Seaton Multis: Timeline
1967, Dec 12
P&J publishes plan for Seaton high-rise development. Dec 11, Aberdeen Corporation Housing Committee votes by 16 to 13 to award the entire development of 1053 flats to a single contractor, which will use industrialised building. Contractor yet to be selected by competitive procedure and will work alongside the corporation works department, who will do all the site servicing. Concern voiced over very high rent estimates. Mention of possibility of tenants being able to buy their flats.
1969, May/June
Rubbish tip off King St cleared for phase one.
1969, June
Work started on the foundations for phase one.
1969, August
Erection of phase one began.
1970, January: Completion target for 1st 4 blocks.
1970, March 11
New flats - four blocks of 17-storey ‘multis’ (P&J)[Good picture of a model of the four completed blocks with this article]
First 3 completed, 1 (with show flat) ready for occupation, 4th one started. P&J reports that the site subsoil was of poor quality and so rafted foundations had to be built. The industrialised building technique, mentioned above, was to use prefabricated concrete panels to act as both structural frame and outer cladding. These panels were made by Concrete Scotland Ltd of Falkirk. Main building contractor is Bett Bros Ltd of Dundee. Architects were James M. Gillespie, chief architect for Bett and George Keith, city architect (consultative role). George Keith due to retire in summer.
1971, Aug 30
‘No sea of tarmac’ at Seaton - by Ronald Allan (EE)[Good artist’s impression with this article]
EE publishes plan for the second phase of Seaton multis. City Architect, T. C. Watson praises design as “…the most imaginative and aesthetically acceptable to be built in the city to date.” Work due to begin in December, with the population of Seaton expected to rise by around 3000 around the time of completion. Construction of Linksfield Academy expected to be “..well under way, if not completed.”
1972, July
Contract for last 7 multis is awarded to Peter Cameron Ltd. This contract, for £3,161, 786, was the biggest contract awarded to any single firm in the city’s history.
1972, September
Work on last 7 multis (781 flats) begins.
1972 - 73
Delays, probably caused by bad management on site.
1973, ???
Peter Cameron Ltd taken over by Bardolin Scotia Ltd.
1974, December: Original completion date
1975, June 11
Multi-storey delays come under attack - by William Neish (P&J)
Progress of the Seaton development is described as scandalous at Aberdeen District Council’s house building committee meeting on 10th June. Councillor W. J. Fraser, leader of the Council’s Labour group, described the contractor’s (Bardolin Scotia) as being “hopelessly behind schedule.” City Architect, Ian A. Ferguson expressed a great lack of confidence that the contractor would “..expeditiously complete the contract” and recommended a meeting with Bardolin Scotia.
1975, October
First people moved into phase 2 flats - Regent Court first to be inhabited.
1976, June 25
Building chief’s flats pledge - by Les Fraser (P&J)
Peter Cameron promises that flats will be complete by spring 1977 (Around this time Promenade Court opened). Peter Cameron did admit that “The allegations of bad management on the site are probably true to a certain extent.“ He blamed an exodus of experienced construction workers into the oil industry seeking higher wages. “It was difficult to replace a site agent, with say, 15 years experience and building workers in general don’t like to work on high rise blocks.” Fortunately, for the city, Bardolin Scotia had to bear the financial brunt of the delay, as it was a fixed price contract, standing to lose “anything between £1,250,000 and £1,750,000 on the deal.”
It was at least mid 1977 before the Seaton Multis were finally occupied.
Read what the papers said
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edith’s story:
November 1975 Edith and her, husband and her 17-year-old son moved into Regent Court in Regent Walk.
I responded to an article in the local newspaper, the council got back to us and asked us to attend an interview at St Nicholas House, we then had to have an interview in our current home which was in Froghall, so they could come round and have a look of where you lived to see if you would make a good tenant. My husband Bill and I were talking about what floor we would be allocated, I said I bet it will be the 13th floor. When we met the man at housing we were then offered the 13th floor, we both laughed, the man from housing asked if that was okay and we told him it was fine, it was just a coincidence. We were also taken round the show flat, it really just showed the rooms available as it was unfurnished.
