The hidden Denburn

Beneath the centre of Aberdeen runs an ancient stream, the Denburn, which once provided water and food to mesolithic settlements. It runs through the Denburn valley which was carved out during the last ice age and starts from Kingswells, about 5 miles west of the city centre. In the city centre the stream is now buried beneath train tracks and the road you can see in this next photo but it continues to move underground down to Aberdeen Harbour where it joins the sea. The Victorians buried it in a culvert – a brick tunnel – in the late 1800s to build the railway line. They built culverts all over the country usually for one of two reasons: either to build something on top or to entomb the stench of sewage. In this case they wanted to build the railway line and a new train station. The stream was very likely polluted too as it was widely used for linen bleaching and there are reports it was already filthy as far back as the 1600s due to human activity. Here’s the Denburn during…