Aberdeen announces the launch of two heritage trails: a Tall Ships Heritage Trail; and a Tea Heritage Trail. These initiatives celebrate the city's rich maritime history and its pivotal role in the global tea trade.
The Tall Ships Trail guides visitors through Aberdeen's shipbuilding landmarks and recounts tales of renowned vessels, including the Thermopylæ, celebrated for its swift voyages transporting tea from China to Britain. It also tells the story of the rise of the Aberdeen Line which commissioned over 50 ships from Aberdeen’s shipyards, transporting tea, gold, silks, and passengers to every corner of the world.
The Tea Heritage Trail offers an immersive journey through Aberdeen's sites linked to tea history. Highlights include Waterloo Quay, where George Thompson Jnr welcomed Queen Victoria, influencing the popularisation of Breakfast Tea, and Queen's Tea Rooms, emblematic of the city's enduring tea culture. The trail also honours James Taylor, a Scotsman from nearby Auchenblae, who pioneered tea cultivation in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), establishing a legacy that continues today.
The trails were commissioned by the Aberdeen Line 200 Committee, a group of maritime experts and historians, celebrating 200 years of the Aberdeen Line alongside the Tall Ships Races. Committee members tested both trails along with some Sea Cadets recently on a visit to Aberdeen.
Both trails have been curated by a member of the Committee, Lisa Honan CBE, a City of London guide with a remarkable link to Aberdeen. Between 2016 - 2019 Lisa was the Governor of the British overseas territory of St Helena. One of her responsibilities was the RMS St Helena - the island’s only transport to and from South Africa. The RMS St Helena was the last ship built in Aberdeen and symbolises Aberdeen's enduring shipbuilding legacy.
Lisa said “It was incredible to come to Aberdeen to research its history for the heritage trails, but then to find that this is where the RMS St Helena was built. She was very dear to the islanders and was our only way on and off the island. She truly was a lifeline”.
Visitors can experience these heritage trails now on the Aberdeen Line’s website [link] and at the Aberdeen Line 200 Committee’s marquee on Castlegate and at the Maritime Museum throughout the Tall Ships event. These trails offer attendees a unique opportunity to delve into Aberdeen's historical contributions to maritime trade and the tea industry.
For more information on the Aberdeen Line bicentenary events and the heritage trails, visit www.aberdeenline200.org.
Tall Ships Trail -https://www.aberdeenline200.org/trails
Aberdeen Tea Trail - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vd6FPaZVZfTSHHqjmEhvECUHgl4aVPz3SZg4AQMEzDo/edit?usp=sharing
