Hidden Underground - Aberdeens Hidden subway (Test Screening)

Hidden Underground is a short film about what lies beneath the surface of Aberdeen's City centre including a very hidden Subway tunnel that runs through the centre of Aberdeen, underneath everything!
Aberdeen is home to some of the UK's finest Victorian engineering projects that when built changed the city centre, removing the slums and old housing to make way for Bridges and roads.
If you have ever wondered how our city centre came about let me start you in the right direction.
ALL Archive images are used with express permission and under license from Aberdeen City Council Libraries and the Cities Archives.
If you have any feedback send me a tweet @stevesmithVB (on twitter!)
(I may re-edit this in the future).

[@mikechristie2793]

Lived in Aberdeen my entire lifetime (62 yo) and never new that tunnel existed. Very interesting thanks.

[@brushstrokes68]

Great video, more, please. It's just a pity that Aberdeen has suffered mismanagement, and a times is happy to wipe out great beauty from its past

[@hamish66]

Aberdeen could be known for so much of this stuff; fascinating and curious stories. Well done for unearthing what you have so far.

[@colin.d]

There has been considerable urban vandalism in Aberdeen over the decades. Well done for that bit of research!

[@scottg2754]

Great video...new to Aberdeen and am enjoying learning as I go and settle into the city.

[@StevieVB]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it and hope Aberdeen is a good place to stay for you :D

[@scottg2754]

I'm enjoying Aberdeen. I find it a nice place to be. I've looked at and spent time in other places and it was a better fit.

[@User3749cvndhkcgk]

@@scottg2754go away

[@rowdoc]

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Well done. Might be worth pitching this to some media historians in Scotland: Victorian engineering is fascinating and still working today!

[@redketchum3023]

The architecture for your home town is amazing.

[@StevieVB]

INdeed red. It is very much under-rated, i think because we are up north so noone comes up much unless they have to. (Something i am happy with hahaha)

[@moldomosbah7081]

are u blind ?

[@gogsagain]

An access to the tunnels can be found in the basement of the old Hydro Electric shop in Union Street. BTW Union Street runs East to West as the numbers go and originally stopped at Summer Street. Beyond this was originally known as Union Place. You can tell the difference in the less grand buildings there.

[@User3749cvndhkcgk]

Best comment

[@joannaw.1406]

There are also air vent pillars the same as the one on the edge of Justice Mill lane, and Holburn St They are on either side of Hutcheon street, near the top end, where the railway bridge is

[@voicebritannia4470]

I have seen those ones, the are very similar to the stink pipes you see in london. If you did not know they were there you would never know they existed.

[@robertlaverty8021]

Enjoyed that, I had heard about the tunnel when I was working to build the flats that went up on milburn but not much else about it, so thanks for info on the city I'm from live and love. Great work.

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

I think theres some kind of underground entrance along the Dee, near the bottom of Holburn Street. if you walk along on the Duthie Park side of the Dee from that bridge down towards The Garthdee end theres some Victorian Culvert entrances that I have had recurring bad nightmares about since the 1960s. I live in London now but was born in Aberdeen. I really dont know how much is memory and how much is nightmare but, as soon as I saw your video here, I had the feeling thats what you were going to speak about. I remember all that underneath Windmill Brae and the stuff on the what used to be St. Nicholas Street (down the back of old Markies and the underground bits down the Union Street Steps towards the harbour) all of this is part and parcel of the recurring nightmares I used to have. Of course a lot of it could be put down to relatives who lived in Menzies Road Torry who had flats which had "Sunks" or partially sunken dwellings down beside the coal cellars, below street level...that and the fact that some of the people who lived in the "Sunks" were really scary, you can imagine where the nightmare fodder came from. I have bad dreams about them too...sometimes in the same recurring dream. It seems to me that an awful lot of what scares me deeply is below the surface of Aberdeen. If I were brave I would go and look myself but Covid has me trapped here at the moment anyway...I would love to know what all you find though!

[@richardbowman6227]

That tunnels just take you under the bridge we use to play in them as kids I also use to have dreams about that tunnel many dreams lol

[@laurietinto5211]

Great content, my father used to tell me about these places 60years ago. His brother used to work for the town gas, the first company to produce electricity in the city.

