To spot the Tolbooth, look for the sturdy grey granite building with a tall, pointy clock tower and weather vane, right next to a grand arched gateway on Union Street.
Welcome to the Tolbooth, Aberdeen’s most dramatic slice of history-standing tall since the 1600s, it’s seen more shocking moments than a cat with its tail in a plug socket! Take a moment to imagine the cold stone beneath your feet and the chill air swirling around the ancient prison doors. Back in its heyday, this was the place you really did not want your name called-unless you were picking up a lost pigeon. People claimed the first guillotine outside Paris was commissioned here, and yes, you can still see its heavy blade on display!
If you think your neighbours are suspicious, just wait: In 1630, a woman named Marion Hardie was thrown in here for so-called witchcraft. After a harrowing stay, she was strangled and burned out front-let’s just say the 1600s had a strict no-magic policy. By 1703, charging someone with witchcraft was out, but not before dozens were condemned right where you stand.
History took another turn during the Jacobite risings. Crowds would gather, voices echoing off the stone, as folks declared James Francis Edward Stuart their king. After the failed uprising, this place was stuffed with nearly a hundred Jacobite prisoners-who could probably use a good personal space seminar.
The Tolbooth’s past hides dark secrets too: in the 1700s, street children were locked up here and then shipped to America as slaves-imagine the echo of tiny footsteps on these floors.
Fast forward to today: the Tolbooth is a museum-its ghostly history so famous it starred on “Most Haunted!” Step inside, see the old cells, meet the ghostly model prisoner Willie Baird, and who knows-maybe you’ll feel a cold shiver even on a sunny day.
Congratulations, intrepid explorer, you’ve made it to the end of your Aberdeen adventure at one of its oldest, most mysterious landmarks!