We were soon shown round the flat that would be ours. The bedroom and living room were both wallpapered, with the lobby, kitchen and bathroom painted. We were happy with the flat but the Fire Chief had also come to inspect the flat and there had been some problem and they had to take off all the paper off the walls to fix the problem, which was something to do with the wall insulation that needed replaced.
Once you had moved in you had to wait a year before you redecorated. The council came round after a couple of years to inspect the flat to make sure you were looking after it. At that time everyone had pride in their flats. All the communal areas were looked after; folk cleaned the stairs. Outside each flat people would but out mats and plants to personalise their lobbies. At that time there was no glass frontage to the high rises, you could just walk in and it was so well kept by the folk, it was like walking into a hotel. There was no entry system then, in the early 1980's stuff started disappearing, it was thought to be folk from out with the flats who were taking stuff. Sometime during the 1990s we had been advised by the council to remove our names from info board in the entrance hall to the flats.
When we moved in no children under 10 years old was allowed to live in the flats. In the 1980’s there was a lassie who was looking to get a flat in our block but as she couldn’t get due to the no children rule.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Gibson (my grandfather) was working as a carpenter for construction company, D. C. Stewart, when this photo was taken. He left and started working for the council, in construction, shortly after and was a clerk of works at the City Architect’s department throughout the seventies. He helped to oversee the building of the Seaton Multis.
The ‘Seaton Multis’ high rise development was first proposed in the mid sixties and granted permission in 1967. Prefabricated concrete panels were used as both the main structural frame and external covering. They were built between 1969 and 1979, in two phases, with phase one being the four blocks at the north of the development, next to King Street, and phase two being the remaining seven: on Regent Walk and next to the links and dogs’ home. Phase one went up in one year, being almost to schedule, whilst the other seven were subject to very severe delays, with Regent Court being the first to be occupied in 1975 and the dogs’ home four not being fully occupied until the end of the decade.
1967, Dec 12
P&J publishes plan for Seaton high-rise development. Dec 11, Aberdeen Corporation Housing Committee votes by 16 to 13 to award the entire development of 1053 flats to a single contractor, which will use industrialised building. Contractor yet to be selected by competitive procedure and will work alongside the corporation works department, who will do all the site servicing. Concern voiced over very high rent estimates. Mention of possibility of tenants being able to buy their flats.
1969, May/JuneRubbish tip off King St cleared for phase one.
1969, June
Work started on the foundations for phase one.
1969, August
Erection of phase one began.
1970, January: Completion target for 1st 4 blocks.
1970, March 11
New flats - four blocks of 17-storey ‘multis’ (P&J)[Good picture of a model of the four completed blocks with this article]
First 3 completed, 1 (with show flat) ready for occupation, 4th one started. P&J reports that the site subsoil was of poor quality and so rafted foundations had to be built. The industrialised building technique, mentioned above, was to use prefabricated concrete panels to act as both structural frame and outer cladding. These panels were made by Concrete Scotland Ltd of Falkirk. Main building contractor is Bett Bros Ltd of Dundee. Architects were James M. Gillespie, chief architect for Bett and George Keith, city architect (consultative role). George Keith due to retire in summer.
1971, Aug 30
‘No sea of tarmac’ at Seaton - by Ronald Allan (EE)[Good artist’s impression with this article]
EE publishes plan for the second phase of Seaton multis. City Architect, T. C. Watson praises design as “…the most imaginative and aesthetically acceptable to be built in the city to date.” Work due to begin in December, with the population of Seaton expected to rise by around 3000 around the time of completion. Construction of Linksfield Academy expected to be “..well under way, if not completed.”
1972, JulyContract for last 7 multis is awarded to Peter Cameron Ltd. This contract, for £3,161, 786, was the biggest contract awarded to any single firm in the city’s history.
1972, September
Work on last 7 multis (781 flats) begins.
1972 - 73
Delays, probably caused by bad management on site.
1973, ???
Peter Cameron Ltd taken over by Bardolin Scotia Ltd.