[@AbzDeen]

crazy that big pillar was a vent for the tunnel always wondered what it was or what its purpose was

[@andrewthompson1779]

Thanks for this video. I lived in Aberdeen 2008-2015. I saw a few live bands in a venue called The Tunnels. This appeared to be part of the networks featured here. Aberdeen has an unusual lie of the land which as you walk around becomes clear is due to an artificially created level of Union Street and streets running off it.

[@kennytaylor5849]

Nice work. Good watch

[@amandabrown7043]

Great video. I'd known about the tunnel but thanks for more details. 👍

[@browpetj]

URBEX just put out a load of urban explores in your area that you might be interested in. NHS Woolmanhill Hospital (now sold) and Bon Accord Baths... stunning. Hopefully the team will help us see this tunnel in all its glory soon :)

[@wendymclean49]

They have now explored the baths and hospital :)

[@browpetj]

@@wendymclean49 where is the video?

[@wendymclean49]

@@browpetj search for Urbandoned Exploring Aberdeens Abandoned Swimming pool and it should come up I will try to share the link but I'm not sure if it will allow me to. It's two lads they do a free in and around Aberdeen and other places including Woolmanhill hospital etc they are good or just search for Urbandoned and lots of videos come up

[@wendymclean49]

I hope the link works for you

[@seanmcphee1072]

@@wendymclean49 is the videos on KZbin?

[@TheJohnaddison10]

Great investigative work. I live on Millburn Street. I've heard of the tunnels from various sources on doors open day. Nice to see some actual evedence!

[@liesl7617]

Great video. I studied in Aberdeen in the 90s and worked in Internacionale on Union Street. We had an amazing network of underground tunnels in our sub-basements. Pretty spooky! Not sure what the difference is, but as I live in Falkirk I thought I'd point out that it's Carron Ironworks that manufactured the ventilation shaft and the postboxes, not Carron Steelworks.

[@allanjohnston6671]

Well done stevie smith stayed in aberdeen my whole life and never new . Well done 👏🏻

[@User3749cvndhkcgk]

‘Knew’ …..😂 are you from one of the council estates?

[@JonMurray]

@@User3749cvndhkcgktwat

[@martinbitter4162]

I lived in Aberdeen from 1997 to 2001 and this is new to me too. I cannot believe SSE does not use this opportunity for a postive PR exercise.

[@ayse5820]

Thanks for the video about Aberdeen.I have been there 4 years ago .Watching the video I 'm very enjoyed.l dream to vizit there next year.God bless everyone.

[@JonMurray]

Nice one man, brilliant video. I’ll look at the streets differently as I walk round now! New subscriber ✌🏻

[@billybhoy32]

Very interesting mate.

[@Skinhead-201]

Very interesting indeed Stevie.

[@johnbull9195]

That is fascinating. As a Glaswegian I would have quite liked a subway train during my studies in Aberdeen.

[@User3749cvndhkcgk]

Back tae glaisga 👋

[@johnbull9195]

@@User3749cvndhkcgk I already am 😆

[@mikey4483]

Great video mate. Never realised how much there is under Aberdeen city centre

[@JK-vn3oh]

Great work. It’s surprising these weren’t opened up to the public during WW2. Would’ve provided great cover.

[@PyrateAsylumParanormalAgency]

Great investigation and really well done.... Great work!!!

[@joanhenry1866]

Go Aiberdeen!

[@jamiedavidson1036]

Used to go underneath denburn in rosemount entrance we were only kids but some interesting tunnels

[@CavemanNinja]

Very interesting!

[@StevieVB]

Thanks Caveman!

[@steviep81]

I stay in aberdeen and al find that entrance one day and al break into watever old building I need to find it lol.

[@drewdrewman28]

interesting stuff dude, cheers

[@Jackajacka5]

Great video mate.

[@ckfks]

amazing work!

[@daynapper]

Thanks, I enjoyed that, would love to go down to the underground

[@johnmclean4911]

Just a shame you didn't get a permission from the electoral company to film the tunnel. It would have been worth seeing.

[@jameswatker9766]

Great video. Have you tried contacting SSE for up-to-date photos? I have done a fair bit of work electrical field crews. In my experience they take photos of everything with a smart phone, especially if they are maintaining old infrastructure.

[@maryfaetorry]

Very interesting

[@anthonyrobertson1753]

Great stuff min ...thanks

[@ganderson87]

Nice een loon!

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Google translate cant do Doric!!

[@ganderson87]

@@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws ...yet! 😉

[@davidaberdeencastlerhind1257]

Q2