Seaton Park is a

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

in the

Old Aberdeen Old Aberdeen is part of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the sta ...

area of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Scotland. One of the city's biggest parks, it was bought by the city for use as a public park in 1947 from Major

Malcolm Vivian Hay Major Malcolm Vivian Hay of Seaton (1881–1962) was an officer in the Gordon Highlanders, a cryptographer during the First World War, a historian of Catholic and Jewish history, and the last Laird of Seaton House in Aberdeen, Scotland. The g ...

, a cryptographer during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and a historian of Catholic and Jewish history. It was formerly the grounds of Seaton House, which had been the Hay family home for centuries, but was gradually wound down as a family house due to inheritance tax, the contents were sold off in 1959 and the already dilapidated house burnt down in 1963. The River Don passes through the edge of the park, and there are paths running along both sides of the river. There are well-maintained flower beds on the lawns that run down the centre of one of the park's main pathways, with flowers that are tended daily and planted annually. There is also a secluded set of

walled garden A walled garden is a garden enclosed by high walls, especially when this is done for horticultural rather than security purposes, although originally all gardens may have been enclosed for protection from animal or human intruders. In temperate c ...

s next to a small private housing mews called Seaton Stables. The park is low-lying and has a tendency to flood. In 2016, part of the park was turned into a wetland area to help manage the flooding while creating new wildlife habitats. The park is often used as a path for students of the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

to move between the university campus and the Hillhead Halls of Residence, which lie atop a hill overlooking the park on the side opposite from St. Machar's Cathedral. The path from the residence halls to the campus leads along the flowerbeds on the main walkway and past the Cathedral via the Chanonry Road. The University authorities advise students to be cautious during dark hours due to the lack of street lighting.

Historic features

The park is home to ''Mr Therm'', a locomotive manufactured by Andrew Barclay in 1947 that previously operated at the Aberdeen Gas Works. The locomotive has formed part of the children's playpark since 1974. During 2017, it was refurbished and repainted. Wallace Tower, situated at the southern edge of the park, is a 17-century building that was formerly located in the city centre but was dismantled and moved to Seaton Park in the 1960s to make room for an expansion of

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...

Gallery

Image:Wallace Tower, Tillydrone - geograph.org.uk - 307545.jpg, Wallace Tower Image:Seaton Park walled garden.jpg, The walled garden Image:Mr Therm - May 2025.jpg, ''Mr Therm''

References

External links

Seaton Park
at Aberdeen City Council
Friends of Seaton Park
{{Public parks and gardens in Aberdeen Parks in Aberdeen History of Aberdeen