Aberdeen's Union Terrace Gardens

At the heart of Aberdeen lies Union Terrace Gardens, opened to the public in 1879. Surrounded by some of the best architecture in the Granite City, the Gardens occupy a special place both in the history and the culture of Aberdeen. But in 2010, radical plans were unveiled to turn this quiet oasis in the heart of the city into a vibrant, modern civic space and since then, the battle for the future of the Gardens has been raging. More than any other issue in recent times, the battle for Union Terrace Gardens has divided the people of Aberdeen. There have been various different proposals, promises of private and public funding and intense argument about what is best for this important space. As the twists and turns unfolded in the story, oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood pledged up to GBP 85m of his own fortune to his modern City Garden Project and on 2nd March 2012 a referendum narrowly backed his plans after a massive turnout. This classic battle of traditionalists vs modernisers has been bitterly fought, but although the battle is over for now, the traditionalists have vowed that the war is still to be won. In Union Terrace Gardens - The Battle for the Denburn Valley, Diane Morgan tells the story of the Gardens from their early days right up to the present and details the inside story of the battle for the future of this green jewel in the heart of the Granite City.