On Justice Mill Lane in Aberdeen is this lovely pole.
I’ve always admired it and wondered what it was. Ben recently borrowed a book about Aberdeen from the local library and it gets a mention in that. It was built in 1905 as a ventilation shaft for underground tunnels containing electricity cabling. The ventilation helped dissipate the heat from the cabling.
If humans built a ventilation shaft for underground tunnels today it would be an ugly concrete pole with no thought given to the design. Why is that? As this shows, even boring but functional street furniture can have beauty and value.
rachel.blog 
So impressive! It reminds me of the century old ornate subway entrance ways in NewYork City. M 🙂
I bet New York has lots of beautiful things like this. One day I will go and see for myself.
A beautiful part of history, thank you for sharing it.
Great photo, and lovely object – I’m writing a little book about Street Furniture (for Amberley Books) and wondered if you’d mind me using your photo in the book? Happy to send you a copy when it comes out next year! Cheers, Lynn lynnpearson2@btinternet.com
Yes, you’re welcome to use the photo. Thanks for asking. I’d love a copy of the book. I’ll send you an email.
[…] photograph is the ventilation shaft on Justice Mill Lane in Aberdeen which I admired in a blog post in early 2020. It’s now in Lynn’s book which I have to […]