If you want to take the shortest possible route, I would advise doing the waypoints in reverse order.
Information taken from the Aberdeen Sculpture Trail and the Aberdeen People and Places Trail.
Final Co-ords are: N57 0A. BCD W002 0E. 0FG
1. Kelly's Cats:
I've always walked past these and never really taken much notice. I only researched them properly after designing this multi.
"The cats were cast by William Wilson and erected on the bridge in 1910. The name Kelly’s Cats is actually a misnomer, as only the bronze panels which are placed on the bridge were designed by Aberdeen architect William Kelly ARSA, FRIBA (1861-1944) and installed in 1908.
Further widening and the addition of shops in 1964 led to the removal of the southern parapet, which can
now be found in Duthie Park."
Q: The number of cats on the bridge, minus 6 = A. THIS STAGE IS CURRENTLY OBSCURED BY FENCING. TAKE ‘A’ AS 8.
2. Drum's Lane Plaque
The history behind the layout and naming of all the little lanes and alleyways in Aberdeen really interests me. This is one of many plaques detailing the history of street names around Aberdeen.
"This commemorates the location of Lady Drum’s Hospital. In 1633 Marion Douglas, Lady Drum, mortified the sum of 3,000 merks for a commodious house for poor widows and aged virgins. Building began in 1671. In 1798 the area was redeveloped and Drum’s Lane was laid out."
Q: What is the first digit that appears on the plaque? Add 7. = B.
3. Two
When I was trying to locate this sculpture using the map I just couldn't find it and I was looking all over. I then took a step back and looked all around and there it was staring right at me! I didn't realise how big it was!
"An abstract relief in bronze panels by Scottish artist Gavin Scobie (b. 1940, Edinburgh, died 2012), dated 1984. Scobie is recognised as having been one of Scotland’s most important contemporary sculptors, living and working in Ross-shire and London. Two years prior to the production of Two saw the output of a series of drawings and clay relief faces which displayed a more relaxed and rougher approach than previously seen."
Q: How many squares make up the piece?
Take away 4. = C
4. Trumpet Leaf
I never knew about this intriguing sculpture until I began creating this multi, so I've decided to take you to it also!
"This work is carved from Clipsham Limestone by Paul Mason (b. 1952, Bolton, died 2006). The simple leaf shape of the sculpture takes on the identity of a trumpet. This is an instrument of celebration and joy, or warning and alarm. Until his death in 2006, Mason was a major contributor to public art throughout the United Kingdom. His involvement included the regeneration of Tudor Square in Sheffield and sculpture works at Grizedale Forest, Cumbria. He became Professor of Sculpture at Derby University in 2004."
Q: How many holes can you see on the front of the sculpture's plinth? Add 3 to this number. = D.
5. Moon Table
This is another sculpture placed on the recently updated roof of the St. Nicholas Centre.
"Abstract bronze on a
plinth of granite by Roland Piche (b.1938). The sculptures Trumpet Leaf, Two and Moon Table were commissioned through the Aberdeen City Centre Development Scheme."
Q: Add one to the final digit in the year in which this sculpture was designed. =E.
6. Guestrow Plaque
This name of this street has always interested me and I only recently discovered that there was a plaque to commemorate it.
"This intriguing name, which is unique to Aberdeen, is a little obscure in its origins. One of the main suggestions is that it refers to the street of the spirits or ghosts, and that it was originally given in a form like ‘Ghaistraw’."
Q: What century is Guestrow said to have had "a number of lodging houses"? Take the last digit of this number and add 2. This equals F.
7. Ceres
For me, this is definitely the most interesting sculpture in this multi, I love the combination of the colours and the placement of it.
"On top of building on corner of Union Street and King Street, this was designed by local artist James Giles (1801-1870), for the portico of the then North of Scotland Bank. This colourful terracotta figure is of the Goddess of Plenty. The Goddess is accompanied by a British lion and holds a cornucopia of the fruits of the earth. Nelson Routledge Lucas and Company modelled this figure"
Q: How many columns are underneath Ceres? Double this number = G.