Aitchies Ale House

I was meeting a friend for lunch at Union Square shopping mall today. I had a few minutes to spare so I took a wander across the road from the main railway station adjacent to Union Square.

This area has recently been named the Merchant Quarter. The area lies adjacent to the harbour and stretches up the hill to Union Street. Being so close to the harbour it forms part of the historic urban origin of Aberdeen, and used to host two friairies.

Following the renaming of the Merchant Quarter efforts were made to encourage new business to come to this part of the town (the friars left a long time ago) and generally to move it "upmarket". The opening of the Union Square shopping mall has shifted the shopping heart of the city away from Union Street towards the harbour. A number of restaurants have opened in the Merchant Quarter.

Aitchies Ale House looks to be a typical and traditional Aberdeen pub. I have never been there as I still tend to gravitate towards the Prince of Wales off Union Street. The Merchant Quarter architecturally is mostly in the typical Aberdeen granite style with little recent modern development.