 1954 | Alterations? | ||
| Aberdeen City Architect's Department (later City of Aberdeen District Council Architects Division) | Architectural practice | C | 1961 | 1964 | Addition of Star Ballroom - with Keith as City Architect |
| George McIntosh Keith | Architect | C | 1961 | 1964 | Star Ballroom added |
Clients
| The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design: | ||
| Name | Notes | |
| Aberdeen Town Council | |
Related Buildings, Structures and Designs
Parent Structure and Site
| This structure is related to the following parent structure or site (click the item to view details): | ||
| Building name | Notes | |
| Beach Improvement Scheme | To increase the amenities and attractiveness of the beach, Aberdeen Town Council invited competitive designs for the erection of a dance hall to accommodate 500, a restaurant to seat 250, a variety entertainment pavilion to hold 750 and a series of blocks of shops with provision for the further extension of the scheme by the erection of a concert hall to hold 1,000 persons. Twenty designs were received. Keppie believed all the schemes to be over the £50,000 budget, but considered that it should be possible to amend the winning proposals. The council subsequently approved Roberts and Hume 's amended scheme comprising dance hall, The Beach Ballroom, (£24,288); restaurant (£7,811); variety pavilion - the Gaiety (£7,218); eight shops (£3,200); roads £200. Note - the winning design shows the Gaiety variety theate and shops to be separate blocks and not part of the ballroom/restaurant complex. The Gaiety is believed to have been demolished in the 1960's. The fate of the shops is unclear. |
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this building: | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Aberdeen Town Council | Town Council Minutes | This is a published version of the Minutes (no bibliographical details known as yet) | 7 June 1954 (check this) (may be 1964) | ||
| www.theatrestrust.org.uk/ | www.theatrestrust.org.uk/ - Theatres Database of the Theatres Trust | http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/2364-beachpavilion- | |||
Periodical References
| The following periodicals contain references to this building: | |||||
| Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | |
| Builder | 30 July 1926 | CXXXI | pp 160, 166, 170 171 Results of competition. Plans, illustrations etc. of winning design | |
| Builder | 17 September 1926 | p471 Amended proposals to bring the scheme within budget approved | ||
Archive References
| The following archives hold material relating to this building: | ||||
| Source | Archive name | Source catalogue no. | Notes | |
| Aberdeen City Archives | Aberdeen city plans | Various Plans (Acc 099, 116) | |
| Historic Environment Scotland | Listed Buildings Register | 20314 | |
Images
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