St Peter’s, Aberdeen, has had a long and honourable history. Although it was the first permanent Catholic church to have been built in Aberdeen since the Reformation, there have always been Catholics in the city and there have also been priests about, so that there can have been few Sundays since 1560 when there was no opportunity of hearing Mass. The story of Catholicism in Aberdeen is unique in Scotland therefore, in that it was unbroken and continuous - Mgr. Sandy McWilliams, A Short History of St. Peter’s.

ORIGINS

In about 1771 Mr William Young, a Catholic Merchant, purchased the present site in the Castlegate to be used as a chapel and dwelling place. The houses he bought were found at Inveramsay Court, now Chapel Court as we know it. They were in very poor condition, so they were demolished and rebuilt. The Chapel took up the whole ground floor. Bishop Grant, then Vicar Apostolic of the Lowland District of Scotland, took up residence there in 1774.

The Bishop’s nephew was to play an important part in the story of St. Peter’s. Most of the buying and organisation of the church was done by merchants until Fr. Charles Gordon returned from France in 1793, to continue and finish his studies. 

Prior to his ordination in 1795 plans had been laid to erect the now St. Peter’s Church. Fr. Gordon ("Priest Gordon", as he was affectionately known) was given the task of seeing the building completed.

Early in 1803 the foundation stone was laid, but building was delayed over a dispute with one of the neighbours about a dyke. This was overcome and the church was opened by the then Vicar Apostolic, Bishop Cameron, on 19^th August 1804. Priest Gordon spent the next fifty years in God’s service among the people of the east end of Aberdeen. He was to build a school and orphanage in Constitution Street (now a residential home for the elderly), as well as undertaking his normal priestly duties. Fr. Gordon was so popular that, on his death in November 1855, the whole city turned out to his funeral and soldiers lined the streets. Above all, he was noted for his forthright attitude, and his love and dedication to the people of Aberdeen, particularly the poor.

St. Peter’s Church was very prosperous and continued to be so until it was closed in 1860, following the death of Priest Gordon. This came about when St. Mary’s Cathedral was built in Huntly Street. The Bishop felt that, as the new church was larger and could accommodate more people, it was best for the whole Catholic community in Aberdeen to have one church. 

Nevertheless, St. Peter’s remained in use during this period. It was divided into two – half was used as a school, and the other as a small chapel in honour of the Visitation. A group of the sisters of Nazareth moved up from Hammersmith, using the house as a convent. These religious sisters looked after the orphans and the poor, before moving to the present Nazareth House. However, Priest Gordon’s records proved that 73% of baptized Roman Catholics were born in the east end of the city, from George Street to Union Bridge, which justified the reopening of the church and parish in 1895.  

Another important and long-serving priest was Fr. Andrew Grant, parish priest for almost 50 years from 1902 onwards. During the First World War he joined the army as chaplain for the 51^st Highland Division, becoming a prisoner of war. In 1919 he was decorated with the Military Cross for service at the front line. On his return he was formally appointed to St. Peter’s. He carried out his duties diligently, finding work for the unemployed, clothing for the poor, distributing food for the hungry from whatever source he could find. Although not much of a musician himself, he was responsible for the installation of the existing organ.

THE INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH

Over the years St. Peter’s has seen many changes in its interior decoration. The porch and staircase to the left, with access to the organ loft, are additions to the original church. The painting in the porch was the altarpiece of the “Chapel of Visitation” (the name of the chapel during the period of closure), gifted from King Charles X of France.

On entering the church, to the left, is the baptistery, with its marble font, installed in the early 1960s. The wonderful stain-glass window by Gordon Webster depicts Christ’s baptism by St John; and the four main saints that the main wards of Aberdeen are named after: St. Andrew, St. Clement, St. Nicholas and St. Machar.

Looking around the walls you will see the Stations of the Cross made of glazed tiles. These were by a Polish artist, Adam Kossowski, also from the 1960s.

On the left-hand side of the main altar you will see the Lady Altar dedicated to Our Lady of Aberdeen. A young serving-girl, Miss Elsie Robertson, and her sister, donated this and the main altar. The original statue of Our Lady of Aberdeen was supposed to have been housed in a shrine at the Bridge of Dee. Before the Reformation the friars had to flee, so they hid the statue in the banks of the Dee, said to be the old Heron Dock (the Robert Gordon's University quay today).   It was recovered later and taken to Brussels in Belgium, where it remains to this day. The present replica statue in St. Peter’s was a gift from the Sisters of the Sacred Heart at Queen’s Cross.

The original pulpit with its spiral staircase was situated on the wall immediately to the right of the sanctuary. It was removed when the present pulpit, donated by St Mary’s Cathedral, was installed.

The Original altar rails were in line with the walls of the arch and the Lady Altar. In 1963 the sanctuary was extended to create a more spacious area. The new rails and the marble main altar were installed at a cost of £2,000. Within the sanctuary, on the left, is a stain-glass window by Joseph Nuttgens, depicting Christ giving the keys to St Peter’s? It was installed to commemorate the centenary of the death of Priest Gordon.

Recent alterations have involved work to underpin the corner of the church near the courtyard; window, which was subsiding; restoration of the courtyard; refurbishment of the presbytery; repair to the choir loft; repairs to the church roof; and the creation of a spacious day chapel at the back of the church.

On the 19^th August 2004 St. Peter’s celebrated the 200^th Anniversary of its dedication. The Very Reverend, Peter Antony Moran, Bishop of the Aberdeen, presided at the Anniversary Mass with the Archbishop of Glasgow, Most Reverend Mario Joseph Conti preaching. Also concelebrating were, The Abbot of Pluscarden, Right Reverend Hugh Gilbert OSB and the Canons and priests of the Diocese. The Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, His Eminence Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien attended and addressed the congregation at the end of the Mass.

Back to Top