A Short History of Westhill
Westhill is a commuter town in the north east of Scotland, in the
parish of Skene, directly west of Aberdeen and connected to the city via
the A944 road.
The creation of Westhill on the edge of the city of Aberdeen was the
brainchild of Aberdeen solicitor Ronald Fraser Dean in 1963. With the
backing of the former Aberdeen District Council, the Secretary of State
for Scotland and supported financially by Ashdale Land and Property
Company Ltd the new satellite town of Westhill was created. Since
construction of the first houses in 1968, Westhill has undergone rapid
expansion, much of which is tied to the North East's oil and gas
economy.
Major housing expansions are underway at Elrick and west of Westhill.
The town is a popular place to live, largely because of its proximity to
Aberdeen City and the local amenities it offers.
The town has developed many community amenities including shopping
centre, schools, churches, park and golf course. The Westhill Industrial
Estate, Westhill Business Park and most recent Arnhall Business Park
have a diverse range of occupiers with a mix of industrial, office,
retail, wholesale and leisure developments.
Population 2001 = 9,501
Population forecast 2006 = 10,070
The town of Westhill covers the area that was the Western Kinmundy and Blackhills Farming areas. Small farm houses and a barn from that period still exist on the outskirts of Westhill in a somewhat dilapidated state. Westhill has at least four active church congregations. Trinity Church is an ecumenical project involving the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Non-ecumenical church services organised by Westhill Baptist Church take place in the nearby Old School building.
Westhill has a local gala which is held at the town's Ashdale Hall on the first Saturday of June every year. Westhill has a local gala which is held at the town's Ashdale Hall on the first Saturday of June every year.
Extracted from From Wikipedia
Westhill Commemorative DVD
Westhill and District Residents Association, in conjunction with
PHOTOStoDVD, are hoping to produce a commemorative DVD showing how
Westhill and the surrounding District has changed over the last 40 or so
years. Photographs (and maps) from those years will be compared with
recent pictures and converted into a video photomontage, showing how the
area has evolved. Perhaps interviews with some of our elder residents
could also be incorporated in the DVD. Video or camcorder footage could
also be used.
However in order to do this we need your photographs – lots of them, regardless of the quality.
- Did you take a photo of your new house and street when you moved here?
- Do you have any early pictures of the shopping centre, the Gala, Ashdale Hall, the swimming pool or the fields where there is now a housing estate?
- Do you have any contacts with the Ashdale Land and Property Company who were responsible for a lot of the early construction?
- In fact, anything which shows how Westhill has developed and grown? The older the photo the better.
To get an idea of what the DVD will look like please view the demo version created with some recent photos of Westhill.
Why don’t you have a search through your photo albums and see what you can find. All pictures will be scanned and returned promptly and your contribution will be acknowledged on the DVD.
This project is dependent on the cooperation of Westhill and District residents, past and present. In order to cut the production costs, would any local firms be willing to sponsor the DVD or have an advertising photomontage of their own added to the DVD?
Hopefully this will provide a lasting historical record of our
wonderful town. If you can help, or know of someone who could
contribute, please contact Victor Robertson
If you any other useful suggestions or have experienced difficulty in
viewing the demos, please also contact me.