1974, December: Original completion date
1975, June 11
Multi-storey delays come under attack - by William Neish (P&J)
Progress of the Seaton development is described as scandalous at Aberdeen District Council’s house building committee meeting on 10th June. Councillor W. J. Fraser, leader of the Council’s Labour group, described the contractor’s (Bardolin Scotia) as being “hopelessly behind schedule.” City Architect, Ian A. Ferguson expressed a great lack of confidence that the contractor would “..expeditiously complete the contract” and recommended a meeting with Bardolin Scotia.
1975, OctoberFirst people moved into phase 2 flats - Regent Court first to be inhabited.
1976, June 25
Building chief’s flats pledge - by Les Fraser (P&J)
Peter Cameron promises that flats will be complete by spring 1977 (Around this time Promenade Court opened). Peter Cameron did admit that “The allegations of bad management on the site are probably true to a certain extent.“ He blamed an exodus of experienced construction workers into the oil industry seeking higher wages. “It was difficult to replace a site agent, with say, 15 years experience and building workers in general don’t like to work on high rise blocks.” Fortunately, for the city, Bardolin Scotia had to bear the financial brunt of the delay, as it was a fixed price contract, standing to lose “anything between £1,250,000 and £1,750,000 on the deal.”
It was at least mid 1977 before the Seaton Multis were finally occupied.
Read what the papers said
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edith’s story:
November 1975 Edith and her, husband and her 17-year-old son moved into Regent Court in Regent Walk.
I responded to an article in the local newspaper, the council got back to us and asked us to attend an interview at St Nicholas House, we then had to have an interview in our current home which was in Froghall, so they could come round and have a look of where you lived to see if you would make a good tenant. My husband Bill and I were talking about what floor we would be allocated, I said I bet it will be the 13th floor. When we met the man at housing we were then offered the 13th floor, we both laughed, the man from housing asked if that was okay and we told him it was fine, it was just a coincidence. We were also taken round the show flat, it really just showed the rooms available as it was unfurnished.
We were soon shown round the flat that would be ours. The bedroom and living room were both wallpapered, with the lobby, kitchen and bathroom painted. We were happy with the flat but the Fire Chief had also come to inspect the flat and there had been some problem and they had to take off all the paper off the walls to fix the problem, which was something to do with the wall insulation that needed replaced. Once you had moved in you had to wait a year before you redecorated. The council came round after a couple of years to inspect the flat to make sure you were looking after it. At that time everyone had pride in their flats. All the communal areas were looked after; folk cleaned the stairs. Outside each flat people would but out mats and plants to personalise their lobbies. At that time there was no glass frontage to the high rises, you could just walk in and it was so well kept by the folk, it was like walking into a hotel. There was no entry system then, in the early 1980's stuff started disappearing, it was thought to be folk from out with the flats who were taking stuff. Sometime during the 1990s we had been advised by the council to remove our names from info board in the entrance hall to the flats.
When we moved in no children under 10 years old was allowed to live in the flats. In the 1980’s there was a lassie who was looking to get a flat in our block but as she couldn’t get due to the no children rule.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
| Bill Gibson |
The ‘Seaton Multis’ high rise development was first proposed in the mid sixties and granted permission in 1967. Prefabricated concrete panels were used as both the main structural frame and external covering. They were built between 1969 and 1979, in two phases, with phase one being the four blocks at the north of the development, next to King Street, and phase two being the remaining seven: on Regent Walk and next to the links and dogs’ home. Phase one went up in one year, being almost to schedule, whilst the other seven were subject to very severe delays, with Regent Court being the first to be occupied in 1975 and the dogs’ home four not being fully occupied until the end of the decade.
Do you love or loath the Multis? How long have you lived there?
Please share your Links memories with us?
2 comments:
my husband and i live in promenade court we have lived there for 29 years we really like our flat and we have good neighbours we have a nice view of the sea and the bridge of don always plenty to see we live on the 7th floor thats high enough for me
I lived in Regent Court for 28 years on the 13th floor and loved it. My husband used to watch football at East End from the window.I got to know all my neighbours and took alot of pride in keeping our flats and landings tidy.
We put out tables and flowers to brighten the place up and once our table was removed and replaced with a 'long john' table. I asked my neighbour Nan Why have you swapped the table? And she said, 'I never touched it someone has taken ours and left that one.'
Edith
Post a Comment